Soul/R&B Artist Ian Janes to Release Brand New Single “Share” Ahead of Forthcoming Album
Dedicated to crafting exceptional music regardless of genre, Canadian artist Ian Janes draws from Soul, R&B, Pop, Jazz, and more when creating his unique sound.
From his upcoming seventh studio album, Janes is gearing up to release “Share”, a brightly-coloured Soul-Pop song advocating for the removal of distractions and spending quality time with a loved one.
Co-written by Janes and his longtime, Grammy and Emmy nominated writing partner Jamie Hartman (Rag’n’Bone Man, Backstreet Boys), “Share” features David Cook (Musical Director for Taylor Swift) on keys, backup vocals by fellow Canadian artist, Zamani, live drums by Howard Artis and John O’Reilly Jr., and Nicholas D’Amato on bass. Janes also produced the track and performed the guitars, clavinet, synth, drum, and percussion programming.
In an era where technology has fragmented personal attention despite connectivity, Ian Janes’ “Share” is a joyfully vibrant and soulful anthem of a partner seeking a meaningful connection. Inspired by the all too common occurrence of cell phone distraction, Janes’ first single of 2024 is a colourful love song aimed at cherishing time spent together. At the intersection of Pop and Soul, “Share” features layers of lush instrumentation which includes the subtle interaction of two live drum kits, textured keyboards, and a funky, Motown-inspired bass line. Jubilant and romantic, Janes’ vocal performance moves with ease between registers, emphasizing the importance of being fully present during the hard-to-forget chorus, singing, “because half of you is not enough, I only want your undivided love”. His wide-ranging and emotive, Soulful tone blooms across the track, incorporating elements of both traditional and modern R&B. Relatable in any relationship, “Share” is a loving, warm, and timeless appeal to be mindful of distractions and to be present with loved ones.
Ian shares,
“I’m the worst offender at being distracted by technology. We often split our attention between people simultaneously, where we end up not doing things as well as we could be. “Share” aims to return to connection with joy and love, asking a loved one to really connect without distraction.”
First off care to introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Ian Janes. I’m a songwriter/musician/producer from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia; but grew up in Hantsport, Nova Scotia.
Tell us a bit about your recent release.
‘Share’ is a soul song about making time to connect with a loved one amidst busy physical and digital lives.
How do you typically go about the songwriting process? Do you have a specific method or creative routine that you follow?
It varies, but most often my songs come from a word, phrase, or thought that sounds like a worthy title/concept. Sometimes it’s just a word or phrase that sounds really musical to sing…then I have to reverse-engineer it to make it mean something!
Increasingly, I tend to focus more on the title/story/lyrical idea first. Otherwise, it’s easy to make something that grooves and feels great but ends up more vapid than I would like it to be.
Looking ahead, what are your plans for supporting this new release? Are there any upcoming tours, music videos, or additional content that fans can look forward to in connection with this project?
I have a solo show in Toronto at the Bluebird Bar on April 18th and am working on some other East Coast shows for May to be announced soon. In the summer and fall I’ll be doing some more band shows. For ‘Share’ I’m going to have a cool lyric video, post an acoustic version, and also release a studio breakdown of how I put the song together; show people the isolated musical layers and then how I assembled them to make the track.
Looking back on your musical career, is there a particular moment or accomplishment that you consider a turning point or a highlight?
Wow. There have been so many twists and turns! Having a song that I wrote with Byron Hill, ‘Can’t Remember Never Loving You’, used in the TV show ‘Nashville’ in 2017 was pretty cool!
Last but not least, it’s time to pay it forward, what upcoming band or artist would you recommend your fans check out?
Hmmm. So much great music is being made. I did a songwriter show with my friend Mel Farrimond a few weeks ago and she played some absolute killers. More people should definitely know those songs!