I've always been a little quirky and it's made me a little more reserved than I'd like to be. With the release of my new music, I really felt like I was putting myself out there. I'm pretty much just telling the world about my personal life in a melodic way, so it was a little freaky to release. I was incredibly grateful to receive some kind reviews, but some people just weren't as nice... I had a moment where I regretted releasing my music and then an incredible amount of people telling me to keep going and forget the haters. Those amazing individuals reminded me that I shouldn't put my time and efforts into the haters, but I SHOULD put it into those amazing people. After talking to others on Instagram about their similar experiences I was sold - I had to write a song. 

With their inspirational, this tracks says "bugger off", as my dad would say when I was a youngster, to those who wanna hate on artists and asks the artists themselves, to tell me what you really want. Your passion, or the acceptance of people you don't even know and would never even care to meet?

What You Really Want

Just before the pandemic hit, I went into urgent care thinking that I couldn't breathe. They tested my heart and everything else, just to realize that I was having panic attacks. I'd put too much on my shoulders and ignored what made me happy. Following this, I'd decided to do something that I'd always wanted to do - learn French! I went to Nice, France to learn the good ol' immersion way. When I was there, I was with young individuals also learning French and they got me out of my comfort zone and feeling like I was reborn. That was exactly what I needed. These new friends were mostly Latino, so I wanted to write a song that reflected them and the music we listened to. In addition, I co-wrote this with my brother and we have a friend from Barbados, so we wanted island vibes as homage to those amazing people (Collin, Rhea and my Bajan mom...and I can't forget my doggie friends too). Lastly, with COVID, I really needed that same release I had when being out with the friends. Hoping to inspire y'all to go out and get some sun and night life in. 

So yeah, this song is the baby of panic attacks, summer vibes, Latin/French vibes, Bajan love and post-COVID release. Hope it does the same for you as what it did for me!

WANT IT TO BE

To be brief, this is about relationship insecurities. It can be tough when you don't know if your partner is 100% serious. Add in long-distance struggles and you've got what I'm going through. My partner kept asking me "are you sure you don't want a Canadian? Are you sure you don't want a skinnier girl? Are you sure you don't want a shorter girl?" but I already knew she was the one. I wanted to make a track, so that I could just tell her "hey, listen to this. You'll know". 

Vibes? Um, people say I sound like the Weeknd, Shawn Mendes and Emotional Oranges, but I can't say I wrote this with another artist in mind. There are some synths, subs, deep basses, and guitars.

i dont need to choose

A whimsical, dreamy track about doing anything you can for the one you love. Sometimes it's not easy to make it work, but when your partner tests you, you show them they're the one. Here's the recipe, try it out with a partner of your own.

All I Got (the Recipe)

After going to the hospital, big things had to change in my life. Not wanting to consider myself a lag, not wanting a future of regret where I felt I didn't give enough, not feeling accomplished in my own aspirations, I endlessly worked. At a point, I went to sleep feeling like I'd die every night from not being able to sleep. I felt it was just a sickness that would go away, until it led to insomnia and I was becoming insane from no sleep. I went to the urgent care centre and madly paced back and forth. Finally a doctor saw me, testing all my vitals. He came back, further questioned me.. I was waiting for him to tell me that I had some horrible illness. Instead, he told me I needed to give myself the night off. To take a break. To go to the gym. Anything but work. 

This was shattering. 

My whole lifestyle had been challenged in an instant, but I listened to that advice and it has changed my life dramatically. This song tells that story and the one of so many others like myself. Others who feel the pressure of the solo entrepreneur. I hope to give them solace, knowing they're not alone.

Give Myself The Night Off

I'd found myself frustrated in life and it started impacting my everyday life. Others thought I was pissed all the time and I didn't really know what to say. It wasn't them, I knew that. I started wondering "how can I stop this?" so I looked into what caused random frustration and I was shocked ... apparently it can be a sign of depression in men. I didn't want to radiate that energy and negatively impact others, but it was tough, so I wrote this song with the intention of reminding others to not let others think it's them. Don't get others caught up in that bad energy.

Also, on a positive note, my research showed that frustration can be a sign of growth. It's when our brains are so packed with the need to move onto something new that they just need that tipping point. Our neurons give us some head aches, but hey, if it's a sign we're levelling up, then whatever lol.

Just in a mood ...

This song is a collaboration with Brian Peel, who is a radio host in Australia. Brian and I met when I was promoting my first single "What Are We Doing Here". Brian was an easy person to chat with and had great positive energy, so we naturally kept in touch. Although I thought I'd never have the skill to produce my own tracks, COVID was the year I decided I'd invest in me. When I heard my first production, I can imagine it's like what a parent would feel having their first child (no disrespect to my younger brother, he's the best). I wanted to share that so I asked Brian if he'd be interested and he was keen!

I wanted Brian to get all the songwriting benefits, so I started by asking him what topic was really important to him and he felt COVID restrictions and their impact on him really felt important to discuss. After imposing the restrictions, Brian found it particularly difficult to experience. As Counting Crows say, "you don't know what you got 'til it's gone". Despite the possible negative connotations, Brian wanted to focus on the positive, instead vying for a song that discusses how amazing it is to get back what we have after it's gone and to really value it for what it is. With disco flavour and the positivity that exudes from Brian's natural being, we give you "Life Ignites The Dance Floor".

Life Ignites The Dancefloor - James Alphonse

One of the biggest barriers to success can also be the thing that unleashes you - it's the team behind you. Me and Laura.. we weren't always on the same team. It's funny how getting so close can somehow make you further. We got past that honeymoon phase and, quicker than any other relationship, we had to ask the big questions. What would our future look like? 

We weren't having those deep conversations, because our time together was limited. We didn't want to ask those hard questions and the tension and expectations built up in a way. It was rough at first. But pushing through, we found that answering the questions we wanted to ignore and going through the grit somehow gave our relationship a quality or almost like a fuel - a fuel that would burn us down before, but it was lighting us up now. It was fire, for real and it's fuelling our shared dreams now.

U LIGHT ME UP

I'll Be Your Wall attempts to capture the concept of a couple coming together and creating something new, as opposed to what the two are alone. The concept originally came from sandcastles, which have no form until brought together by a "wall" of some sort (e.g. bucket, plastic model, etc.). James Alphonse believes that sometimes, people can create something magnificent like a castle, when the right couple meets.

I'll Be Your Wall

Lyrics and Description Below:
What Are We Doing Here Lyrics
VERSE
I’m taking every hit, but I’ll put up with it, cause it’s OK
I’m taking every bit, but you won’t give a shit, and that’s OK
Used to smile when you’d walk through the door, but now you don’t come by anymore
When it’s my time, you disappear
We’re never alone, you’re always out with your friends, guess I’m not really one of them
Tell me, what are we doin’ here?

CHORUS
What do you want from me? I don’t know what to do.
One night you hold me tight, the next it just ain’t right.
What do you want from me? I don’t know what to do.
What are we, what are we, what are we doing
What are we, what are we doing here.
What are we, what are we doing
What are we, what are we doing here.
What are we, what are we doing

VERSE
I’ll take you by the hips, you loosen up my grip and walk away
You’ll say you have no time, show me another line, guess that’s OK.
You know I’d die for you every night, there’s no battle I wouldn’t fight
But tell me babe would you do the same?
Feels like we got ourselves in a mess, it don’t seem like you could care less
Tell me, what are we doing here?

CHORUS
What do you want from me? I don’t know what to do.
One night you hold me tight, the next it just ain’t right.
What do you want from me? I don’t know what to do.
What are we, what are we, what are we doing
What are we, what are we doing here.
What are we, what are we doing
What are we, what are we doing here.
What are we, what are we doing

BRIDGE
Scared to touch ya, scared to feel ya
Scared to hold you in my arms
Scared to love ya, scared to lose ya
Scared to know I got it wrong from the start

CHORUS
What do you want from me? (You’ll do what ya want) I don’t know what to do (straight to you in your arms)
One night you hold me tight, the next it just ain’t right.
What do you want from me? (I’m fallin’ down) I don’t know what to do (don’t know what for)
What are we, what are we, what are we doing
What are we, what are we doing here (what can I do, what can I say?)
What are we, what are we doing (if it isn’t too much to do, if it isn’t too much)
What are we, what are we doing here (before my words fall short, before my mind gets sore)
What are we, what are we doing here

After university, I had been looking for a serious relationship but I kept meeting girls who just wanted flings. They would kind of treat me as an afterthought and it began getting frustrating. I wasn’t able to be direct and say how I felt, so the song reflects a very passive experience of this circumstance. I found myself meeting other people in the same situation and suggesting to simply ask “what are we doing here?”. Although my song is a bit more heavily handed, I think communication and openness solves most problems!

What Are We Doing Here (Single)

What Are We Doing Here

After hearing artist James Arthur's "You Deserve Better" James felt he had to tackle the truth behind this statement. James Alphonse's track "We Can Do Better" aims to address this familiar break-up phrase that seems to fall short as a reason to end a relationship.  If someone really thought their partner was great, shouldn't they work harder to keep that relationship? Rather than saying "you can do better", James presents the concept of working together instead. In addition, James' writing style aims to mirror greater global issues, in this case, the insatiable human appetite for more. In this way, James' song also aims to touch on the concept of the dangers associated with wanting to always do "better" without recognizing the amazing things we already have. 

Depressing undertones are used to represent the struggles with self-worth and the song leaves the song's problems unresolved, paralleling reality, where we sometimes don't get that sweet resolve. Falsetto vocals help to underlie the pain of being in a relationship with someone who can't see their own value. The slow tempo and claps reverberate in time with the deep bass, echoing through like a heartbeat thumping alongside. Finally, to reflect his rock roots, We Can Do Better has catchy melodic guitar riffs supporting the dark synths.

We Can Do Better

Through fat, funky bass lines, dark guitars, a yearning falsetto vocal delivery and a groovy drum line, James Alphonse exclaims the frustrations of not being on the same page as the one he was dating. 

Finding someone special at the same time you find out that same person doesn't feel you're special too. This song is partly James Alphonse's apology for being the one to not commit and partly his recognition of how much it hurt when he was the one in the same position.

Crazy For You

James Alphonse is a Hamiltonian that loves culture and the communities that were there for him at a life-changing moment.

James Alphonse

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