Interview with Bailey James
At Belles and Gals we’re always on the lookout for ‘One To Watch’ in the country music industry. One young singer who falls firmly into that category is Bailey James, who featured recently on the site with her latest single. We caught up with Bailey last week, and she told us all about ‘Run Girl’, some of the great venues she has played, her music/school balance and how it all started for her!
Hi Bailey, We first featured you on Belles and Gals just a couple of weeks ago with the fantastic ‘Run Girl’. Tell us all about the song!
“Run Girl” is the realization that anything that you want in life, especially those really special things, take some serious hard work. You can dream and wish and hope… all you want, but if you don’t work and believe in the work you’re doing, then dreams will remain dreams. It is my favorite song that I have written so far. Its upbeat and full of energy and hopefully it encourages others to work hard to chase their dreams.
The video to the song is just fantastic. You must have had a lot of fun making it?!
I did have a lot of fun making the video. We did some green screen work when I was on the treadmill, so it’s weird not knowing which direction the producer is taking the video and really special when you see the end product and are like OMG that is awesome! And did you see the actor, playing my love interest, 11 on a 10 point scale! LOL
You’re just 14 years old, but you’ve achieved a lot within the music industry. Tell us one or two of your highlights? We hear you’ve played some pretty special venues?
I have played the Bluebird, WSM650 (Radio Home of the Grand Ole Opry), CMA Fests the last two years, and the Wildhorse Saloon. The coolest thing though was when I was 12 and I got to open at the 92.5XTU Anniversary show in my hometown area (Philadelphia) ahead of Kelsea Ballerini. She was so incredibly sweet!
Which artists have inspired you in your career so far? And what is your go to album right now?
I wish I would have grown up 50 or 60 years ago. Most of my inspiration comes from the legends: Patsy, Tammy, Hank Sr., Johnny Cash, George Jones, Elvis, Waylon. They are major influences in my music. Current artists that influence me are Chris Stapleton, Miranda, and The Brothers Osbourne.
Being 14, your education obviously takes up much of your time! How does your school/music balance work?
My folks pulled me out of school about a month ago to home school me. With me missing so much school to do a radio tour and play out, I needed a more flexible education approach. My parents are using The Aaron Academy out of Gallatin to guide my home schooling. The hardest part is not seeing my friends every day at school. We text and Snapchat every night, and I do hang with them when I go back to Pennsylvania which is about 2 weeks every other month right now. I wish I had more friends in Nashville, but when most of your time is spent with 20 and 30 year olds, it’s kind of hard to find friends that want to just hang out with a 14-year-old. But don’t feel bad for me, I have over 100,000 friends that follow me on my social media, and I talk to them daily! LOL I know more about them than I do about a lot of my own family.
How did your singing career start? And has it always been country music for you?
I started singing about the same time I started talking. My first song was “Amazing Grace.” Thank you Memom (grandmom)! She couldn’t carry a tune to save her life, but man she loves to sing. Growing up my dad would always sing Johnny Cash and George Jones around me. And then I found Patsy, GAME OVER! She hung the stars for me. She set the bar for me. Her beautiful sound and control is what I try to aspire to be. Now don’t get me wrong, I love all genres. You can find me covering Janice and Dylan or Nirvana and Whitney… I can also sing some Italian Opera that will leave you scratching your head…like where did that come from?!
To finish, tell us about your plans for the rest of 2017. Also let us know where we can find you on social media.
With 2017 winding down, I have a lot of new music that I just finished recording for 2018. I have some other opportunities that I am chasing that are huge, but of course I can’t discuss just yet. I will spend December back in PA with family and friends and rest and prepare for 2018. 2017 has been fantastic… I have a song charting in the Top 40 on the Music Row charts with other names that I have listened to for years. I have met some of the most incredible people playing all over the US during my radio tour. To see someone sing your song back to you when you are on stage is such a rush! I hate to see 2017 go, but super excited to turn it up even more in 2018!
My Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat are “baileyjamesgang”
My Facebook is “singerbaileyjames”
My website is www.baileyjamescountry.com
And you can get a free single at www.giftfrombailey.com
Thank y’all so much for supporting us young independent artists! God bless! Love ya, Bails
