Get to know Darius James, the singer/songwriter behind our new favorite HALLOWEEN bop, “A Night Called Halloween.”
What inspired your piece?
Working at a Haunted House, inspired my piece.
What’s your songwriting/recording process like?
In my songwriting for this piece, I was going for a scary, pop - rock vibe, that made others feel like they were bad ass as they listened to it. It took about 4 hours to record this piece. I wanted It to be perfectly imperfect, meaning, good vocals, but not as great as I could have made them, weird pronouncing of the words, but great instrumentation.
How does identity play a role in your songwriting?
It plays a big role, because people would not expect what I would write in a song, if they were just looking at me.
Your piece feels somehow both new and like an already-established classic; what are some musical influences that went into Night Called Halloween?
I wanted to make it like that. Michael Jackson's Thriller of course was the main Influence. I wanted to make a song cool like that, but bring it into the 2010's.
How do you connect with HALLOWEEN as a holiday?
I feel like it's a day where you can actually be yourself, your deepest darkest self, without any criminal action for a day, and nobody judges you for it.
How did you get into horror? What do you enjoy in the genre? What scares you?
I've always loved horror movies. I enjoy the freedom of being scared and scaring someone and getting away with it. Dying and not telling others I've wronged in life I'm sorry is my deepest fear, that and dying alone with nobody by my side to see me off into the next dimension.
What role do you think horror plays in the LGBTQ community?
I feel like a lot of days is Horror for the LGBT community, because it's hard to be yourself, and come out to people and let them know who you really are without being judged for it. Everyone should have the freedom to be themselves whether society excepts it or not.
What’s next for you, creatively?
I'm currently working on a Love song called Never Felt This Way. I'm doing a live professional video recording this upcoming Saturday and I'm so excited about it. I'm also working on my artist website, merchandise, and taking artist profile pictures. I have two nursing home gigs coming up that I'm excited about. I love doing those because it feels like I'm giving the elderly something special to look forward to. I was a Certified Nursing Assistant for 4 years. I still am, but haven't worked in a nursing home in over 6 months.
Any great horror recommendations?
I thought It Chapter 2 was great, but the original of course is better. Countdown was pretty good. Let's not forget Candyman, Saw, Final Destination, The Purge, The Handmaid's Tale, Twilight Zone. All of those are not horror, but they are movies and TV shows that make you think, and could possibly occur in reality.