Pop star releases first track of 2023
European singer and guitarist James Bay returns with “Goodbye Never Felt So Bad” via Mercury/Republic Records. It notably marks his first release of 2023 and first new music since his 2022 third full-length album, Leap.
The track was produced by Gabe Simon and co-written with Plested.
“‘Goodbye Never Felt So Bad’ is a song about how crazy it can feel to say goodbye,” Bay shares. “There’s rarely ever anything good about it. I say goodbye to the people I love constantly, it comes with the territory of my work. I’m always traveling. It’s an amazing job but everything in life has its upsides and downsides.”
He continues, “This summer I started playing the song live, way before I even knew it would be released. I just wanted to share new music for the thrill of it. You can’t ask an audience to like something, but every time my fans put their hands in the air, clapped along and by the last chorus they were singing the words. It’s been unbelievable. I’m really excited to share the recording with the world. I wrote it with my mate, the brilliant Phil Plested. I hope you love it!”
Bay has been giving fans a sneak peek to the song as he has been performing it live on tour and recently opened up for Bruce Springsteen at London’s own BST Hyde Park. Next, he hits the road for an extensive North American run. In between select headline dates, he will support The Lumineers coast-to-coast for the remainder of the summer.
