James Bay reveals he’s doing a song with a US superstar and says ‘I tried to keep cool’

JAMES BAY is at his most fragile on his new record. It’s late morning and over a cup of tea, in a cafe near the singer’s North London home, Bay says: “I’ve found a way to reach a new level with my vulnerability. “I go into the studio more willing to be more vulnerable, which is a f***ing emotional rollercoaster ride.

But when you can lay yourself bare, you get the most from your music.” On Changes All The Time, Bay, 34, says: “I think I’ve found my own way to reach a new level with that pursuit and that process, and I don’t want to make my vulnerability seem contrived because, trust me, it’s f***ing excruciating, hard and frightening. But I know myself better than before.

“I am more comfortable with myself than ever before, and I am less comfortable with myself than ever before, all at the same time. There’s such an emotional arc to making a record for me.” Soulful folk pop songs as Talk, Some People, Crystal Clear and Dogfight are Bay’s most honest work and it’s a strong record to celebrate his decade in music.

READ MORE SFTW INTERVIEWS Bay is also at his most collaborative on this fourth album with Noah Kahan, The Lumineers and Holly Humberstone, as well as having the “unbelievable honour” of working with The Killers’ Brandon Flowers on recent single Easy Distraction. He laughs: “All the time I was trying to stay focused and keep my cool and not think, ‘I’m making a song with Brandon Flowers’.” ‘It was very prolific and unbeli.