Durbin was born to Judy Settle-Durbin. His father Willy Durbin, a musician, died of drug overdose when he was 9. He was diagnosed with Tourette's and Asperger's syndrome shortly after his father died. He has facial tics, some social awkwardness, and restricted interests.
He has a fiancée, Heidi whom he met in a bar and considered his 'rock'. They have a son together named Hunter.
In 2006, he performed in Santa Cruz-based children's theater group called Kids on Broadway and played the lead role in "Beauty and the Beast" and "Singin' in the Rain", as well as "West Side Story" in a production by All About Theatre, a Santa Cruz community theatre company. He was also the lead singer in a metal band called The Hollywood Scars. He said he has also done country music before.
James was invited to record and mix his amazing vocal talent with legendary producer/engineer/artist Alan Parsons (of The Alan Parsons Project/Beatles/Pink Floyd fame). Along with professional vocalist PJ Olsson, the group recorded James' vocals on Alan Parsons' song "We Play The Game," a collaboration with The Crystal Method.
Then only 19, James' drive, power, and musical insight were all too evident as he and Alan worked on recording a lead vocal and backing vocals on the Alan Parsons track from A Valid Path.
Idol Performances:
** Top 24: Personal Choice - You've Got Another Thing Comin' (Judas Priest)
** Top 13: Personal Idol - Maybe I'm Amazed (Paul McCartney)
** Top 12: Year You Were Born - I'll Be There for You (Bon Jovi)
** Top 11: Motown - Living for the City (Stevie Wonder)
** Top 11 Redux: Elton John - Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting) [[artist]Elton John]
** Top 9: Rock & Roll Hall of Fame - While My Guitar Gently Weeps (The Beatles)
** Top 8: Songs from the Movies - Heavy Metal (Sammy Hagar)
** Top 7: Songs from the 21st Century - Uprising (Muse)
** Top 6: Carole King - Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow (The Shirelles)
** Top 5: Songs from Then & Now: Closer to the Edge (30 Seconds to Mars) / Without You (Bandfinger)
** Top 4: Songs That Inspire / Leiber & Stoller Songbook: Don't Stop Believin' (Journey) / Love Potion No. 9 (The Clovers)
In 2016 Durbin and Alex Grossi of Quiet Riot worked on an album project "Maps to the Hollywood Scars". Volume 1 was released as a 5-song EP in February 2017. In March 2017, Durbin joined Quiet Riot, as their new lead singer. The band reported that their upcoming album, 'Road Rage' would be re-recorded prior to its release to feature Durbin on lead vocals. After recording a follow-up album, Durbin quit the band in September 2019. The album, 'Hollywood Cowboys', was released on November 8, 2019. In October 2020, Durbin revealed he had signed with Frontiers Records and was working on a "pure heavy metal" album. The Beast Awakens was released on February 12, 2021 under the Durbin moniker. Alongside Durbin, who performs lead vocals and rhythm guitar, the album also features drummer Mike Vanderhule and bassist Barry Sparks. In 2022, Durbin has joined forces with STRYPER members Robert Sweet and Perry Richardson (bass; also ex-FIREHOUSE) and RIOT guitarist Mike Flyntz in a new project called CLEANBREAK.
Uprising
James Durbin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The PR, transmissions will resume
They'll try to, push drugs that keep us all dumbed down
And hope that, we should will see the truth around
(So come on)
Another promise, another seed
Another, packaged lie to keep us trapped in greed
And endless red tape to keep the truth confined
(So come on)
They will not force us
They will stop degrading us
They will not control us
We will be victorious
Come on
Interchanging mind control
Come let the, revolution takes its toll
If you could, flick a switch and open your third eye
You'd see that, we should never be afraid to die
(So come on)
Rise up and take the power back
It's time the, fat cats had a heart attack
You know that, their time's coming to an end
We have to, unify and watch our flag ascend
(So come on)
They will not force us
They will stop degrading us
They will not control us
We will be victorious
Come on
Hey, hey, hey, hey
Hey, hey, hey, hey
They will not force us
They will stop degrading us
They will not control us
We will be victorious
So come on
The song "Uprising" by James Durbin is a powerful call for rebellion against the forces of oppression and control that seek to keep humanity trapped in a state of fear and complacency. The first verse speaks of the pervasive paranoia that has taken hold in society, fueled by the propaganda of those who seek to keep us docile and willing to accept their lies. The second verse speaks of the endless bureaucracy that envelops us, stifling our ability to see the truth and take action.
Throughout the song, there is a sense of urgency and defiance, as the lyrics call for a "revolution" to "take back the power" from those who would seek to control us. The chorus - "They will not force us, they will stop degrading us, they will not control us, we will be victorious" - serves as a rallying cry for all those who feel oppressed by the system, encouraging them to believe in their own power and to stand up for what is right.
Line by Line Meaning
Paranoia is in bloom,
There is a general feeling of fear and mistrust among us.
The PR, transmissions will resume
The public relations machine is starting up again, broadcasting messages to shape our thoughts and feelings.
They'll try to, push drugs that keep us all dumbed down
They will attempt to sell us on the idea of taking medications that dull our senses and make us more compliant.
And hope that, we should will see the truth around
But they're banking on the fact that we'll be too blind to recognize their true motives.
(So come on)
Another promise, another seed
They make yet another vow, planting another seed of deceit.
Another, packaged lie to keep us trapped in greed
And they keep repeating the same falsehoods to keep us all focused on our own selfish goals.
With all the, green belts wrapped around our minds
Our thinking is constricted by an array of invisible constraints.
And endless red tape to keep the truth confined
And we are hemmed in further by bureaucratic obstacles, which make the truth difficult to discern.
(So come on)
They will not force us
We will not be coerced into doing something we don't want to do.
They will stop degrading us
They will cease treating us as lesser beings, with no inherent value or dignity.
They will not control us
They will not manipulate us into conforming to their arbitrary rules and standards.
We will be victorious
We will emerge triumphant, with our spirits and dignity intact.
Come on
Interchanging mind control
There is a conflict of wills and competing motives at play.
Come let the, revolution takes its toll
We need to band together and take forceful action in order to effect change.
If you could, flick a switch and open your third eye
If only we could access some hidden part of ourselves, we might see things in a new light.
You'd see that, we should never be afraid to die
We would recognize that there is something more important than mere survival.
(So come on)
Rise up and take the power back
We need to seize control of the situation and break free of their influence.
It's time the, fat cats had a heart attack
It's long overdue for the wealthy elites to suffer some kind of radical setback.
You know that, their time's coming to an end
There is a sense that the powerful are on borrowed time and their hold on us will soon be broken.
We have to, unify and watch our flag ascend
But we can't let our guard down until we have made real progress, so we must band together, and work towards our shared goal.
(So come on)
They will not force us
We will not be pushed around or bullied into submission.
They will stop degrading us
We will no longer tolerate being treated with contempt or disdain.
They will not control us
We will reclaim our independence and sovereignty.
We will be victorious
And we will emerge victorious, having taken back what is rightfully ours.
So come on
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Matthew James Bellamy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kordel Davis
Most underrated performance in American Idol history.
Ro Ye
love james but wouldnt say that
Out Of Order
This is the greatest American Idol performance I have ever seen. Still gives me goosebumps. :D
Gardens456
Same! Every so often i just have to come watch this again. Magnificent live performance
Naomi Pask
He was challenged to sing this song because of it's vocal range and he absolutely nailed it! He should have won and even now, I would love to hear a collaboration between him and Adam Lambert. Those boys got pipes!
Opal Justice
Agreed! Still watching in 2020. Hands-down, my all-time favorite performance from the show.
arh216
I totally agree!!!! I wish he could record it!! I like James version so much better!!!!!🙌👏👍👍
Snowbird47
Out Of Order me too!❤️❤️❤️❤️
Nicky Birk
still one of the all time best performances on American Idol history
Space Cowboy
Come on...it wasn't even the best performance of the night. Haley Reinhart's "Rolling In The Deep" was the best performance of that night. In fact, Adele's "Rolling In The Deep" had already peaked on the charts and was rapidly dropping. When Haley sang the cover of that song that night, Adele's original immediately started rising up the charts again and then chopped the charts for weeks.
Meanwhile, a lot of music industry insiders credited Haley's performance that night on American Idol with the resurgence of the song, as American Idol at the time was the most popular show on television in the country.
Moreover, when Haley sang the song that night on American Idol, most people had never even heard of Adele yet, then afterwards they looked her up on youtube, listened to her music, and then started buying up her music. So Haley Reinhart is credited for creating a lot of Adele's success here in America.