What’s In Singer-Songwriter James Bay’s Suitcase

Travel tips picked up on the festival circuit by the British folk-rock phenomenon.

Even as artists struggle to get listeners to buy music, fans are happy to pay for the experience of sharing live music with their friends and several thousand strangers. Sound Machine, presented by Chase, is an inside look at the people, places, and businesses creating some of the memorable weekends this summer. It’s part of a broader series to inspire rewarding and fun summer activities following the recent launch of Freedom Unlimited.

British singer-songwriter James Bay appears to have happened overnight. After picking up the Critic's Choice BRIT Award in 2015, Bay's first full-length album, Chaos and the Calm, debuted at number one in the U.K. The record was promptly nominated for three Grammys. In April, his single “Let it Go" was certified platinum, with over one million sales in the United States. Bay is part of a soulful, bluesy wave of British singers that routinely competes with EDM- and hip-hop-flavored pop acts for the top spots on U.S. charts.

So it's little wonder the Hertfordshire native's passionate guitar playing, evocative lyrics and model cheekbones caught the eye of American industry leader Republic Records on YouTube. Today's multi-genre mega-festivals are like lighter fluid for internet buzz, exposing artists to new audiences and media attention—and Bay is no exception. Before he hit the festival circuit this summer, we discussed tour necessities and the challenges of life on the road.

What are some of the essential items you need on tour?

It's like the most boring things that your mom would tell you not to forget on tour. It's always good to have music in all forms so I can stay in touch with new music. Keep music close—keep the ability to play and write. I catch myself starving and needing to eat all the time. Keep eating. Don't stop eating, and stay alive.

What's your go-to outfit on tour?

A good, steady pair of boots and really skinny jeans. Something like those skinny jeans right out of the wash feels great on stage. I've been known to wear a hat a time or two.

Photo Credit Guy Lowndes

What's the most challenging part of being on the road all the time?

The most challenging thing is that is the tour bus which is a tiny, short-term version of a moving house every other day. You give yourself a little treat, four or five times in a long tour, which is to check into a hotel for a night or two. But you need to take all of the things into every corner of the tour bus out into a hotel room. Every other day you're changing places.

What's some advice you'd give to a band or musician doing their first festival or tour run?

It's like going on some sort of field trip for the first time, but it's the most fun version you can imagine. Don't hold anything back and enjoy every weird, ridiculous, or cliché aspect of it. I mean it when I say do that because when you come off of tour for the first time, it's kind of depressing. Being on tour is fantastic, but there will always be a comedown. Tour as much and as hard as you possibly can.

Want more Sound Machine? Learn about singer-songwriter James Bay’s packing list and Essence Festival’s marriage of star power and substance.