“His introspective storytelling and commitment to his craft have allowed him to touch the hearts of fans from all different backgrounds” – And The Writer Is Podcast

“Bay is one of the best in the biz at assimilating his appreciation for out-and-out guitar music with pop sensibilities” – Guitar World

30 AUGUST 2024 (TORONTO, ON) – Today, three-time GRAMMY® Award-nominated and BRIT Award-winning multi-platinum singer, songwriter, and guitarist James Bay shares a new single entitled “Easy Distraction” out now via Mercury Records/Universal Music Canada. He co-wrote the song with Brandon Flowers of The Killers, marking their first collaboration. The song sets the stage for the release of his anxiously awaited fourth full-length album, Changes All The Time, now landing on October 4, 2024.

Pre-order/Pre-save HERE: https://amzn.to/3XqISHu

See full track listing below.

Listen to “Easy Distraction”—BELOW.

About the song, Bay said, “The song is about realizing too late that someone means so much to you, but you still want to show them and let them know. It’s exploring how, in the face of adversity we can still reach out, we can still connect.

I found out from a mutual friend that Brandon was interested in writing with newer artists, so I jumped at the chance and went to work with him in Park City, Utah over in America.

It was an unbelievable experience and insight into writing with one of my heroes. I hope we get to do more!”

“Easy Distraction” represents another “bucket list” moment for Bay. He cites The Killers among his biggest inspirations. Together, he and Flowers penned a powerhouse track bound to resonate with both of their respective audiences.

An upbeat guitar riff drives the song over a shuffling drum groove punctuated by his gritty delivery and swooning backup harmonies. It builds towards a hummable guitar solo drenched in reverb and emotion as he pleads, “For every mistake, I’ll give you my hand. Just promise to hold it wherever we land.”

It follows the recent fan favorite “Up All Night” with The Lumineers and Noah Kahan. The latter has already amassed over 22 million global streams and earned widespread acclaim. GRAMMY.com declared it ““the folk-pop collaboration that dreams are made of,” while HOLLER. raved, “‘Up All Night’ perfectly encapsulates the shared ability of James Bay, Noah Kahan and The Lumineers to wrap raw, vulnerable emotionality in an infectious, jubilant melody.” NME echoed this excitement, “The single comes as a huge anthem, and sees the trio powering through their personal woes to ensure that they make the most of life.” Guitar.com professed, “Up All Night arrives as a triumphant, foot-stomping tune – with a soaring guitar solo, to boot – sure to get any crowd going when Bay heads out on tour.”

Listen to “Up All Night”—BELOW.

“Up All Night” notably stands out as his first official studio collaboration with GRAMMY® Award-nominated superstar Kahan and GRAMMY® Award-nominated group The Lumineers. Abounding with all the gusto of a last-call singalong, “Up All Night” surges to life as an upbeat, foot-stomping anthem tailormade for the best of times with friends and family. A percussive groove sets the tempo as Bay ignites a chant on the chorus, “Let’s talk about dreams, let’s talk about life, let’s talk about all the things that keep us up all night.” At the same time, Kahan and The Lumineers fuel the celebration with full-bodied backing vocals. Fittingly, “Up All Night” climaxes with a soaring guitar solo buoyed by a boisterous gang harmony.

Changes All The Time spotlights Bay’s elevated songcraft and dynamic vocals as well as his fret-burning guitar playing, highlighting his evolution from every angle. This time around, he crafted these eleven tracks under the watch of producer Gabe Simon [Noah Kahan, Koe Wetzel, Maren Morris] alongside co-writers such as Brandon Flowers of The Killers, Holly Humberstone, Dan Wilson of Semisonic, Natalie Hemby of The Highwomen, and Kevin Garrett.

“Making this album felt like my first taste of true musical freedom. With the help of my co-producer, Gabe Simon, I found the courage to make what I wanted to make in ways I never have before. That’s a very hard place to get to, I’m really excited to release this music,” says James.

Coming full circle, he just returned to Late Night With Seth Meyers on the tenth anniversary of his late-night television debut for the first performance of “Up all Night.” Watch BELOW.

Speaking of full circle moments, Kahan graciously welcomed Bay as a special guest during his sold out shows at Madison Square Garden and Fenway Park. James also joined Noah on-stage for their first night at MSG to perform “Stick Season”- which thrilled fans and media alike including Billboard & Variety.

Bay’s definitive breakthrough smash “Let It Go” first landed a decade ago in 2014. It cracked the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, Top 3 on the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs Chart, and Top 5 on the Year-End Hot Rock & Alternative Songs Chart. Thus far, it has tallied over 3 billion streams, claiming a spot among Spotify’s prestigious “Billions Club.” Not to mention, it achieved 6x-platinum status. Moreover, his total career streams are just shy of 9 billion.

Last year, he opened up for Bruce Springsteen at London’s own BST Hyde Park and joined his friends The Lumineers on tour.

Be on the lookout for a whole lot more from James Bay soon!

Changes All The Time Tracklist

Up All Night (with The Lumineers & Noah Kahan)
Everburn
Hope
Easy Distraction
Speed Limit
Talk
Hopeless Heart
Some People
Go On
Crystal Clear
Dogfight

ABOUT JAMES BAY:

James Bay is a musician’s musician: the UK singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer upholds traditions of timeless songcraft while confidently challenging himself and popular music in equal measure. He spikes a tried-and-true style with clever lyricism, honest confessions, and instrumental proficiency. This year, he returns with his thrilling fourth album, Changes All The Time, due on October 4th via Mercury Records. The album includes collaborations with Noah Kahan and The Lumineers on lead single “Up All Night,” and features writing collaborations with The Killers’ Brandon Flowers (“Easy Distraction”) and Holly Humberstone (“Dogfight”).

On the heels of his platinum- certified 2015 debut Chaos And The Calm, Bay garnered GRAMMY® nods in the categories of “Best New Artist,” “Best Rock Album,” and “Best Rock Song” for the gold-selling single “Hold Back The River.” Meanwhile, “Let It Go” went triple-platinum. Nominated for dozens of awards, he took home two BRIT Awards, two Q Awards, and top honors at the Ivor Novello Awards and ECHO Awards. Tallying nearly 9 billion streams to date, he has performed on Saturday Night Live, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Jimmy Kimmel LIVE!, and Late Night with Seth Meyers. He has notably dueted with numerous musical icons including Alicia Keys on The Voice, was asked to join Mick Jagger while supporting The Rolling Stones at Twickenham Stadium in London, and joined Sheryl Crow on stage after performing his own set at Eric Clapton’s 2019 Crossroads Guitar Festival in Dallas, TX.

He also notably opened for Bruce Springsteen at Hyde Park in 2023. In addition to selling out shows on four continents, Epiphone honored him with his own Limited-Edition James Bay Signature “1966” guitar. Following the success of 2018’s Electric Light, he deconstructed his sound to its bare essentials on the Oh My Messy Mind EP which to date has amassed nearly 650 million global streams. It yielded the hit “Peer Pressure” [feat. Julia Michaels], generating more than 400 million global streams to date, received critical acclaim from Time, Rolling Stone, and Billboard and the next year James opened for Ed Sheeran on his 2019 record-breaking stadium run. In 2020, James released his single “Chew On My Heart” which has hit more than 100 million streams to date, delivered a historic performance on the top of the London Eye for The Late Late Show with James Corden, performed on The Today Show, Mahogany Sessions and a full concert on YouTube in support of #SaveOurVenues. He also created his own virtual event to share his music to fans during the pandemic, James Bay – Live At Shakespeare’s Globe which was a full concert event livestreamed at the historic venue. In 2021, he guested on Maisie Peter’s song “Funeral,” which was featured on Apple TV+’s original series “Trying: Season 2”’s soundtrack.

Bay’s 2022 LP Leap yielded fan favorites such as “One Life,” “Give Me The Reason,” and more in addition to earning acclaim. 2024 marks the 10th anniversary of Bay’s breakout song, “Let It Go.” The latter saw him vault into the Top 20 of the Hot 100 and go Top 3 on the Hot Rock and Alternative Songs Chart in addition to the Top 5 on the Year End Hot Rock & Alternative Songs Chart. With 3 billion-plus streams so far, the track has earned a place in Spotify’s coveted “Billions Club” and has reached 6x-platinum status. However, he only continues to look ahead with more music and touring on the horizon.