This Kelowna musician's single is bumping on international playlists

When James Gass first started putting this song together, he was just 14 years old.

Now, 14 years on, the local singer-songwriter is hoping the attention his debut single is getting on international streaming services, can catapult him to the next level.

“It’s been unbelievable,” Gass explained during a fun video shoot with Kelowna10 at Hotel Zed’s Ping Pong Lounge. “People at work have been texting me, my mom doesn’t stop listening to it. She’s probably one of the big streamers. It’s just been unbelievable.”

Gass said the song, “Lights Go Down”, released under his band name Pastel Room, has made it onto Spotify playlists in France, Poland, Greece, and the Czech Republic, among other countries in Europe, along with Australia and Asia.

“I think it’s the catchiness, the melody,” he said when trying to explain its popularity. “People are telling me they can’t get it out of their head, which is fun.

“Like most sappy love songs, I wrote it when I was 14 years old; not the full song, but I actually came up with the chord progression then.”

The song initially had a very different sound.

“I did a rock version of it with my other band, but slowly I saw it as being a lot different. I added synth and I could really beef it up.

“People are really liking the production on it,” Gass said, while crediting friend and producer Blaine Swanson. “He went deep on things and showed me things I didn’t think of at first.”

Gass plans on getting his first music video done in December and then hopes to release further singles in the coming months leading up to his album release around the middle of 2024.

Asked about how new artists can break through, Gass said Kelowna is as good a place as any and there are so many online tools nowadays that can help you get heard.

But he added getting the right, positive feedback is also important, noting how supportive local musicians are of each other, especially if and when they make a breakthrough.

“Anyone can do something if they want to,” the 28-year-old said. “I haven’t even done it yet, but I’ve had some success [on Spotify], and I think as a young person I wish someone had told me that [positive affirmation], because it can be tough."

Growing up, he spent time going to a private school in Summerland then onto Kelowna Secondary School before taking environmental studies at Okanagan College. He now works as an energy advisor for Canada Solar team.

You can find “Light Go Down” by Pastel Room on multiple streaming platforms.

Click here.