Hi Eric, thanks a lot for being here with us today at Planet Singer! Your latest release, the excellent “From A Prince To A King,” marks a fundamental step in your career. We are thrilled to know more about your artistic journey and upcoming releases, so let’s start from the very beginning. When did you discover your passion for music?

I grew up in a musical family. My dad played drums and my uncle is a reggae artist, so it was always in me. What really sparked that interest in becoming an artist myself was “Da Drought 3” by Lil Wayne. My older brother and I used to listen to that mixtape religiously and he challenged me to freestyle to “Back on my Grizzy” and admittedly it was terrible haha, but it made me want to continue to work at it. From that point on, Lil Wayne became the first artist I really studied and the rest is history.

“Letter to 26th & California” is one of the main tracks in the album. Its direct, intense, and very personal approach makes your music go deep in the listeners’ minds, touching them on a personal level. Can you tell us more about this song?

I actually wrote this song based on a conversation I had with an incarcerated family member. During the conversation, he was telling me how hard it was being in jail and how the system was designed to be guilty until proven innocent, which is a harsh realization. He was telling me he wished that there was some way he could tell his story and the story of others who are wrongfully incarcerated and dealing with the death of family members all while trying to stay strong in such a life-altering situation. The first verse of the song talks about his feelings being in there and being unable to help and be supportive in the way the family needed, all while trying to stay strong for himself. The second verse of the song is my response to him trying to be strong for me and letting him know that it was a lot of pressure for me but reassuring him that we are going to get through the storm. At the end of the song, I dedicated it to everyone fighting and dealing with incarceration. There’s always a silver lining. 

What’s the story behind “From A Prince To A King?” When and how did you start creating this project?

From A Prince To A King was a project that I had been crafting for a while. My first project “Mixed Emotions” was meant to be as in-depth, but I wasn’t ready to dive deeper into those emotions that I was bottling up. I would say I recorded the first song “King James” around November of 2021 when I had started going to therapy regularly. It served as a reminder that I am capable of accomplishing anything I really put thought to. From there, it became easier to write these songs about the stress I was dealing with from around November of 2021 (dealing with the deaths of my grandma and older cousin) to August/September of 2022. I found that turning my project into a therapy session made it easier to give a fully authentic view into my personal life and give fans the real Eric James, which is something that has brought me closer to the fans and really resonates with them.