Former Armidale High School student Fergus James has crammed a great deal of experience into his short career.
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Fergus was accepted into the Talent Development Project at Newtown High School of Performing Arts in 2016 and caught his first break after Justin Timberlake's reaction to his song "Snow" notched up 500,000 views on Timberlake’s Facebook page.
More recently, he supported Ed Sheeran on the biggest stadium tour in Australian history.
He then released his debut single called "Golden Age", which recieved support from Triple J Unearthed, and also amassed more than one million plays on Spotify.
I've been lucky enough with Spotify, they've been really supportive of me as an artist from the get-go.
- Fergus James
"I think the rise of such streaming sites as Spotify and Soundcloud and Apple Music give a lot more insight as to how an artist is going, not only in Australia, but all over the world," Fergus said.
"I had a bit of success with that first single, but really, with this second single I was really looking to speak to a triple J based audience
Triple J got behind my latest track and was lucky enough to get put on high rotation.
- Fergus James
His second single "What Are We Waiting For" hit number seven on the Australian Independent charts.
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"Charts are a really good sign, but I also feel how you are performing on Spotify and on radio are indicators of how your music resonates with the audience," Fergus said.
He thought growing up in Armidale had contributed a great deal to his music.
"The community is completely different to what you get in the city," Fergus said.
"Saying g'day to someone down the street, or just the general pleasantries from a country town makes you stand out a lot in a city setting.
"A lot of people will notice the different mannerisms about you if you're from the country. It's a nice little unique factor."
