Having had over one billion global streams, selling 250,000 tickets worldwide, shows with
Niall Horan, Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran as well as having secured 22 platinum records in 8 different countries, Gavin James has shared his highly anticipated new single ‘Boxes’ which will see him make a magnificent return to charts around the globe.
James’s previous singles have topped charts in his home country of Ireland (where he has sold out two Dublin 3 Arenas) plus France, the Netherlands (where he has sold out another two arenas), Belgium, Switzerland and Portugal. Even Brazil where Gavin went to number one and reached over 100 million people after his single Nervous was used on the soundtrack to the telenovela (soap opera) Pega Pega. His single ‘Tired’ with Alan Walker has now had over 250 million streams on Spotify alone and was also remixed by Kygo.
Boxes may be simple, but like all of the best Gavin James songs, it is also extremely moving:
“The message of the song is to not listen to anybody. Just listen to yourself and follow your dream… I went to an all boys school in Dublin where if you wore the wrong shoes you had to walk around in slippers all day. I was a bit mad at school, I wouldn’t even try a little bit, and for years I had people saying I couldn’t do anything, it was too hard to make it in music, I shouldn’t try.”
The single is accompanied by an animated lyric video which has been created by Melbourne based production house Studio Showoff, whose credits include Childish Gambino, The Simpsons and more.
We spoke to Gavin about the new release & more...
Please introduce yourself to our readers! "Hey it's Gavin James hope you are well and safe! My new single has just been released, 'Boxes'."
Tell us a little about the track! "'Boxes' is a song I have been working on for some time, I just could not get the right production. So last December I re-looked at it and added an electric guitar, made it really stripped back and add some trumpet, actually It was Paul McCarneys trumpet player!"
How has the reaction been so far? "The reaction so far has been mental, it hit over a million YouTube / Spotify stream in a few days which has not happened before, Im so happy with how it all turned out and that people are liking it!"
You’ve had a massively successful career so far, including selling 250,000 tickets worldwide and having over one billion global streams. What’s been your highlight so far? "The highlight for me before all this started was we got to do a sold out show in the 3Arena Dublin, my home town gig is always extra special but this was 13 thousand people and the last gig due to Covid. It was also the end of my world tour from the second album, definitely my highlight so far!" You’ve supported stars such as Niall Horan, Sam Smith and Ed Sheeran on tour. What’s your favourite thing about playing live and what’s your favourite memory of a show? "I had so much fun on tour with Niall Horan, the show that stood out to me was the Philadelphia Show, it was mad, the crowd were so up for it and it was just me and my guitar, also Niall is the great guy, and Sam Smith took me to so many arenas and I got to play Red Rocks with him, which was always a dream of mine."
What are your plans for the rest of 2020 and into 2021? "The rest of the plan for the rest of the year, is writing and producing the album, I have written a million songs already, I’m working on finishing the next single and hoping for an early 2021 album release. I also just announced a drive in tour of Ireland, which is going to be fun this summer!"
Listen to the track HERE Instagram: @gavinjameslive