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With the release of his self-titled album JAMES., South London singer-songwriter James Vickery steps into a new chapter of his career, one defined by creative freedom, vulnerability, and unfiltered self-expression. Known for his viral COLORS performance, which has amassed tens of millions of views, and collaborations with artists including Musiq Soulchild, EarthGang, and SG Lewis, Vickery has steadily carved out a place as one of UK R&B’s most distinctive and versatile voices. But this record, a seamless blend of R&B, ’70s funk, and late ’90s pop, marks a turning point.
Written largely in Los Angeles with heavyweight producers such as Larrance Dopson and Jonah Christian, JAMES reflects an artist unafraid to step outside genre conventions and create without restriction. The album channels the richness of Vickery’s influences from the soulful sounds he grew up hearing at home to the timeless grooves of classic funk and pop, while keeping his voice and storytelling at the centre. More importantly, it serves as a deeply personal document of his life so far.
Across its tracks, Vickery explores the complexities of identity, love, and self-acceptance, drawing from his experiences of growing up mixed-race, navigating misconceptions, and living with 50% hearing loss. These challenges, once sources of shame, now underpin a body of work that celebrates resilience and authenticity. JAMES. is not just a musical evolution; it’s the sound of an artist fully embracing who he is and inviting listeners to do the same.
Now, with JAMES. marking a pivotal moment in his artistic journey, Vickery reflects on the experiences that shaped both the record and the person behind it. From writing his most vulnerable ballad to reimagining what representation in music can look like, he speaks candidly about creative risks, personal growth, and the ongoing mission to make space for stories like his. In the conversation that follows, Vickery discusses the making of JAMES., the lessons learned along the way, and the future he envisions — for himself and for the industry.
“Fall In Your Arms” feels so intimate – just you, piano, and pure emotion. What drew you to that stripped-back approach?
I’ve always in my heart of hearts wanted to write a ballad, but I think I never had the courage to be that vulnerable on a song before. The ‘UK R&B’ title also always made me feel like I wasn’t allowed to be that stripped-back and raw on a song, but with the self-titled album, ‘JAMES.’ I wanted there to be no limitations in how I approached any song, as long as it felt true and representative of me.
Your self-titled album beautifully weaves together R&B, ’70s funk, and late ’90s pop. How did you discover this was the sound that felt most like you?
Honestly, I felt like it perfectly embodies all of the small intricate details of me. With my upbringing and where I am today, it was actually pretty easy to tap into that, because it all felt so true to me and I was allowed to write music that I wanted to make. Every studio session I made sure that I didn’t say “no I can’t do that because it won’t make sense”, I instead allowed myself to make sure the thing that connected it all was the vocal, not something that I felt the algorithm needed.
You’ve described “JAMES.” as your most authentic work. What does that authenticity feel like when you’re creating?
It’s actually quite rewarding, I often feel like being in a studio session and writing can feel like therapy sometimes, because you’re pouring out your heart on a paper and telling all your deepest insecurities (Well, I do anyways…) and often to someone you just met. You learn a lot about yourself, and being authentic and open with your emotions always helps that, in fact, I think the more open you are, the better and more authentic song you will eventually create out of it.
What was it like collaborating with powerhouse producers like Larrance Dopson and Jonah Christian? Did they bring out something new in you?
It was incredible, for many reasons. The first being that I wrote the majority of those songs in LA, and being born and raised in London, going out to California to write an album with some of the most prestigious producers in the game? Yeah, I can’t even lie I’ve been dreaming about these moments since I was a child. It can definitely be overwhelming though, so I try and live in the moment rather than let it pass me by. It’s really interesting you bring up Jonah too, talking to him, our upbringings are similar and I feel so connected to him now, I’ve met his family and he let me into his home to meet his kids which I massively respect as I didn’t know him before we started writing this. He really brought out the best in me and I’ve no doubt me and him will be working extensively on the next project.
You now proudly embrace your story, but you’ve mentioned feeling ashamed before. What helped you find that sense of pride?
I can’t pinpoint exactly what moment I started being more purposeful in talking about it, but for sure I think it’s a part of getting older, it’s never fun growing up and people making jokes about you if you have a condition or are even just different from other people, I would probably say that’s why it began, but I think as I was mid 20s I started to understand that the difficulties I did have in having a disability shaped me into the person I am today, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.
Can you walk us through how your hearing difference shapes the way you experience and create music?
Yeah of course, so first of all. I only have 50% hearing (completely deaf in my left ear), so certain things take me longer. So like, my ‘ear’ isn’t so good, as in, defining different instruments and small intricacies in the instrumentation can be a challenge so I’ve really gotta lock in and concentrate. I also have to hear everything in mono, especially if I’m recording or listening with headphones, because I’ll miss some things otherwise. Somehow my pitch is pretty good, if anything it’s helped my singing, but my diction can be a bit slack anyways when I’m speaking so I have to concentrate hard on the mic, and I’d say mixing the record after it’s finished is the worst thing, because everything I mentioned above is involved, whether it’s picking out fine details or trying to pan certain things left or right, I just have to allow myself a bit more time to do these things. Also, making sure people I work with understand the severity of the condition, and don’t forget it, is probably half the battle, as with a lot of other people who I’m sure reading will understand, it isn’t a disability that is visible, which can be a challenge in itself.
“Right Side” is such a clever way to turn a personal reality into something universal. Do you find music helps you process your experiences?
It’s the first time I’ve ever done it, I’ve always wanted to write something around that topic but I didn’t want to make it something sad and people to feel sorry for me, because who wants that? I wanted it to reflect where I am today, happy and thriving. I truly believe that music is the most therapeutic way to process experiences like that, especially creating it,
Your mixed heritage – Welsh father, South African mother – seems to really inform your artistry. How has that shaped your musical identity?
It is so influential and something I’m super proud of. My musicality, i.e, my guitar playing, my Dad grew up in bands around South London so me wanting to play an instrument is definitely derived from him, but the soul and the voice, that Mum, South Africans love their soul music and my taste in music is for sure because that was always playing around the house as a kid.
Your documentary “Louder” was such a beautiful, honest piece. What inspired you to share your story so openly?
Thank you, we’re so proud of that, one day I gotta do a part 2 as it’s fairly old now. To be fair, it wasn’t my idea initiall,y but a lot of people kept telling me I have such a unique story that no one would have believed otherwise.
You’ve mentioned wanting more representation for people with hearing differences in music. What change would you love to see?
I think there can be changes made all over, I don’t know of any funding for people with hearing differences as hearing and music don’t tend to go hand in hand traditionally, it’s usually only people getting hearing loss later in life from abusing it early on that I ever hear about, I think people forget that young people starting out can be affected too. I’m seeing more BSL/ASL interpreters and concerts, which is amazing, but they tend to be for stadiums/arenas, I’d love for smaller venues to accommodate this more too.
From the bossa nova vibes of “Hotel Lobby” to the ’80s energy of “Higher” – how do you know which sonic direction feels right for each song?
I think in the past there was a very clear ‘checklist’ of what was required form me. But for this album, honestly I would say the only sonic direction I had was, ‘does the vocal shine through?’ If the answer was yes then I knew it was in the right direction.
That COLORS performance has touched so many people (and apparently inspired some babies!). What do you think connects with people so deeply?
To this day I have no idea, but I’m immensely grateful for it. I did it in 2018 and still to this day I have people stopping me to say how much they still love the song, It has opened so many doors for me and I love playing (Until Morning) it live and seeing the crazy reaction from people.
Since sharing your hearing journey, have you heard from others in similar situations? What’s that been like?
Yes because for so long I thought I was alone, it’s probably why it took me so long because I thought no one would understand, all I wanted to do was to bring visibility to something which doesn’t at first appear so, but I’m so happy that so many fans (and also a few musicians) have reached out to say how nice it is seeing someone follow their dreams with the same or similar condition to mine.
From cinema shifts to performing at Wembley for Crystal Palace – what keeps you grounded through this incredible journey?
The people around me for suuuuure. My parents would disown me if they caught me otherwise haha. Also I’ve got a pretty incredible group of friends, whilst super supportive, would always tell me if I started to veer off track.
Your collaboration with BIA on “Like That” is fire. How important is it to connect across different musical communities?
Super important. Pretty much right from the beginning I’ve been hugely into collaboration, whether it be rappers, or musicians not in my native tongue, or producers one of my first ever collabs was with a rapper called Mikill Pane, then we got Musiq Soulchild and Earthgang on a later project, SG Lewis, Kojey Radical on another and now BIA on this album, Im excited to explore this even more moving forward.
You’re about to tour across three continents. What experience do you hope to create for your audiences?
Especially in the states, most of the places I’m going to I haven’t been to before, fans from there have been hounding me for years to come to these places but we haven’t had the means to make it happen. I’m confident anyone that comes to the show is gonna have a great time, and it will have been worth the wait.
If you met a young person with disabilities dreaming of a music career, what encouragement would you offer?
That it’s possible, don’t let anyone tell you that it isn’t, and also, there’s no rules to this, just because it hasn’t been done before doesn’t mean it shouldn’t. Follow your gut always.
What’s one thing you’d love to see change in the music industry to make it more inclusive for everyone?
Representation is key. For everyone, we’re definitely improving on this but I’ve mentioned earlier the changes I’d like to see for a community that I’m involved in, hearing loss is a spectrum, it affects us all differently, I’d like to see big music execs have more awareness of this moving forward, perhaps.
As Vickery prepares to take JAMES. On the road across three continents, he remains focused on creating space for authenticity, both for himself and for others who don’t see their stories reflected in the industry. His journey, from early challenges with hearing loss to stages around the world, underscores a simple truth that runs through his work: there are no limits to where honesty and persistence can lead. And with JAMES., he’s not just sharing music, he’s sharing the fullest version of himself yet.
