“Said I wouldn’t stay too long / I need more than a second to fill your hourglass,” sings James Vickery on the chorus of his new song, “Hourglass.” Out today (April 14), the new track sees the rising R&B star in a mood, one that is exemplified by his seductive vocals and the song’s slow but steady groove. It’s a track that aims to raise your temperature, make you sweat, and make you enjoy every second while killing some time with a special someone – be the Mr/Ms/Mx. Right, or Mr/Ms/Mx. Right-Now. It’s a pure sex groove, one that’s fueled by an intimate memory for this British R&B singer.
“This song is one of few purely more lustful songs on the album,” James shares with HollywoodLife, referencing his upcoming-and-still-untitled debut album. “It talks about this GORGEOUS girl I knew from way back. The hourglass metaphor is an ode to her amazing body… I thought at the time that because I had waited so long, I’d found the person I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
Hailing from South London, James is one of the new R&B names you need to know. He released his debut solo track “Epiphany” in late 2016 and followed it up with the Complexion EP. His COLORS session in 2018 brought this young talent to the next level, amassing more than 24 million views. With a buzzing audience and new eyes (and ears) on James, he inked recording and publishing deals with TH3RD BRAIN and Roc Nation. Since then, he’s continued to build momentum, dropping his Overture EP(with features from SG Lewis and Kenny Beats) in 2020. Not bad for a man who told Fader that he was born deaf in his left ear.
“Growing up in and out of the hospital with a hearing impairment was extremely tough for me,” he said.”If I hadn’t started going to speech therapy at a young age, I’m not sure I would have ever found my voice. The truth is I found out I could sing, almost accidentally because of speech therapy, and never looked back since.” And fans are grateful that he did.
“Hourglass” is the third single from Vickery in 2021. He previously released “Somewhere, Out There” and “Come To Me,” a collab with Musiq Soulchild. As to what fans can expect before 2021 is all said and done, James says he wants to “cover all bases of R&B and experiment with all the subforms with it [and] keep people guessing what they can expect from me.”