The Louisiana-based multi-instrumentalist, singer-songwriter, producer, and country artist Newton James opens his heart with a breathtaking ballad, "Love In Vain."
Mixing a blend of rock, alt-country, and blues-rock into his sound, Newton James creates music with the intent of allowing others to relate. Serving reflection on a platter, James tells stories through his life experiences and translates his emotions through the art of music.
Recently releasing his latest country ballad entitled "Love In Vain," Newton James mentioned that he found inspiration for this song through a pre-covid walk through New Orleans and noticing a newly-wed couple. Watching their joy and love compelled James to create the piece while also wanting to remind listeners to hold onto hope after a heartbreak.
"Love In Vain" softly begins with Newton James' vocals alongside warm acoustic guitar melodies and a tender piano. As he begins setting the song's passionate and emotional tone through his poetic lyricism, James truly brings us into the overwhelming emotions of love within a matter of seconds.
What stands out is Newton James' heartfelt lyrics, serenading any listener who graces this track. While he continues whispering his love for someone and how grateful he is to be in their presence, the supporting instrumentals drift their way towards the outro at a down-tempo and relaxed pace. We can't help but sink into reflection with help from Newton James' emotion-evoking performance and concept.
Allow Newton James to serenade you with the utmost heart and passion through his latest single, "Love In Vain," now available on all streaming platforms.
We love the passion and honesty you've brought to your single, "Love In Vain." When watching those newly-weds in New Orleans, were you instantly inspired to create this single? Or was it a more protracted process?
Really cool question. Yes, at the moment I was inspired by the concept. However, I waited to pen out the song until I figured out how to say exactly what I wanted to say. I've always been very self-conscious of my voice, so I push myself to let the lyrics and music make up for it when writing. When I realized I had a concept for a song that I believed in, I was like "Ok, I've got this idea, let me just tuck this on the side for when it's the right time." I let that stuff happen on its own. When a song is ready to come to life, it lets me know.
How did you achieve such a blissful, melodic, and passionate instrumental atmosphere within "Love In Vain?” What was the song's instrumental process like?
Thank you. Being a musician first before having the confidence to grow into a lyricist, it has always been natural for me put a lot of thought into the sonic aesthetics of my music. The setup is straightforward acoustic and electric guitar, bass, and drums. The atmospheric undertones you hear are me playing slide on a regular six-string electric guitar. I wish I had an actual slide guitar because I feel I could have pulled out more of what I was going for. Just doing the best I can with what I have at the moment.
What should we expect to see from your upcoming music video for "Love In Vain?” How will you emphasize the song's theme within the video?
It's going to be doodle-inspired with a combination of keywords and images that represent the lyrics throughout the song. So even if the sound is turned off, the viewer will still be able to understand what the song is about. I'm pretty excited! It's something I haven't done before and different from what I've seen.
How does "Love In Vain" stand out from the rest of your discography? Do you often switch up your lyrical themes and concepts, or are you best known for writing about specific topics?
I would say "Love In Vain'' is a step in a different direction. Usually, I write about anxiety and maintaining a positive mindset with songs like "House of Mind '' or "The Siege". I definitely felt out of my element at first, but when I finished "Love In Vain" I knew it was a solid song that stood on its own and was pretty confident in sharing it. I feel it's within the last few years after establishing ground in songwriting and the engineering aspects of recording that I have felt more comfortable diving into other topics. There's always room to expand and that's what I love about making music the most. It's a very freeing experience.
What's next for you?
First, I want to say thank you to my family and everyone for always being encouraging and supportive. Aside from the music video coming out soon, I'm always writing, so there's definitely more music coming! I definitely want my music on more playlists than I did last year. That would be pretty cool. As funny as this sounds, I'm also working on trying to show my face more. I'm a black alternative rock/country musician from the south of the south in the United States. I've always been so focused on the music being in the forefront before people see what I look like, rather than them seeing what I look like and then making an assumption on what my music will sound like. I'm starting to feel like I have this "faceless persona", but that's not the case! Aside from that, I'm just going to aim to continue living comfortably making music. It's a marathon, not a sprint. It keeps me happy.
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