Whyd Presents: Austrian Singer-Songwriter James Hersey

All photos courtesy James Hersey’s Facebook Page

Hello James! How did your classical upbringing influence the music you make today?

Hi! I really didn’t like being forced to play by notation, but maybe some elements of discipline and focus filtered through from those times.

Walk us through the beginning of your songwriting. Where did your first inspirations come from?

In the beginning I covered a lot of stuff and copied everybody’s style, teaching myself to write songs on the side. Now I work a lot on my own stuff and look for cool covers to learn on the side.

Tell us about your upcoming, debut album “Clarity.” How long have you been working on it and who else played an instrumental role in making it a reality?

I worked towards “Clarity” for about one and a half years, though a couple of the songs are older than that. I guess the album wouldn’t exist at all without my manager Gonzalo at Manta Ray, my engineer Thomas at Puresound Recordings, and the entire team at Lichtdicht Records.

Who should listen to your new album? Fans of which other artists?

People with open ears and open minds! I think that fans of Coldplay, Foster The People, Phoenix, John Mayer, and The Police will dig it.

Where will you be playing live this year?

Germany, Austria, France, Canada, and the US!