Birmingham-born vocalist and piano virtuoso Reuben James announces the much-anticipated release of his Tunnel Vision mixtape which comes out on James’ own Rufio Records label on April 29th 2022. The mixtape will be preceded by the release (April 15th) of a brand new single for What U Need, a soulful cut featuring Chicago rapper Ric Wilson that comes accompanied by a video shot at sunrise in the Californian desert.
“I’d just got married, I was in a happy place and the whole thing was improvised in the moment” explained James. “Then I listened back and I was like, we could try and go with like a 4/4, a bridge or a middle-eight or verse-chorus. But then I thought: you know what, sometimes just repeating the same thing is just so relaxing. It just felt right in the moment. A lot of songs come from pain, but this one comes from a lot of joy. It was a big vibe for me. I was just in a moment of bliss.”
What U Need is released alongside a double A-side 7” vinyl featuring the tracks ‘Closer’ and ‘U Got Me’, the latter described by Notion magazine as “an unshakeable R&B tune from an artist whose reputation is soaring in the musical world.”
As one of the most in-demand songwriters and performers in the industry, James has worked and collaborated with the likes of Stormzy, Sam Smith, Disclosure, Marcus Mumford and Herbie Hancock and it’s these collaborations, blended with influences from the likes of Frank Ocean, D’Angelo, Erykah Badu and Robert Glasper, that have led to James developing a unique sound and style of his own. Now widely considered as one of the most exciting artists to have emerged from the UK in recent years, James is a prodigious talent whose star is firmly on the rise.
You can watch What U Need here:
