James Reid bares past hurt in his new music

MANILA, Philippines — James Reid is vulnerable, raw and unafraid to unpack his pain in his new single Hurt Me Too.

We’re not sure if this is James’ first “sad song,” but this is a clear departure or should we say, “growth,” from his previous releases, lyrically and sonically.

It is stripped-down, soulful and showcasing James’ vocals, as well as his latest self-taught skill — playing the piano. This makes the single also message-centric.

And the message of the song is expressed in the equally emotionally charged lyrics, part of which goes: “You were always there when the lights went out/ I was there every time you were down/ We got way too many scars and they come with doubt/ What’s life without a little fightin’/ Girl what’s love without a little bite/ It was way too much and way too fast/ I just needed space/ And the world they built around our love/ Wouldn’t let us change.”

The music video opens with a very true-to-life scenario of the movie and recording star, smiling and looking unbothered in a room full of press while being asked, “How are you feeling?” Then, it cuts to a pensive and melancholic James on the piano, singing his heart out.

When The STAR pointed out to James that the song inevitably had some people thinking that it was out to address certain issues about his past relationship, he begged to differ.

“I don’t think I really addressed an issue,” he honestly said of the song he actually wrote three years ago. “I think that’s exactly what I meant by… It’s so hard for me to do anything without people giving so much meaning to it.

“Because before, I was so quiet, I lacked privacy for so long that I shut myself off because I wanted to keep some things to myself.

“I didn’t want to have every aspect of my life, even the closest and most, I guess, painful things, be torn apart by everyone’s explanations and things like that.

“So, I just wanted to not think about that for once and release something that I felt. I gave an emotional representation for (it) in my music video and didn’t mean for it to answer any unanswered questions.

“It was just a beautiful song that meant something, meant something to me, and I wanted the music video to reflect that,” said the 31-year-old artist who has been focused on making music since establishing his own label Careless.

One thing is for sure, Hurt Me Too is setting the tone and template for his next music releases, which will form part of an EP to be released under Sony Music Entertainment within the year.

Below are more excerpts from our exclusive interview with James about his heartbreak song — produced by Tim Marquez and co-written with L.A.-based artist Seth Reger — at the Sony Music Philippines’ headquarters in Ortigas.

On his songwriting process for “Hurt Me Too”:

“The songwriting process was very different from what I was used to. I wrote the song, actually, three years ago when I was in L.A., and the artist and songwriter that I worked with, I told him that I had never made a heartbreak, like, sad song before, and that’s what he wanted to make.

“He’s like, you don’t have that yet. Let’s make one. So what we did, actually was we just talked for, like, three hours. Just three hours of us talking about past relationships and friendships that fell apart.

“And, you know, all this stuff, (we) just put it all out on the table, and it was kind of like therapy, almost being able to talk about all these emotions. That’s how we initially made the song.”

On three-year wait for release of Hurt Me Too:

“It didn’t really fit the vibe or the sound of the album that I made at that time, which is lovescene. It was very, like, electronic and dancey, and the messaging was very fun. So, it didn’t really fit. And then a lot of time had passed, and I was like, it’s just too good of a song to not release.

“Since then, I’ve been writing a lot of different songs. I have so many demos right now, I don’t even know. But I’ve chosen the ones that mean something to me and that are very, very heartfelt and really dig into my emotions. So the next ones will be quite emotional as well.”

On realizations from making the song:

“The sentiment that I took away from all of it was like, you know, all these different relationships and friendships that I’ve had, all these people that have come and gone, sometimes, you really give it your all and you try your best, but it’s just not enough.

“Like, not enough. And you know, that’s kind of the main sentiment that I came to with everything and that I think sometimes people forget. Because I’m in entertainment, I’m in showbiz, so I have to keep a very straight face all the time, even though I’m dealing with, like, a lot of drama and a lot of stuff from everywhere, like, all around me… Just to keep a straight face and kind of numb my emotions.

“I think people forget that, you know, I’m also hurting as well. Even though I’m an actor, even though I’m a singer, and I know how to control it, it hurts me, too.”

On the meaning of the music video:

“The music video goes kind of inside my head, behind closed doors about the emotions that I actually feel. And then it cuts back to that intro scene again, and I choose to just smile, which is kind of how I’ve been dealing with all of this stuff. So, I just wanted the audience and the fans to really get to know me and how my mind works and what it’s like to be me.

“I think the ultimate aim for me, when I’m making any song, is just to make something that means something to me. Make something where the writing process, actually, it’s not just to make something catchy, but also to make something that means something to you.

“Where I turn painful emotions into something really beautiful, where I went through some horrible experiences myself, but if I can write it in a way where I can get that message across to someone and they understand and they feel it and maybe they resonate with it, maybe they learn something from it, I think that’s the ultimate goal for it to mean something.

“I chose to go for a very stripped down instrumental for Hurt Me Too because I really wanted to just focus on the songwriting, focus on the emotion, focus on the messaging. So, the music video was very similar. It’s very plain and simple, but just focusing on me playing the piano and going through the motions and all the different feelings that I was going through.”

On his growth as an artist and songwriter:

“(Hurt Me Too) definitely is reflective of my new writing style. It’s something I developed very recently, actually, in the past, just like two years. And I don’t know, I’ve been able to really dive into emotions and feelings that I didn’t want to go anywhere near before.

“I guess because it was either too painful or I feel like I can’t talk about it or it’s too sensitive or it’s too this or too that. It really got in the way of my writing and me as an artist.

“So, I just wanted to be for this project, for all these songs, just to be honest and to make the music very personal because I feel like that’s how people connect to the music, it is when it’s very real. Because when you listen to it, it becomes real for you.

“And I know there’s a lot of people in the Philippines that will listen to my music and say, oh, it’s about this, it’s about that. But the average listener will listen to the song, and they think about themselves in that position, like, I gave my best, and I know that you gave all your best, too. And, yeah, it’s not enough. I know you’re hurting because I hurt, too. I’m also human. That’s what happens.

“So, you know, that’s what I think the average listener will experience. They put themselves in that position. So, I want my writing to really connect with people in that way.”