“Goddamn I cried a river but you know I built a bridge in the end”
JAMES EMMANUEL
BRIDGE OVER THE TEARS I’VE CRIED
New single out 12th June
GOOD MAN EP 26th June
London headline 16th June plus TRNSMT, Love Supreme, Latitude and outdoor shows with Nile Rodgers & Chic
“…his sweat-drenched, eye-closed style worthy of Marvin or Otis or Donny…but with a Caledonian twist.”
(Clash magazine)
Soul star James Emmanuel releases his new single ‘Bridge Over The Tears I’ve Cried’, a driving, piano driven slab of righteous defiance to fair-weather friends who only show up for the good times. The song will be included on James’s ‘Good Man EP’, out 26th June.
“’Bridge Over the Tears I Cried’ came from a moment of clarity,” says James. “That point in life when you finally see someone’s intentions for what they really were. It’s the kind of truth that hurts at first, but eventually frees you. This song is about a past relationship, but it’s also about something much bigger: people who only want you when your life starts to shine. People who didn’t love you when you were trying, learning, building, or breaking, but suddenly want a place in your world now that you’ve grown beyond the version of you they once knew. That’s where the title comes from. Because the only thing connecting them to you now is the pain you’ve already moved past.”
James’s story is one of building bridges, between his native Nigeria and his adopted home of Edinburgh; between the classic soul stars who inspired him and his new life as a 21st century rising star; and between generations of his family, as a husband and father looking for the path of a ‘Good Man’ – the title of his recent single and forthcoming second EP.
Like all the best soul music, the songs which make up the Good Man EP build on James’s very personal and sometimes painful experiences as a platform for renewal, inspiration and hope.
‘Time’ is a reminder that success isn’t about speed but rather staying power – at 35, James is living a life which, not that long ago, seemed unachievable.
“I was cleaning toilets and had a new family, I understand why people thought this was just a fantasy. All you have is your instinct, no one else can see what you see or believe in. I’ve got something to say and I’m going to say it though my music and I hope that will show others that they can follow their dreams too, however long it takes.”
Title track ‘Good Man’ is a celebration of fatherhood, looking back at the example set by his late father, a preacher back home in Nigeria and forward as he raises his own young family in Edinburgh.
“I was very close with my Dad,” says James. “He made me join a choir when I was 11, I didn’t know I could sing, but here we are today. I want to celebrate the unsung positive male role models and give my father the flowers he never got in his lifetime. I have a daughter and a son. For them and their generation, we need to make it attractive and appealing to be a good man, so that if you show up with kindness, the world will celebrate you.”
The world is certainly starting to celebrate the talent of James Emmanuel. He’s sung at the Royal Albert Hall and Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, won a Scottish Music Award and told his story on the BBC. Recent live shows have seen the critics hail his “powerful, gutsy classic soul voice” (Yorkshire Post) as being “worthy of Marvin or Otis or Donny… but with a Caledonian twist” (Clash at The Great Escape) and his recent sold out Edinburgh show as “an evening of joy and jubilance” (Northern Exposure).
James plays his first London headline show on 16th June, performs at TRNSMT, Love Supreme and Latitude festivals as well as supporting Nile Rodgers & Chic at three outdoor shows through the summer. His next Scottish headline show will be at Glasgow’s King Tut’s on 16th December.
Live:
Tuesday 16th June London Dalston Eastern Curve Garden
Thursday 18th June Norfolk Thetford Forest Park – supporting Nile Rodgers & Chic
Friday 19th June Glasgow TRNSMT Festival, BBC Introducing Stage
Sunday 5th July Glynde Love Supreme Festival
Sunday 12th July Birmingham Mostly Jazz Funk & Soul
Friday 24th July Suffolk Latitude Festival, Sunrise Arena
Friday 21st Aug Margate Dreamland – supporting Nile Rodgers & Chic
Saturday 22nd Aug Scarborough Open Air Theatre – supporting Nile Rodgers & Chic
Wednesday 16th Dec Glasgow King Tut’s
Tickets:
https://www.jamesemmanuel.co.uk/
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