James, who also plays the pipes, grew up in a household where music was an essential part of family life. Although his mother, an accordionist, is the only other family member who plays an instrument, James's father and sister are good singers and were always singing around the house, and at weekends, friends and family members regularly gathered for ceilidhs.
James began singing Gaelic at competition level at the age of ten. His school, Lochinver Primary, has a long history of producing strong Gaelic singers and as the only boy at the school who was singing Gaelic songs at the time, it was left to James to maintain this tradition while his friends played football.
Encouraged by his great aunt Seordag Murray and his head teacher, Kenny MacKenzie, three of whose nieces comprise the well-known MacKenzie singing group from Lewis, James quickly became a prize-winner at both local and national Mods, the Gaelic music and poetry festivals.
Great aunt Seordag was a massive influence on James. His parents' generation had largely shunned conversational Gaelic and concerned that the songs that had been passed down the family might die out, Seordag taught James all she knew. James spent hours and hours with her after school and especially before a Mod was due, listening to stories about her life and learning songs from the local area.
When he was thirteen or fourteen years old, James started to lose interest in singing, instead spending all his time playing football with his mates. But Kenny and Seordag recognised his talent and kept pushing him to learn more songs and to continue singing, and James is extremely grateful for this.
By this time, having moved up to Ullapool High School, James was playing the bagpipes under the tutelage of Norman Gillies. He continued piping as a subsidiary study when he went to the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in 1999, with singing as his principal study.
Coached and encouraged by his tutor at the RSAMD, the well-known singer and immensely knowledgeable Gaelic scholar Kenna Campbell, James became increasingly passionate about singingand he credits Kenna Campbell with giving him the confidence to enter the BBC Radio Scotland Young Traditional Musician of the Year competition.
While studying at the RSAMD, where he gained his BA (Hons) in Scottish Music, James researched the songs of his home area, Assynt, for his dissertation, talking to the few remaining native Gaelic speakers and collecting songs from them. He feels emotionally tied to these songs and is dedicated to keeping them alive. He is also passionate about singing pibroch, which he learned from the brilliant piper and folklorist, Allan MacDonald.
Having been singing in public since he was very young, James feels entirely comfortable on a stage and felt no nerves at all during the Young Traditional Musician of the Year final. He has performed in Europe and the USA and has worked with the talented harper and multi-instrumentalist Phamie Gow, appearing as a guest on her latest album.
Although already acclaimed as one of the most important young voices in Gael ic singing, James is determined to keep improving. He plans to take a further year of study at the Gaelic college, Sabhal Mor Ostaig on Skye, and his professional plans include forming a trio with pianist James Ross and piper and step dancer Donald Brown which will enable him to present the three treasures of the Scottish tradition - music, singing and dancing - in one package.
James Graham from Lochinver becoming the first male - and first Gael - winner through his commanding performance of Gaelic song beginning with a beautiful rendering of Murdo MacFarlane's anthem Canan Nan Gaidheal. The Herald
GAELIC singer James Graham from Lochinver beat off strong competition to become the first male Young Scots Traditional Musician of the Year, with a set of impeccably performed songs. The six finalists delivered a richly entertaining concert, and each provided yet more evidence of the remarkable growth in standards in traditional music in recent years. The Scotsman
James Graham has now formed a trio with Donal Brown (pipes, whistles and stepdance) and James Ross (piano).
Fix You
James Graham Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse
When the tears come streaming down your face
′Cause you lose something you can't replace
When you love someone but it goes to waste
Could it be worse? Yeah
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you Yeah
Tears stream down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears stream down your face
And I
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
The lyrics to James Graham's song Fix You explore the idea of feeling lost, defeated, and hopeless but relying on someone to guide one home and fix their problems. The opening lines, "When you try your best but you don't succeed, when you get what you want but not what you need" portray an individual who has invested effort in something but has not been able to achieve their desired outcome. They may have even attained what they thought they wanted, yet the feeling of fulfilment is missing. This sense of despair is highlighted by the line, "When you feel so tired but you can't sleep, stuck in reverse," indicating a perpetual cycle of stagnancy and lack of progression.
The chorus is where the song title Fix You comes into play, as Graham sings "Lights will guide you home and ignite your bones, and I will try to fix you." This is a profound sentiment for those who feel lost and shattered, seeking guidance and healing from someone they trust. The mention of tears streaming down one's face when they lose something irreplaceable signifies a significant loss, and the pain associated with it is challenging to overcome. Graham's promise to try to fix the person is an emotional and hopeful message.
Line by Line Meaning
When you try your best but you don't succeed
When you give your all but still fall short
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you achieve a goal but still feel unfulfilled
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
When you're exhausted but can't seem to rest
Stuck in reverse
Falling backwards, unable to move forward
When the tears come streaming down your face
When you're overcome with emotion and cry uncontrollably
′Cause you lose something you can't replace
Because you've suffered a loss that cannot be fixed
When you love someone but it goes to waste
When your love is unrequited or not reciprocated
Could it be worse? Yeah
Considering the situation, it could always be worse
Lights will guide you home
There's hope and a way forward
And ignite your bones
You'll feel alive and inspired again
And I will try to fix you Yeah
I'll do my best to help you and make things better
Tears stream down your face
You're still struggling and hurting
When you lose something you cannot replace
The pain of loss is still raw
Tears stream down your face
The emotion is still intense
And I
I'm here for you
Lights will guide you home
There's always a way forward, a guiding light
And ignite your bones
You'll be renewed and strengthened
And I will try to fix you
I'm committed to helping you heal and recover
Writer(s): Christopher Anthony John Martin, Jonathan Mark Buckland, William Champion, Guy Rupert Berryman
Contributed by Reagan I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@sandesh8226
When you try your best, but you don't succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep
Stuck in reverse
And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something, you can't replace
When you love someone, but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
And high up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try, you'll never know
Just what you're worth
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
Tears stream down your face
When you lose something, you cannot replace
Tears stream down your face and I
Tears stream down your face
I promise you, I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down your face and I
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
@TheVeganPoet1
He was so good, and we never hear anything about him now.
@xosydneyjo
I STILL watch this video every couple months since it aired. So beautiful and so much emotion. Ugh my heart 🥹 I hope he’s doing amazing things in the world
@kykarter4708
Ever since this video, I keep coming back! So amazing. So talented. So effortless. So proud that you won James 🥺
@esleidyreyes1074
Me too
@tosho4508
Me too
@rezkienggiaputra
He deserves so much more. I have been following him since X Factor
@BarbaraOwens439
Dam James sang that song really good..had chills flowing threw my body
@zabrondadrake1694
Yaaaaassssss!!!!!!
@dhadha3502
One of the best performance of James, congratulations!! 👏👏
@austinjohnson5530
daryl galang the best performance