A CHAT WITH AUGUST JAMES
BY GITIKA SANJAY (SHE/HER)Growing up singing in choirs, listening to bluegrass, and discovering a love for Garageband, August James has been exploring music for nearly all his life. The Minnesota-raised singer-songwriter and producer considers himself “ultimately a pop fan and a pop artist,” but credits his early interest in songwriting to creating trap beats and watching his father play banjo.
It’s easy to see why listeners connect with August’s music: his songs are rich with coming-of-age themes and evocative lyricism. However, as he shared with Out Jamz, he considers himself a “producer before a writer” - a passion which shines through his signature, self-produced blends of vocals, synthesizers, and beats. August’s debut EP Warm Air is available to stream on all major streaming platforms.
AUGUST JAMES | CREDIT: SOPHIE WEILQ: Tell us about yourself and your journey as a songwriter! What got you into songwriting?
A: Yeah! Well, in sixth grade, at my school, we all got school-issued IPads, and they all had Garageband loaded onto them. And I remember just sitting in class with my friends, and we would mess with all the sounds that were on Garageband, and make beats. I literally started out by making trap beats, which is obviously not what I do now. So I think - that was what really got me into it, and then from there I got Garageband on my computer. We had this shared family computer, and I got Garageband on that. It became a really consistent part of my life.
Also, my mom still has this paper from when I was super young. I don’t know how old I was - maybe 8 - and it was the first song I ever wrote; it was called Road Trip. I remember it. I think I was inspired by - well, I used to watch Disney Channel and all of the Disney kids would have their little songs that they would release - and I wanted to be that.
Q: Congratulations on your debut EP releasing soon! That’s huge, and I can’t wait to hear it. Audiences have already gotten a taste of what the record will sound like with singles such as Illicit and Fever. I personally really loved the song Fever - it’s on a bunch of my playlists - and I was wondering if you could tell us about the process of writing and producing that song, as well as the EP as a whole.
Yeah, for sure! Fever is my favorite song on the EP, and I’m so glad you like it because people don’t really like that song, so I’m glad you do! I started that song - the file for that song - in March of 2022. There’s these chords that play at the beginning on this little chime-y piano thing, so it was just that originally. Then, in October or November of last year, of 2022, I was having some real writer’s block, and sometimes when that happens I’ll go back into the archives and go through old projects to see if I can extract anything. And that was the case for Fever, I found this chord progression and was like “Oh, yeah, I like this!” - so I built it out. That’s pretty much always how I write. I start with an instrumental and then write lyrics on top of that. Everything on this EP - except for Illicit - I wrote that way.
And Fever was fun too, because I finished it, and it sat for a while, and I was ready to release it, but after I finished it and after it was released, the meaning of it changed for me. It had one meaning when I wrote it, and then I was listening to it and thought “Oh, this totally means something different to me now” based on the way that the relationships and stuff like that which are in the song have evolved. That’s been really cool to watch it [the song] evolve in front of me even though I’m the one who made it, you know?
Q: This isn’t a question I had written down, but I’m curious. When you write songs, is there a meaning or a message that you intend for your audience to take away? Or are you more of the belief that people are going to take away what they take away?
I definitely want people to take away whatever they’re going to take away. I don’t go into songwriting wanting there to be a “this is what you should get” or thesis or message. I think there’s always a balance in pop writing especially, because ultimately, relatability is the goal, but I also want to write about my experiences and I want to be specific. It’s always about finding a balance to make sure everyone can apply it to their own lives and make it mean whatever they want it to mean while also having it be true to my experiences.
Q: You’re involved with every step of creating your songs, from the lyrics to the instrumentals to singing to production. What is your favorite part or step of creating music, and do you prefer to work alone or with others?
I don’t know if I prefer to work by myself, but it’s what I’ve done. It’s just always been my process. Songwriting was always a very individual process for me. I started doing it because I wanted an outlet to write - but I also do enjoy working with other people. My friend Teddy played a bunch of the guitar on this EP, and things like that, but in terms of writing and producing it usually has been pretty individual. And, like you said, it’s really important to me that I’m involved in every step. I definitely consider myself a producer - I’m a producer before a writer and a writer before a singer. I would never call myself a singer. I think that’s just because production was what I got into first, and it was the gateway for me into writing in general. I think that’s what I enjoy most - messing with sounds and producing. I’ve lost the joy in it recently, but over the past couple weeks I’ve been making random EDM beats and stuff like that, just for fun, so I can bring some joy back into producing, because that’s ultimately what I really like to do.
Q: Do you have a preferred software for production - Logic, Ableton, etc.?
Definitely a Logic person! Because I grew up with Garageband, that was my gateway into Logic. I wish I was a ProTools person, that’s just more respectable. [Laughs] But definitely Logic.
Q: When I listened to your music, I was reminded of some of my favorite artists and songwriters - Clairo, The Japanese House, Slowdive, mxmtoon, and The Neighborhood, to name a few - and I was curious to know who your musical role models are. Who did you enjoy listening to growing up, and which artists have inspired you as a songwriter and a producer?
Well, first of all, shoutout to The Japanese House - the new album is so good! [Laughs] Growing up, I listened to a lot of bluegrass, folk, and country. My dad was in a bluegrass band - he still plays banjo - so that was very much my upbringing. The Avett Brothers were always on. But at the same time, You Belong With Me - that was what I was bumping in third grade. I’ve always been a pop fan to my core, and that’s really stuck with me. And honestly, this is sort of a basic answer, but the music that made me want to start writing was Billie Eilish’s first EP Don’t Smile At Me. I remember listening to - I can’t remember the name of the song - but one of the songs from that EP, and it was the first time I thought “I want to do this; I want to make music.” That definitely really pushed me. As for all-time inspirations? Lorde, obviously - these are the most boring answers - but Lorde, Frank Ocean. I’m ultimately a pop fan, and a pop artist. I love pop music. I love pop producers - Jack Antonoff is definitely my number 1 producer inspiration. He’s definitely mastered the pop formula.
Q: As a native Californian, I have to ask you how you’ve been liking California! What have been your favorite parts of LA, and what do you miss about being in Minnesota?
I love California, love LA. I hated it at first, which I think is everyone’s story when you move there, but now I love it. The warmth, honestly, has to be number 1. This spring was brutal, but Minnesota is very, very cold in the winter. I loved growing up in Minnesota, undoubtedly, but being in LA - there’s so much more culture and so many more experiences. It’s really opened my worldview quite a bit, which I’m really appreciative of. I think Minnesota was also important to my journey. I’m really happy I grew up here. It was very chill and Midwestern, but it’s also a pretty progressive place. I grew up in the city, so I got a balance of different lifestyles living here. But even though I’m happy to be here in the summer, I’m ready to go back to LA.
Q: You mentioned earlier that you don’t approach writing songs with a message in mind. You don’t expect your listeners to take away one thing. However, if there is one thing you want audiences to take away from your EP, what would it be?
A: Oh, gosh - I guess, some sense of understanding of some part of their life. That’s what music has been really helpful [with] for me in the past. Just hearing somebody else’s stories and seeing a totally different perspective that changes the way I view this relationship or this thing I’ve been thinking about - that’s been how music has impacted me. I’d hope it would do the same [for others]. And for the other writers and musicians out there - some sense of inspiration? Inspiration isn’t really the right word, but I hope they can take some element of production or writing and make it their own. Similarly to my last answer, that’s how music has really impacted me creatively - taking little bits and pieces and making them my own. I hope that’s what people take away from it. But honestly, I’m just happy for anybody to be impacted in literally any way.
Q: If there’s anything I have not asked specifically which you would like people to know or you would like to share, I want to give you the chance to share those thoughts or messages.
I think you covered it! The EP Warm Air comes out July 20th. I think that’s it.
WARM AIR EP COVER | CREDIT: SOPHIE WEIL
Make sure to check out the EP Warm Air, out July 20 on all major streaming platforms.