Parson James took his experiences in quarantine and created one of the catchiest songs of 2020.

You may know the singer from his massive hit with Kygo, “Stole the Show,” which blew up in 2015. Now, James is on a mission to uplift and inspire his listeners with his pop tunes. 
Growing up in a small Southern town in South Carolina, James established a love for music at a young age. Between being around singers at church, his town having a big jazz presence and his grandmother playing classic soul records often, James was set up to be a musician.
Even though he dealt with many hardships, James credits his time growing up in the South for helping shape his artistry.
After moving to New York to develop his craft, the singer wanted to discover his identity as a songwriter. He quickly found out while he was trying to move on from the bad memories in his past that he wasn’t writing music he connected to.
Once he began to mend his wounds and revisit his past, he realized that his story made him identifiable.
“I went back and dug into those moments I was in church,” James said. “The sounds, the organs, the choirs, the verbiage, all of that and I started making my first EP, which was completely about me coming out in the religious South.
This EP, titled “The Temple EP,” included many gospel elements and helped him solidify his image. His religious Southern background helped him discover himself as an artist, develop his writing style and make his moniker.
Born Ashton James, the singer swapped his first name for Parson, which is also known as a parish priest.
He rounded out the imagery by adding his signature hat and single dangling earring.
Everything from his style to his artwork comes together to represent James as an artist. Though he doesn’t necessarily agree or connect with his upbringing, it helped him begin his career and it has continued to inspire him.
Viewing himself as a very biographical and conversational writer, James writes his songs as if he’s outside of himself telling his own story. He focuses on honesty and hopes to make music people can relate to.
“I find that I use my lyrics to just be as honest as possible,” James said.
Taking inspiration from lyrical greats like Amy Winehouse and Adele, whose timelessness, storytelling and vulnerability he admires, James himself is a pro at writing meaningful lyrics to go along with his catchy songs.
Speaking of catchy songs, no song is as ridiculously catchy as his new song “High Tide, Low Tide,” a quarantine baby that blessed the world in September.
Feeling uninspired at the beginning of quarantine, James met someone who he suddenly found himself writing many songs about. One of those songs was “High Tide, Low Tide,” which not only represents the ups and downs of the relationship, but the tides at the beach, where they would go often to spend time together.
The opening lyric, “my empathy is killing me,” starts the song off strong and is about how hard it was for the person he was with to be emotionally available. As his feelings intensified, James got caught in the tide of this relationship.
“A big central theme of my upcoming work is how much I do for others or care for others before doing for myself,” James said.
As a lyric person, I appreciate his attention to detail and raw heartfelt lyrics. James uses his experiences to write songs that reflect on his life so he can learn where to improve.
Whether you’re a longtime fan or new to his music, you’ll be sure to get caught up in James and his magical melodies.