Swiss singer-songwriter James Gruntz crafts music that feels both intimate and expansive, layering soulful vocals over playful, finely detailed production. With an expansive back catalogue and plenty of live shows on the calendar, we caught up with James to talk tour life, creative routines, and why trusting your gut might be the best advice there is.
You’re touring a lot lately. How do you prepare for a live performance?
I’m NOT trying to think about the show too much. To get into the headspace where you are present in the moment, I feel like you should not think about what’s coming, but feel what’s happening right now. So it really helps to be well organized and have everything set up just right —so that I don’t have to think about anything, but can just go with the flow, react to the audience, hear the music, and enjoy it.
Your latest album Blink Twice has a strong visual identity. How do you make sure your artwork reflects your music/personality?
My band and I have this thing which we like to call a label. It’s named Rare Alpine and helps us share the workload of organizing a release and all tasks that come with it. My part is making the artwork for all the releases. Go check out loophole and Uto Paradise if you want to see some of what I did. So with that experience, it felt right to take a more hands-on approach when it came to the visuals for my current release. I drew all the handwritten letters. And also the blinking eyelashes…
What does a day in the studio look like for you?
Since I have kids, sleeping in is no longer an option. I’m usually bound for an early start. And I started to like it. After breakfast, I go down to the studio, which is located two floors below where we live. I sit down at the piano and just play around, try to find new melodies, try to find my musical core for that day. After that musical meditation I get to whatever needs to be done. Finalize song forms, write lyrics, record instruments, edit, edit, edit.
Any sage advice for independent artists just starting out?
Learn to listen for what feels right. And then trust your instincts. Try different stuff. Different versions. Don’t make it perfect. Just make it. And have fun doing it. Not always maybe, but definitely also.