James’ second single, “RED” reached across radio stations globally, and had streaming stats of over 25k, marking the quite meteoric rise of this South-London singer songwriter.

With roots reaching deep into his Irish heritage, James draws on his musical influences across the spectrum of folk, rock, indie and beyond – creating a sound that not only spans genres, but
also generations. Complimented once more by the dynamic duo of Erim Ahmet and Pete Briley, it feels like James has brought together the perfect ingredients to let his undeniable
talent emerge and be heard.

“Maria” has all the hallmarks of you might hope to find in any hit – with an anthemic chorus line which portrays future echoes of audiences across venues bellowing back to this truly humble
gentleman. It all weaves into the fabric of the amazing stories that James O’Hurley has to tell.

When asked to describe the track, James tells us “’Maria’ started life as an idea based around a girl I knew who moved to Camden and just lived for the weekend. She didn’t hold back how she felt about people and was a tough, confident, celestial, angelic, perhaps somewhat flawed, North London girl. We worked together and I always wanted to pay tribute to her and how, as a friend, she just needed someone to look out for her. The chorus is a retrospective warning and how her magnetic energy would attract the wrong types of ‘wolves and thieves’.

Sadly we talked about how we didn’t get to say goodbye to her all those years ago but in a brief but beautiful life, ‘Maria‘ was a shining light of pure joy!

Sometimes songs just write themselves and this one came together pretty much all in one. I know I will smile every time I play it.

For You, Cassie x”