James Morrison: Putting passion & soul in music

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(Courtesy of James Morrison)British singer, songwriter and guitarist James Morrison makes his female fans go wild with his love ballads and raspy voice. Some of them may shriek in enthusiasm just looking at his curly hair.

Get ready. Next week, fans in Indonesia will get a chance to watch him perform live.

“I am really excited to play in Indonesia!” he said during a telephone interview with The Jakarta Post.

Morrison is scheduled to perform on a special show on the last day of LA Lights Java Soulnation Festival 2012 in Istora Senayan, Jakarta on Sept. 30.

The three-day festival slated to start on Sept. 28 will feature international artists Robin Thicke, Scissors Sisters, Dutch band Valerius, Color Me Badd and dozens of local artists, such as Sandhy Sondoro and Raisa.  

Morrison put himself on the musical map with his 2006 debut single “You Give Me Something”, which instantly became a hit in many parts of the world, including Europe and Australia.

His first album, Undiscovered, launched the same year, garnered him a BRIT Award for the Best British Male Solo Artist.

His second album Songs for You, Truths for Me hit the market in 2008, successfully carrying “Broken Strings” as its spearhead song.

However, in reflecting on the second album, Morrison said it was too poppy and a step in the wrong direction.

“I thought, ‘If I can’t get it right next time, then I ain’t doing this any more. I’m losing myself, and I don’t want to do that’,” he said as quoted on his official website www.jamesmorrisonmusic.com.

The artist, who describes his music as autobiographical-soulful-sort-of-pop-folk, tried to get himself on track with the launch of his third album, The Awakening, which he said had a more personal ambiance.

The album took three years to make and was his first album under the Island Records label after moving from Polydor. On the album, the 28-year-old artist performs a duet with singer Jessie J in a song titled “Up”. The song, which he wrote by himself, was inspired by his father who died from heart failure after a battle with alcoholism in 2010.  

Morrison laughed a little when asked whether his songs came to him naturally.“I wish they were easy, but they are not. Sometimes it comes easy and other times it’s really hard. It’s both. Lyrics, to me, are the hardest thing. Some lyrics that I really love are the hardest thing,” he said.  

He has been promoting his third album across the globe. After performing in London on Sept. 21, he will head to
Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in Australia from Sept. 25 to Sept. 28. Busy? Yes, but a hard-working attitude has been one of his traits.

“I have worked with different people and labels. I do a lot of gigs and work away over a long period of time where most people just have a couple of gigs. I just carry on and get through it,” he said.  

Born in Rugby, England little Morrison lived a humble life since his parents divorced when he was 4. He and his two siblings were raised by his mother. When he was 19, he worked as a van washer while performing at open-mic nights, which became the start of his musical career.  

With a humble background, working hard may not be an issue for him, but being famous has certainly been a burden for the artist.

“I think if there is anything I struggle with, it is being famous. It’s amazing that people listen to my music and stuff like that, but when you are not feeling so good, or maybe, you know, you are not just in the mood, that thing can burn me out quite a lot,” he said.

Amid the struggle to live a normal life, his little family offers comfort and happiness. Morrison described the birth of his 3-year-old daughter as the biggest thing that ever happened to him and as a massive milestone in his life. 
“I changed my outlook on life and changed my music. To be a wise man, maybe, is all about the concept of change. Having a kid definitely changes my life,” he said.

Most fans associate Morrison’s love songs and thoughtful lyrics with his own romanticism — something he says is a bit of a mistake. Morrison said the most romantic thing he probably does for his wife, Gill, may be making a cup of tea.

“I think I am romantic about life, you know. I like things about life and people, but I am not romantic. I don’t think so. I had quite a tough upbringing as a man,” he said.

Morrison joked that he might call it a day in the music industry when he looked too old and sounded like a crab. Even so, he said he would not stop following his passion for music.

“Even if I don’t want to be an artist, I am still going to make music,” he said.

Until then, fans eagerly await Morrison’s performance next week in Jakarta.

For further details, log on to javasoulnation.com