James TW – from one-hit-wonder to global sensation?
James TW is, as a ‘one-hit-wonder’, very satisfied with how his career has gone so far. He has been able to perform multiple tours, has played in places he never dared to dream of, and can make a living entirely from his music. Yet something still nags. Where does his motivation come from to keep trying, and does he expect to ever become a ‘two-hit-wonder’?
‘I feel lucky, anyway, that I even got the chance to have one hit, so I don’t look at that negatively. If I play the song on the street and more than half recognise it without knowing who I am, I still see that as a victory in itself. But to be honest, I don’t think “When You Love Someone” should be classified as a hit. It did well on the radio in the Netherlands and in Scandinavia, too, but really nowhere else. The song’s success is largely due to its immortality, which is entirely thanks to streaming. The song has been out for nine years now, and it still means so much to so many people. That’s everything an artist dreams of.’
‘From the outside, it might seem like a “one-hit-wonder”, but inside, that actually motivates me to create another moment like that, not just for the listeners, but for me as an artist as well. I think I’ve had a successful career so far. If you had told ten-year-old James, when I started uploading covers on YouTube, what I’ve achieved now, I would have laughed at you outright. Of course, I still dream of selling out arenas, but my goals have changed over the years. The feeling I’ve experienced is also captured in the first song of my new album, “Proud”. That was also the most beautiful and hardest song to write.’
‘Music is just a part of my core. That started before I made music myself; it’s always just been a part of me. Apart from maybe my family, there’s nothing else besides music that has always been a constant factor in my life. There have certainly been moments when I thought, “I’m quitting music.” I’m quite an extreme person, so I could suddenly say I want to become a tennis coach. Luckily, I have my wife and manager, Laura, by my side, who bring me back to reality. She makes me see that music really is my everything, and that’s what I love about her. She knows me better than I know myself, and I get so much motivation and inspiration from that.’
Photos (c) Janne van der Vegt
