New sound is best discovered live – opening for your favorite artist, at a small festival showcase overshadowed by the headliner, or on the Teufel stage. That’s why we invited five artists to play their newest songs live just for us with audio support from Teufel products both new and classic. In part four of our series, we wanted to introduce you to singer-songwriter James Hersey, who inspires with his unique brand of electropop. What are you waiting for? Bring a new sound to your life today!
Let it shine by James Hersey – the song from the Teufel campaign (YouTube version)
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Interview with James Hersey: the melodies have to stick in my head
Does the name James Hersey sound familiar? It just might – because the Austrian-American musician’s electropop music has already scored him a couple of big hits around the world. He was featured on a version of the song Coming Over, which reached number one on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart in June 2016. In November 2016, his single Miss You hit the Austrian and German charts again. It even went gold in Italy in April 2017, and Canada in June of the same year. So, what’s new? Everything else. Hersey made a lot of progress musically as a singer-songwriter. Recently, Teufel sat down with him to ask some questions:
Teufel: James, how did you get into music?
James Hersey: I come from a very musical family. We used to go to a lot of concerts and play instruments at home. So from an early age, I developed a very strong passion for making music. Because of that, my skills as a singer-songwriter are still very closely tied to love and family.
Teufel: How would you describe your sound?
James Hersey: In the broadest sense, I make pop music with guitars, so now it sounds more like rock because I also come from that world. When I was a teen, I played in punk bands. I love loud energetic music and mix that into songs where I tend to focus more on catchy melodies. I love nothing more than a melody that gets stuck in my head.
Teufel: What is most important to you in your music?
James Hersey: The songs have to stick in my head, the lyrics have to get into my heart, and the sound has to be really good. What’s important for me is to have everything sound perfect the way its recorded, even when the performance isn’t perfect. We aren’t robots, after all. But it has to have energy. Power that you can feel deep down.
Teufel: How do you listen to music in private and what role does good sound play for you there?
James Hersey: I mostly listen with headphones so I can really dive into the world and forget everything around me. I also love listening to music in the car.
Teufel: What are your associations with the Teufel brand?
James Hersey: Definitely Berlin. I first heard about Teufel when I moved here. Practically one in three people have a Teufel set at home and you see the name everywhere. I also always liked the colors. The black and red.
Teufel: If you were a song or playlist, what would you sound like?
James Hersey: One of my favorite songs, that represents the way I feel right now is a really old one from the 60’s by the Beatles. It’s called I Want You/She’s so Heavy. The reason is that the song starts off a bit quiet and mysterious, then just totally blows up. And that’s how I feel, like I have these moments of calm and then I can just explode on stage.
Teufel: What do you want to achieve with your music?
James Hersey: I’ve been making music for a pretty long time. More than 10 years, so I’ve played through a lot of levels. Now I’m at a stage where I put a really high value on live music. I want to share energy with people in the same space as me and not over the computer. And that’s why I play with a band now, so people can feel the energy in the stands and get that human interaction.
I love going to concerts
Teufel: What’s a good tip you can give us for discovering new music?
James Hersey: I discover a lot of new music through my friends. That means asking questions, being honest, and being happy to share music. And I love going to concerts. There, you can learn about new people and see how bands really play and how they are.
More sounds by James Hersey
Official playlist
His current single (Let it Shine from our campaign) was released September 15th 2023
James Hersey live
09.10. Munich// 10.10. Salzburg // 11.10. Vienna// 12.10. Graz // 15.10. Frankfurt // 16.10. Cologne // 17.10. Hamburg // 19.10. Copenhagen // 20.10. Berlin
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