Name: Reuben James
Occupation: Singer, songwriter, pianist, composer
Nationality: British
Current release: Reuben James's new album Big People Music is out via Rufio.
Current event: Reuben James has just embarked on an expansive UK and European tour. For more information and tickets, visit his official website's live schedule.
Hometown recommendations: In Birmingham - The Spotted Dog on a Tuesday night for jazz. In London the Haggerston for jazz on a Sunday night.
Topic that I am passionate about but rarely get to talk about: Newly addicted to golf. It’s so peaceful and frustrating and challenging and beautiful. Also chess but this can take over my whole day so I’m trying to take a break!

If you enjoyed this Reuben James interview and would like to know more about his music and upcoming live dates, visit his official homepage. He is also on Instagram, Facebook, and Soundcloud.



When did you first consciously start getting interested in singing? What was your first performance as a singer on stage or in the studio and what was the experience like?

My first show singing was after releasing my debut EP adore!!!

I’d done 100s if not well over 1000 shows before but always piano - this was the most scary of them all!

If you're also playing other instruments, how does the expressive potential of these compare to your own voice?

There are so many parallels and ways to mimic the expression of the voice with instruments - I’m most fluent on piano so that is the one I can express most deeply on like a voice …

I have my own voice on piano - but things like saxophone and Hammond organ and guitar are a lot easier to manipulate in a way to draw out the imperfections between notes like a voice does.

Singing is an integral part of all cultures and traditions. Which of these do you draw from – and why?

It comes from inside of you and is a very deep spiritual communal experience which is very healing …

Gospel music affects me very deeply - when hearing so many beautiful voices singing together it is a very powerful and moving experience

What were some of the main challenges in your development as a singer/vocalist? Which practices, exercises, or teachers were most helpful in reaching your goals – were there also “harmful” ones?

The most harmful are listening to other artists and their opinions, especially people who haven’t been through what you have experience-wise.

Best advise was by a vocal coach I did a session with called Stevie Mackey ...  he said to get sleep and water and rest … also to be confident and own it and especially spend time alone with your voice checking out each area of it until you know exactly what it can do.

What are the things you hear in a voice when listening to a vocalist? What moves you in the voices of other singers?

Someone to authentically tell their own story and show their personality or really sell someone’s story so I feel like it’s coming from.

How would you describe the physical sensation of singing? [Where do you feel the voice, do you have a visual sensation/representation, is there a sense of release or tension etc …]

Very therapeutic ... it calms me down and gives me a massive sense of release.

We have a speaking voice and a singing voice. Do these feel like they are natural extensions of each other, ends on a spectrum or different in kind?

I feel like the two can be very different … mine certainly is!

Especially growing up in Birmingham but mostly singing along to music with an American accent.

How do you see the relationship between harmony, rhythm and melody? Do you feel that honing your sense of rhythm and groove has an effect on your singing skills?  

Harmony's my first love …. It’s what breaks your heart … rhythm makes my heart dance ... and melody opens my mind and imagination.

What are the potentials and limits of your voice? How much of your vocal performance can and do you want to control?

It’s something I’m working on and will always be a journey … it goes hand in hand with your overall health and rest and maintenance which is so important!

I think I’m on a journey but it’s always improving.

As a singer, it is possible to whisper at the audience, scream at the audience, reveal deep secrets or confront them with uncomfortable truths. Tell me about the sense of freedom that singing allows you to express yourself and how you perceive and build the relation with the audience.

It does command their attention with lyric content and delivery of the message …

The combination of this while interacting with the band or my piano playing is the perfect interplay between all the creative parts of my soul … improvisation is the best

I'd love to know more about the vocal performances for Big People Music, please, and the qualities of your voice that you wanted to bring to the fore.

I write songs a lot lower in key than I used to - probably to accommodate and make live shows a bit easier …

I feel like my voice on the latest project especially on songs like “shotgun” is an example of my freeing up and letting my personality shine through … it’s more fun and more of a true representation of who I am in every day life

When you're writing song lyrics, do you sense or see a connection between your voice and the text? Does it need to feel and sound “good” or “right” to sing certain words? What's your perspective in this regard of singing someone else's songs versus your own?

I usually lean more towards the sonics of a word.

Even if it’s the perfect poetry but doesn’t sound right coming off the tongue I’ll try to find an alternative.

Strain is a particularly serious issue for many vocalists. How do you take care of your voice? Are the recipes or techniques to get a damaged voice back in shape?

Sleep and rest water and honey.

But sleep is the main one … but also the hardest to do as I have always struggled to sleep!

How has technology, such as autotune or effect processing, impacted singing? Has it been a concrete influence on your own approach?

I don’t think so, I just think the music industry changed in the mid 80s to lean more towards more celebrity and away from the more talented singers and more about artists and selling a brand instead of an incredible voice.

For recording engineers, the human voice remains a tricky element to capture. What are some of the favourite recordings of your own voice so far and what makes voices sound great on record and in a live setting?

A great sound engineer for live is essential. They can really make or break your show.

I record and produce all of my own vocals but have picked up lots of tricks my producer friends! A great live singer doesn’t always translate in the studio and visa versa.

Motherese may have been the origin of music, and singing is possibly the earliest form of musical expression, and culture in general. How connected is the human voice to your own sense of wellbeing, your creativity, and society as a whole?

It brings humans together and it brings people joy and peace, an escape and also brings you inwards to be the best version of yourself.