James Marriott - Are We There Yet?

Images © Sam McMahon / Interview by C. Rusen

Brighton-based artist James Marriott just released his debut album ‘Are We There Yet?’. The 10-track album blends James’ signature indie sound and showcases the versatility of his artistry. It is a culmination of the last 15 months of his writing and a commentary on the nature of maintaining relationships both private and familiar. James recently announced his biggest headline tour to date, touring across both the UK and Europe, including a performance in London’s iconic KOKO on the 31st of January — Find more about James’ tour HERE. Before James’ tour, we had a chat with him to talk about his music.

Hi James, Congratulations on releasing your debut album ‘Are We There Yet’. Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind the title?

JM: Shrek. I remember in Shrek 2 they're heading to the palace and Donkey keeps repeating, ‘Are We There Yet?’. My sister and I used to repeat pop culture phrases to each other and our parents so much as children. This phrase has really stuck with me in terms of nostalgia but also works well as a wider conceptual question. Are we there yet metaphorically? Never, really.

The album explores the difficulty of finding and maintaining connections, both intimate and familiar. How did you translate these themes into your songwriting, and are there specific experiences that served as catalysts for the lyrical content?

JM: There are very many specific intimate instances that contributed to the album, I use music as a form of therapy a lot of the time. My therapist and I would go over my album lyrics from that week quite often, I subconsciously hide a lot of my emotions in them. In terms of the ‘translation' I find myself just trying to be as honest with myself as possible. You need to write as if no one is going to hear/read what you say.

‘So Long’ and ‘Romanticise This’ have already garnered over 3.4 million streams on Spotify. How does the positive reception of these singles impact your approach to future projects?

JM: It has reminded me of how intent my audience is. I love that I can put my heart into something and as long as I know that there is passion in creation, there will also be passion in the reception. I don't "need" anything more to make music my career, and that means I can make decisions with music in mind, and nothing else.

© Sam McMahon

Your biggest headline tour to date kicks off in a couple of days, are there any specific cities or venues you are particularly excited to perform in, and do they hold special significance for you?

JM: I'm excited for all of the shows, but especially the ones in new cities! Cardiff and Edinburgh, as well as all of the European shows. We just want to play as many shows in as many countries as possible. I can't get enough of it.

What can fans expect from the tour? Are there any elements that will make this tour stand out?

JM: I refuse to let any 2 tours be the same anymore. Now that we're playing bigger rooms, I can afford to make a show that people will remember for the rest of their lives. I will hopefully never stop upping the production quality of the show.

© Sam McMahon

Looking ahead, do you have a vision for the direction your music might take in the next phase of your artistic journey?

JM: I'm in two minds at the moment. I love writing pop music, but I can't help but feel that my sad little indie songs need another rodeo. I imagine the line will be somewhere in the middle, as to satisfy both sides of my creativity. All I know is it will be a massive step up from Are We There Yet? I want to make a series of projects where each one betters the last. I hope to succeed in this!

Finally, what do you think our magazine’s title SID stands for?

JM: Hmmm. On the note of nostalgic movies I'm going to go for it not standing for anything. It's just SID. Like Sid the sloth.