As many people are disappointedly preparing for a socially distanced Christmas this year, a Collingwood-born songwriter decided to create a jolly tune to bring some extra joy into this year’s festivities through music.
Daniel James’ COVID-themed Christmas song Christmas on our Own (2020) has racked up thousands of views on his social media platforms, which he hopes might help him realize his dreams of writing pop anthems for major music stars.
James was born in Collingwood and raised in Nottawa. He attended St. Mary’s Catholic School and Our Lady of the Bay Catholic High School (then Jean Vanier).
“I became a drama nerd in Grade 9. Drama Club kind of brought me out of my shell a little bit. There was a musical theatre course there and once I figured out I could kind of sing I got really into it. I was always dramatic,” he said with a laugh.
James said he’s always loved music and songwriting, and got a degree in drama from the University of Guelph. He also auditioned for Canadian Idol, making it into the top 100 before being cut from the race. He made a go of working in musical theatre in Toronto while writing music on the side.
“It took me a long time to realize that acting in eight shows a week wasn’t actually my dream. Singing other people’s music was just not for me,” he said.
James married his husband in 2016 in Collingwood, and, shortly after, the couple decided to move to San Diego so his husband could pursue schooling to become a naturopathic doctor.
“I always wanted to move to California, it was a dream of mine. It was incredible there,” said James. “I wanted to focus on music. I couldn’t work or do much else because my husband was on a student visa.”
“I wrote a lot of songs,” he said.
James spent time writing and expanding his network, however after Donald Trump was elected president, the path to permanent residency in the U.S. became narrower and in Jan. 2020, James and his husband made the decision to return to Collingwood.
“It didn’t feel like home like we thought it would. My husband and I both have strong family connections here so we decided Collingwood made sense,” he said.
“We never expected to be back but now that we are, it’s lovely. I’m really looking forward to a rediscovery once we’re allowed to go out again,” said James with a laugh.
James wrote Christmas on our Own three years ago, however this year was inspired by COVID-19 to rewrite some of the lyrics for a parody version. He filmed the video on a green screen in his basement.
“It’s probably my most popular song. I’m really comfortable with the holiday stuff. It’s a great time of year, and you can be cheeky with it,” he said.
When he posted the song on his social media, he was surprised by the reaction.
“Hundreds of people were sharing it! It got thousands of views a day. It’s the power of music and humour; everybody just needed a laugh and everybody can relate to it,” said James.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, James said one of the nicer consequences is he’s been able to work on music virtually. Previously he would have to travel between Los Angeles, San Diego, Toronto and Nashville.
“Working on Zoom has been great. I’m continuing to write music for other people. I’ll be able to release four songs in the new year that I’d written for other artists, but I’ll put out my own versions for now,” he said.
James believes everyone is an artist in some way.
“If I don’t let my songs out, they sort of haunt me. I could always hear the songs in my head. I came to a point where I couldn’t wait for somebody to run with it, so I decided to do that with some of the songs (I’ve written),” he said.
Looking forward, one of James’ life goals is to have Kelly Clarkson sing one of his songs.
“It’s so awesome to hear other people sing your songs,” he said. “It’s all about the song and working hard. Music has to be part of my life.”
“I’d like to keep having big dreams while living in a small town, and keep pursuing them,” he added.
