How James Reid shows his ‘extremely romantic’ side

James Reid may be in the thick of shooting his acting comeback, but music will always be a constant — and his most personal creative outlet.

The singer-actor recently dropped by The Philippine STAR as the featured performer for “The Office Playlist,” the paper’s digital series spotlighting OPM artists through stripped-down acoustic performances, interviews and other special content.

During his visit, he performed his 11-year-old hit Randomantic, latest release Traffic under Sony Music Philippines and previewed for the first time his upcoming single Richest Man Alive, a sweet love song dedicated to his partner, Issa Pressman. His episode will premiere soon on The STAR’s official YouTube channel.

Select fans were there to witness the intimate show — perhaps for some, the umpteenth time. According to James, connecting with fans through live performances never gets old.

And he continues to lean on music as his most authentic form of expression.

When asked to define himself as a music artist, he said, “Honest. I think I’m just being very honest with how I am feeling. When it comes to the music, instrumentation, it’s just all coming from the things that I love, those are that things that influence me. It’s always been about personal experiences and very honest feelings.”

As for Traffic, he expressed that it’s less about its literal meaning of urban frustration and more of a metaphor for how time in life can be lost due to “obstacles.” “The story is not only about traffic. It’s really about being stuck in life, or stuck behind a feeling, like actually someone singing about how there’s someone you want to be with, but then so many obstacles,” James said.

Sharing a line from the song, James went on, “Bakit ganyan? Ang dami namang nakikipag-unahan. Ba’t tila ang layo kahit andiyan ka lang naman? It’s really battle zone and ovecoming those obstacles to take what you want.”

As for the interesting timing of its release amid the fuel crisis, he remarked, “Actually, there’s less traffic now because of the new prices. So, it’s a bad time for me to release the song if you think about it because there’s not much traffic but hopefully, we resolve this crisis soon. I think definitely, having the prices so high is not a good way to resolve this problem.”

Apart from writing songs for a wider audience to relate to, songwriting is also how he specifically communicates with loved ones.

“I write them a song,” he said when asked how he channels his romantic side in every day life.

“I’ve written so many songs for Issa. All of the songs I’ve been writing actually are mostly about her. I think that’s my love language. Some feelings don’t feel the same when you say it, but when you write them into a song, it gives it more context. It gives it more feeling.

“So yeah, I think for me, I’m more words of affirmation… I would consider myself extremely romantic, at least on my end. But I love doing things that are not typical experiences or something that’s brand-new. Like if it’s a date, it’s going somewhere people haven’t been to, trying something new to do. So, I guess, I’m one of the adventurous romantics.”

It’s clear that he and Issa are going stronger than ever, owing in part to their shared artistic wavelength — different but creatively complementary.

“Issa has this ability to really see things, really good at reading minds. I don’t have that. I close my eyes, I can’t imagine, I can’t see things the way she sees things. So for me, it’s very complementary to at least my style of creativity, which is more story, more concept and sound. She’s very visual. She’s a visual storyteller, so it’s very complementary,” he said.

But more than being a creative partner, she inspires him simply by being who she is.

“I think I’m more inspired by her in general, not just by creativity, but just the way she is. And I love the way that she sees me,” he stressed. 

“So, she’s the creative director of my projects. She comes up with the concept for the music video or something like that — the visuals.”

Meanwhile, the favorite song he wrote for her is Richest Man Alive, set for release this June.

“If not that one, it would be Sandal. I wrote that for her when she was having a heartache and just having a tough time. There was no particular problem, but sometimes, it’s hard to talk about things you’re going through and so I went to the studio that day and made a song, which is really just about whatever you’re going through,” he shared.

“Like, I just want you to know, you can always lean on me, have a shoulder to rest on, someone to open up to, someone to vent to and then I wrote the song.

“And then I went home, played it for her, and she cried. So, I was like, okay, it works!”

One day, he also hopes to write songs for other artists. “Maybe, one day, when I’m done with my music, I can focus my talent, make some stories, continue writing with other artists, I definitely would love to write songs for other artists,” he said.

Nevertheless, expect James to release more songs, including a collaboration with one of today’s hottest acts — details of which cannot be revealed yet.

Meantime, catch James’ performances in Boracay on May 2 and at Jessica Sanchez’s homecoming concert at the Big Dome on May 16.