James Hayden Rodriguez is a Singer/Songwriter hailing from the Bronx. Writing all original music on piano, his style fuses the nostalgic genres of the 70s and 80s, including a vocal style influenced by Stevie Wonder and Freddie Mercury, combined with contemporary artists like Labrinth, John Legend, and Khalid.
An LGBTQIA+ artist with a mission to encourage Queer people of color of all ages to live powerfully. Raised a child of Broadway, James Hayden Rodriguez’s performance style can only be described as dramatic and theatrical; best experienced in large arenas.
Indulging us in the vivacious soundscape of an atmospheric pulsation, James Hayden Rodriguez’ latest single “Didn’t I,” comes together with a syncopated rhythm sure to get your mind and body grooving to the instrumentation. We admire how the intimate resonance of James Hayden Rodriguez’ reverberated echoes ricochet through the sound system in a way that pulls us closer to him and the themes expanded in “Didn’t I.”
Exuding a unique blend of timing and spatial cues that manifest into something of great significance in the electric universe before us, the instrumentation hones in on a fortified elusiveness that takes you under its spellbinding malleability. James Hayden Rodriguez isn’t the only angelic vocalist that graces the melismatic essence of “Didn’t I.” Inviting the one and only, Sapphire Hart to dazzle us in her prevailing timbres, the duo that is both of these soul giving artists leaves us in a state of lavishly overflowing presence.
Bringing us down memory lane with the pieces of nostalgia that connect us with the modern Pop vibrations further explored, we’re forever fans of how James Hayden Rodriguez navigates us through the winding path of lyrical motifs such as, ‘I just rely on my faith, you might get the point one day.’
Welcome to BuzzMuisc James, and congratulations on the release of your most recent single, “Didn’t I.” We adore the reminiscent tones that break through your unique styling in the soundscape offered up. Where did the inspiration for this song originate from?
This song is incredibly personal to me. It started with a simple 3 chord progression I was playing on the piano. The tones were very reminiscent and I was beginning to replay a traumatic relationship in my head. With all of my music, I write as a form of therapy and a way to unpack my feelings about certain situations. Music unlocks that for me. With this song I was revisiting a moment where I had to put my love for someone aside and understand that I could not fix them. They had a journey to go on and I could not guide through that, for my own sanity, so I had to step away. Writing this song was helpful in unpacking a lot of those emotions.
The dynamic that you share with Sapphire Hart is remarkable! We thoroughly enjoyed taking in the various dimensions that you two brought to the track. How did this collaboration come to be, and how did she help you take this vision to the next level?
I wrote this song in 2019 and sat on it for a while. Over the summer of 2020, I met Sapphire through a mutual friend and we just clicked. I was determined to collaborate with her so I sent her this song. She loved it and rewrote her verse to it, which I became obsessed with because it felt like something more from her heart, not mine. After she sent me that verse I was like “yea this is it.” So we took it from there. We were both singing this song about different experiences, and I found it powerful how well they worked together.
How is the creative process different for you when including a featured artist on your tracks? Do you find that collaboration is something crucial in the style of music you explore?
I think collaboration is absolutely crucial. But letting go of that ego and that mentality of “this is MINE” is very difficult for a lot of artists. With every collaboration, I am challenging myself to be more open and find ways to develop ideas to create something great, whether they are my ideas or not. At the end of the day you won’t make it anywhere on your own, and although you may be used to creating alone, accepting help is going to open up a whole new world of possibility creatively.
As an artist, what is the main message that you hope people can reflect on when delving deep into the lyrics of “Didn’t I?"
People will take what they take. I didn’t write this song hoping people would think about one thing. Music is personal and you will find something that you relate to in music you love. For me, this song was a moment of clarity and closure, but maybe someone is listening to this song and is currently in a bad relationship and find something to cling to in this. Maybe it's trouble with a family member that they can’t get over. Maybe it’s not even a person but a situation they’re dealing with. Music will help you through that.
What's next for you?
What’s not?!?!? I spent all of COVID writing and creating. I’m having such an amazing time watching all of these ideas in my head come to life. I've got an incredible support system and couldn't do any of this without a great team behind me. I’ve got so much more on the way and I’m just hoping to connect to fans that feel something when they listen to my music.