Rising with raw honesty and unfiltered emotion, Native James opens up about his new EP Confessions of a Sinner, the journey of embracing imperfections, and building a community where struggle and hope can coexist.

Words & photos by Josephine Best (@josephinexbest) | Oct 03, 2025

---

---

Native James has been making waves in the music scene with his bold, introspective approach, and his latest EP, Confessions of a Sinner, is no exception. With a raw mix of emotional depth, vulnerability, and unflinching honesty, the record showcases his evolution as an artist while exploring themes of imperfection, personal struggle, and mental health.

First, congratulations on the EP launch! How are you feeling at this moment, nervous, excited?

Everything and the above I cannot lie! It has been such a mad year I hope people enjoy this!

For those who may not be fully familiar with your journey, how would you describe your musical evolution up to this point?

I’d say it has been insane lol. I believe the universe has been graceful to me these past two years; so much has happened, I’m still getting my head around it haha.

Why did you choose “Confessions of a Sinner” as the EP title? What does it signal about where you are now artistically or personally?

It means I’m not perfect, far from in fact. And I don’t want to portray I am either. I want people to come with their imperfections at my show, and feel comfortable knowing we all have confessions, and we are all sinners.

Was there a guiding concept you used while making the EP?

Hmm idk it’s like something inside me speaks to me when the time is right, and then the concept gets created that way. Strange I know but it’s always seemed to work.

Can you walk us through your track list order, how did you decide on the flow from start to finish?

When we did the Rebirth EP, we had track after track and nothing to kind of link each one together, the intro to Native James. With this EP, I wanted to add intros and give it that feel that you are going on a journey experiencing something within each song, but still fitting the scene of purgatory.

Which track on the EP was the hardest to finish and why?

Hmmm probably GTA, because we wanted something fun, and it was tough deciding whether to change the lyrics completely or keep them.

Which track is the one you most excited for fans to hear, and why that one?

Pry Away. It’s emotionally moving and I want people to see a side that is deeper than the surface.

Walk me through your process: do you begin with lyrics, melody, chord progressions, or mood first?

I begin with the beat first then write the lyrics around that. My head doesn’t really work with lyrics first; I am an off the dome artist so I’ll create chorus’ and verses as I go along, and listen to a beat a couple of times.

At what point did you know the EP was “finished” — was there a moment of clarity, or was it gradual?

It was when we finished the final intro, I knew it was complete and we had a solid piece of work.

You’ve been open in previous interviews about mental health themes, how much of that came through on the EP?

A lot, I struggle with my own demons as many people do. My confessions relay mental health issues and the troubles I have with it also… you just gotta read between the lines.

Did working on this EP force you to confront anything personally — fears, doubts, past decisions?

Hmmm, it made me realise there are internal things I need to come to terms with and work on. Like I said, we are not perfect but it’s made me realise with time things can change.

Is there a lyric on the EP you feel particularly vulnerable about, or maybe a lyric that is going to hit extra hard when performing live?

“Reload, holl up lemme try reload replacing understanding myself with a reload man it ain’t deep bro…” This whole line is about escaping accountability with a substance.

If a new listener hears Confessions of a Sinner tomorrow, what would you like their experience to be — how do you hope it lands on them?

I want them to feel like they are with me – they are not alone and their struggles are not ignored.

Oh this is definitely the start, we have not even touched the sides. I say never have a ceiling…. I hope you like rage…

What are your immediate plans after release, touring, visuals, collaborations?

More music, more writing, more food too lol.

Finally: when you look back on Confessions of a Sinner in five years, what do you hope you’ll have achieved or expressed through it?

That I have touched the lives of many, and that we have created an even bigger community for life.