When Mission Valley resident DC James decided to debut his music, he knew he\u2019d have to go big or go home.<\/p>\n
His newly released song, \u201cChristmas on our Own,\u201d not only flips the script of traditional holiday music \u2013 it also gives the catchiness of Mariah Carey\u2019s popular hit \u201cAll I Want for Christmas is You\u201d a solid run for its money.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen most artists release a pop or pop-country debut they\u2019ll release a breakup song or a party song, but not me,\u201d James said, laughing. \u201cI\u2019m going to compete with Mariah because life isn\u2019t hard enough.\u201d<\/p>\n The Toronto native admits that while acting and writing music has been a lifelong passion, the vulnerability of putting his own stuff out to the world is new.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019d been a songwriter and performer for most of my life, but I always sang other people\u2019s songs,\u201d he said. \u201cWhen I was auditioning for Broadway or musical theater, I\u2019d get far, but I think the problem was the believability factor because I couldn\u2019t connect with the story. I realized very quickly that my dream was misguided.\u201d<\/p>\n James, who celebrated his 33rd birthday earlier this month, made a pact with himself on the day he turned 32: he would release his own music within a year.<\/p>\n \u201cChristmas on our Own\u201d was born in mid-December 2016 \u2013 a few weeks after that decision was made.<\/p>\n At the time he penned the lyrics, James and his husband had recently moved from Canada to San Diego. James wanted to be closer to Los Angeles to pursue his career, so the couple was debating long distance. When an opportunity for his husband to finish up schooling in San Diego arose, they pounced.<\/p>\n Although there was zero chance they\u2019d head back to the cold to spend Christmas with their families, there was the unmistakable appeal of spending the holidays on their own.<\/p>\n \u201cIt took me about two days to write it, and with the time I spent producing it, it took about a week in total,\u201d he said. \u201cI came up with the hook, or the catchiest part of the song, and I just couldn\u2019t get it out of my head. I couldn\u2019t afford a gift for my husband, so I got him a song.\u201d<\/p>\n The reception from his husband, and his family, was far beyond what he expected.<\/p>\n \u201cEveryone was telling me [the song] was so much better than they thought it would be,\u201d he continued. \u201cPeople didn\u2019t know I was starting to take songwriting seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n After that, James pressed pause and left it be. While he felt the song would be great to pitch to production studios for use in television or holiday movies, he admittedly missed those deadlines.<\/p>\n Toward the end of summer 2017, he realized his deadline for releasing music was fast approaching.<\/p>\n \u201cI had just finished doing a show with the San Diego Gay Men\u2019s Chorus (SDGMC) and the next day, I was lying by the pool and realized the next show would be the holiday show,\u201d he said. \u201cI thought this would be a great platform to share my music because the song is cute, relatable and catchy.\u201d<\/p>\n SDGMC Artistic Director, RC Haus, agreed.<\/p>\n \u201cThe moment I heard his song, I knew I had to include it in our program,\u201d Haus said. \u201cWith all the traditional holiday music we do, it is refreshing to have a new, pop-styled catchy holiday song. Many of the great holiday songs we all know and love were written by people far away, and frankly, long gone.<\/p>\n \u201cBut here is a great new song written by someone who lives right in our city. I wouldn’t be surprised if some major artist picks this song up and records it in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n With the 100-strong SDGMC as backup, James will showcase \u201cChristmas on our Own\u201d as part of the chorus\u2019 annual holiday show, \u201cJingle\u201d on Dec. 9 and 10. The track was also released on iTunes, Spotify and other streaming services in early November.<\/p>\n \u201cI finally decided it was time,\u201d he said. \u201cGetting people to hear your music is the hardest part, but 100 percent of people who hear it say they love it. They\u2019ve told me this is a great song that makes them feel good when they listen to it.<\/p>\n \u201cI guess what I hope people have as their greatest takeaway, is that I want them to enjoy it and download it. I hope people love the holiday song and that they hang on to see what\u2019s next.\u201d<\/p>\n James will perform as part of the San Diego Gay Men’s Chorus in \u201cJingle,\u201d at 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, and at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 10 at the historic Balboa Theatre, located at 868 Fourth Ave., Downtown. For tickets, visit sdgmc.org.<\/p>\n![\"Earworm](\"https:\/\/missionvalleynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/DCJames-Front-Page.jpg\")
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