James Shannon set to release new single 'Hollow Faces' next month
James Shannon is releasing his new single ‘Hollow Faces’ on December 5th 2020, the song's produced by Mason.
The track features a dark, old-school beat with reversed piano chords, slapping drums and eery keyboard and organ sounds. Over an instrumental by Mason, James delivers three scathing verses about falseness, from questioning our own thoughts to the intentions and sincerity's of those around us. James deeply ponders upon these uncertainties in the song.
Lines such as: “Answer this for me / would you even miss or have tears for me / on the day of my obituary / I need to see differently” and the chorus, “How many real ones you got with you / How many real ones you talking to”, especially drive home these notions of falseness in those around us and the questions of insincerity we may have and to question these issues in their own lives.
James began work on this song shortly after releasing his debut album 'The Night Before the Morning After'. After previously working with producer Mason on 'Irrepressible' and 'Last Bus' in 2019, 'Hollow Faces' is the perfect example of the chemistry between the artist and producer.
“Once I heard the instrumental, I knew that this was a track I could release some built-up questions and tension I had about how things were looking around me at that time”.
James Shannon is a rapper/singer/producer from Blanchardstown, in Dublin. Starting out making rap music at the age of 14, he is starting to explore new paths into experimental hip hop and R&B. Early influences for James were rappers such as the Notorious B.I.G, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and J-Cole and nowadays include the likes of Mac Miller, Frank Ocean, The Beatles and the Anderson Paak. James’s message varies in his music. Some tracks focus on social issues and others explore more introspective topics. James’s main goal is to bring a new unique sound to the table in the Irish scene.
His previous releases include his 2019 single 'Last Bus', which gained attention from many radio stations and playlists on Spotify. The music video, directed by Dara Mac, won the audience award at the 2020 Fresh Film Festival. He also released his debut album 'The Night Before the Morning After' in June of this year.
Over the past two years James has performed at many open mics in places such as Sin é and The International, this is where he found his place as a performer. Over the past year he has performed in places such as The Underground opening for Irish rap act Neeesh alongside K1. He has also opened for bands such as The Lee Harveys and The Trouble Pilgrims in places such as The Wild Duck. He has also performed live on Raidió Na Life and co-hosts a music show called 'Airneáin' alongside Cúán DeBúrca on the station every Friday night at 10:30.
While we wait for Hollow Faces, check out James Shannon's previous releases below: