Phoebe Ryan knows how to write a damn good break-up song. In August, she partnered with blackbear for “Forgetting All About You”, which saw her confident in her ability to get over an ex; in September, she was wishing for honesty on “Be Real”; and now, she’s brought us “James Has Changed”, which can be heard below. When a relationship ends, sometimes it’s the little things- like a beloved t-shirt- that are hardest to give up, and if you’ve ever been there, you might find yourself humming along and taking comfort in the song’s electro beats. We like Ryan’s suggestion on Twitter to “cry and dance… forever” to the song.
“James Has Changed” details the heartbreak of feeling distraught over a break-up while the other person is ready to move on; in the chorus, Ryan laments that “My James was all I had / but he’s not even sad.” But there’s a twist this time: rather than being inspired by real life, the song came to her in a dream (or perhaps more accurately, a nightmare). Of the backstory to “James Has Changed”, she told Milk:
“The whole story behind ‘James Has Changed’ started from a bad dream I had last September while I was writing in Finland. In the dream, I was married to a beautiful man who looked exactly like Enrique Iglesias. We were so in love until, all of a sudden, he told me he didn’t love me anymore. It was one of those dreams that feels so real, you literally jump out of bed in a panic. When I woke up I wrote down the words ‘James has Changed’.”
In our recent interview, Phoebe Ryan mentioned the possibility of an EP before her headlining tour this fall. No details for an EP have been revealed, but we’ll be sure to let you know when we find out more, so make sure you’re following Substream on Twitter. See the full list of dates of her upcoming tour below, and head to her website to purchase tickets.
Phoebe Ryan – Fall 2017 Headlining Tour Dates:
Oct 31- Foundry at the Fillmore- Philadelphia, PA
Nov 1- Music Hall of Williamsburg- Brooklyn, NY
Nov 2- U Street Music Hall- Washington, DC
Nov 3- Brighton Music Hall- Allston, MA
Nov 5- Horseshoe Tavern- Toronto, ON
Nov 6- Lincoln Hall- Chicago, IL
Nov 7- 7th Street Entry- Minneapolis, MN
Nov 10- Hawthorne Theater- Portland, OR
Nov 11- Barboza- Seattle, WA
Nov 13- Swedish American Music Hall- San Francisco, CA
Nov 14- Echoplex- Los Angeles, CA