JAMES BARKER BAND: INKS RECORDING DEAL WITH VILLA 40/SONY MUSIC NASHVILLE (Audio)
PLATINUM-SELLING HITMAKERS RETURN WITH NEW TRACK “OVER ALL OVER AGAIN”
OVER ALL OVER AGAIN – Audio Work Parts
Sony Music Nashville and Villa 40 announce the signing of James Barker Band to Villa 40/Sony Music Nashville today. The Platinum-selling group, originally from Ontario, Canada, are celebrating the record deal signing by releasing “Over All Over Again,” their first release through the label, Friday. Listen here.
“It’s not every day you start working with an act that already has an engaged, global fan base,” says Villa 40 co-founder Brad Margolis. “We look forward to collaborating with our partners at Sony Music Nashville in continuing to build the band’s success in Canada and making them a household name in the U.S.”
“We’re so excited to be putting new music out and starting this new chapter in the U.S.,” adds JBB frontman James Barker. “They’ve been so great at allowing us to chase down different creative avenues while staying true to our sound. We had the chance this past year to dig in on the writing front, which actually made it harder to choose this single since we had so many tracks to pick from.”
“In the end, ‘Over All Over Again’ just felt like the right song at the right time,” he continues. “There’s a kind of blueness to it from the darkness of the chords and melody, but the tempo keeps it clear of any gloomy territory. I love the lyrics because there’s a little bit of that ‘I know this is going to hurt like hell tomorrow, but it’s going to be good tonight’ thing, done in a clever way that makes it a quintessential, heartbreaking country song.”
Written during the pandemic over two days in a locked-down writing room in Nashville by James Barker, Travis Wood, Gavin Slate and Todd Clark, “Over All Over Again” brings a new blues undertone to JBB’s repertoire. Following the incredible success of multiple GOLD and PLATINUM-certified tracks, “Over All Over Again” paints the cinematic story of a cyclical romance destined to repeat itself, even if it consistently ends in heartbreak — “Come dawn girl, you’re gone girl and I’m just hungover. Just like that it’s over all over again.”
Building off the groundbreaking success and fan base JBB has built in Canada, today’s signing with Sony Music Nashville and Villa 40 has cemented their international success story that extends far beyond North American borders. In 2019, JBB was the only Canadian-signed artist to be invited to perform at the official C2C events in the UK, Germany and Holland. They then headed back across the pond twice more that year to Greece, followed by a 12-city tour which included stops in London, Amsterdam, Switzerland, Scotland and Germany.
Always thinking of their fans first, to lift spirits and stay connected during the early days of COVID-19 JBB hosted an unprecedented 75 consecutive, one hour shows on their Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok social media channels. These live shows are still occurring weekly. Fans can expect to hear more new music coming later this year.
About James Barker Band
James Barker Band have fueled an incredible story over the last six years, largely on their own, from playing opening spots in small Ontario bars to charting multiple No. 1 singles, garnering hundreds of millions of global streams, and headlining some of Canada’s largest country music festivals. Now, with new music on the way, the four-piece is continuing their meteoric ascent in Nashville. Made up of James Barker (lead vocals/guitar), Taylor Abram (guitar/background vocals), Connor Stephen (drums), and Bobby Martin (bass), the members of James Barker Band grew up within an hour of each other in rural towns surrounding Toronto. In 2017, they sent their single “Chills” straight to the top of Billboard ’s Canadian Hot 100 chart. The upbeat anthem also achieved Platinum status, alongside other songs from their introductory LP Game On, earning them numerous national awards. In addition, these best-friends have already amassed another six GOLD-certified and a PLATINUM-certified tracks which include “There’s A Drink For That”, “Just Sayin’,” “It’s Working,” “Lawn Chair Lazy,” “Good Together, and ” “Keep It Simple” (PLATINUM). Now, as the rising stars reposition themselves in Nashville, many miles from their hometowns, the opportunities are limitless – but the band remains grounded in their small-town roots. For more info, visit jamesbarkerband.com.
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Media Contacts
United States
Luke Levenson, Sony Music Nashville
[email protected]
Canada
Richelle Umali, Penelope PR
[email protected]