Los Angeles-based NATHAN JAMES released a new single, “Alienation,” last month. The self-described “nu nu metal” just signed with the newly launched Crowdkill Records and is currently on the road with Attila.

I caught up with Nathan by phone earlier this week. 

RYAN J. DOWNEY: What was the first music that captured your heart, and at what moment did you realize that music is not just something you love, but something you need to be a part of?

NATHAN JAMES: Great question. The first type of music I got into was music from my dad. He would always listen to The Kinks and Tupac when he would take me to school in the mornings. I moved from Colorado to LA many years later to pursue my photography career. I shot for all sorts of big-name brands and artists – Lil Wayne, Avril Lavigne, Gucci, Puma, everything. When I had my first gallery showing, I wondered, ‘What’s another medium I could add alongside the photographs?’ I’d never made songs before and never thought about being a musician. I made six songs to go along with six photographs, and the songs sucked. But it was so fun! I decided to get good at it and make it a career.

When did you start combining rap and rock?

I was just a listener at first. When I started to make songs, I didn’t quite know how to make them fit with a genre or what type of producers I needed to work with to make what I wanted. But I knew what I liked. Emo, rap, pop-punk, and heavier stuff all led to where I’m now, mixing hip-hop and metal/nu-metal.  

 I’d imagine your strong visual image is tied to your experience as a photographer.

The visuals are huge. I’m a very visual person, for sure. I’m also very into fashion and movies. All of my consumption of art and creativity over the years definitely spills over into what I’m doing.

You also toured with Shaggy 2 Dope. Did the Juggalos embrace you?

That tour was so sick. We were the only band on it, the only artists with guitars and everything. They loved it, man. They embraced it, big time. Shout out to all of the Juggalos!

You had some success on Octane with ‘The Hanged Man’ and ‘TOXIC WORLD’ a couple of years ago. You’ve spoken a bit about the idea of ‘fast food music.’ Can you explain that a bit?

When I say ‘fast food music,’ it’s a bit of a call out to the culture right now. Many people are creating this fast-food art that doesn’t feel authentic to me. You’ve got to be 100 percent into it, or it comes off as gimmicky or insincere. If you’re an artist, you can’t have one foot in and one foot out.

‘Alienation’ dropped about a month ago. What can you tell me about that song?

When I wrote ‘Alienation,’ I was going through a crazy time. I was going through the worst amount of anxiety – I mean extreme anxiety. I got on medication because of it. I couldn’t stand up. I couldn’t be in other people’s houses. I couldn’t go to a concert. I had to leave the studio multiple times in between takes because I was just going crazy in my head. I felt like an alien. And that’s how I started to write the song ‘Alienation’ in the producer’s front yard, wondering what was wrong with me.

I’m going to release my first full-length album, Hollywood Mortician, July 11. I wrote the whole album in this very hyper-tense anxious state. I ended up getting on medication, which helped tremendously. I’ve been off it for a couple of months now. I never experienced anything like that extreme, except for when I was 12 years old. I had that same thing happen for a couple of months, and it went away and didn’t happen again until last year. It was a gnarly time. It didn’t seem real. But it’s all good now.

What did you look for in a label partnership when choosing Crowdkill Records?

I was looking for someone to put more gas on the fire and try to make things happen, with the same quality, but faster, bigger, and to reach further. That’s the main goal.

In addition to Attila and Shaggy, you’ve toured with In This Moment. That’s quite a diverse list. How do you engage with an audience that may not be familiar with you?

My mindset when I go on stage is that I will win every single one of you over. And if not? F— you. #