James Reid On Turning Pain Into Something Beautiful With “Hurt Me Too”: “It feels good to be honest about your feelings.”

Three years ago, James Reid was in Los Angeles putting in the work, focused on collaborating with a couple of producers, learning how to bring songs to life at a much faster pace than what he’s used to. It was during this rigorous process of refining himself as an artist that he also came to rediscover himself as a person, leading him down an unfamiliar path of vulnerability he had never walked on before.

This experience eventually gave birth to his most honest single yet, “Hurt Me Too” — a piano ballad exploring the honest intricacies and effects of heartbreak, showing that it’s never a simple black-or-white reality.

The versatile Reid – a successful singer-songwriter, a widely acclaimed actor, the chairman of his own music label Careless Music, and more – has always been known for being personal with his music, drawing forth inspiration from his own experiences and emotions. But with “Hurt Me Too”, he has courageously taken everything even further. The song became a way for Reid to finally face feelings he’d dared not to confront until he was writing the track, opening him up to a transformative experience that has ultimately changed him, as an artist and as a person, for the better.

Gaining a deeper understanding of his personal renaissance, Billboard Philippines recently sat down to talk with James Reid. We discussed how “Hurt Me Too” was created, how he came to better know himself and his emotions during this process, joining forces with Sony Music Entertainment, as well as his future plans both within and beyond music. 

Billboard Philippines: Congratulations on the release of “Hurt Me Too”!  You’ve stated that you wrote the single three years ago. What inspired the decision to finally release it now in 2024?

James Reid: I think it’s because it really stood out from everything else I was making at that time. So, I was in LA and that was one of the first songs I wrote when I went out to LA. All the other songs I made with all these different other producers, that’s what I put together and created my album lovescene:. That [album] was more R&B, pop, electronic, dance, funk. [“Hurt Me Too”] just didn’t really fit that kind of project. It was too emotional. It was very vulnerable and I don’t think I was ready to release a song like that, especially with all the other songs I was doing. It felt very special so I didn’t want to release it just yet.

Believe it or not, right now [“Hurt Me Too”] is a piano ballad, right? But originally, it was synth-pop. Kind of like The Weeknd-ish, retro synth-pop. Like, 80’s drums. It’s super far from what we ended up with. That’s because, not just for “Hurt Me Too” but for the whole EP that I’m planning on releasing this year with Sony [Music Entertainment], we’re going more stripped down, getting back to the core of who I am as an artist. Really just focusing on the songwriting, removing all the big, flashy videos and the huge LA production, and just working with local producers. Something that’s very organic. Something that’s very stripped down. Just focusing on the music. So, that’s how we ended up with this version.

I wanted to start with “Hurt Me Too” as a kind of palate cleanser. It had a lot of shock value coming from what we did last, “Jacuzzi”. So from that, it’s a huge contrast. Three years later, it’s finally out and I think it was the perfect time.

For “Hurt Me Too”, you joined forces with Timothy Run (Tim Marquez of One Click Straight) as your producer while Seth Regen was your co-lyricist. Take us behind the scenes on the creation of the new single. Describe what it was like working with them.

It was amazing working with Seth. That was one of my first sessions in LA. I was still really nervous ‘cause back then, it would take me like a few weeks, even a month, to write one song. But their process was very different. They’re finishing like at least one song a day. So, every session with each new producer, the goal was to finish at least one song. Sometimes, two. A session would last, like, 9 hours.

I’ve never made, like, a heartbreak, hugot song before. And then [Seth] said, “Well, then let’s make one.” So, we literally spent the first 3 hours just talking. It was kind of like a therapy session. He’s like, “That’s how it should be. When you’re writing songs, it should come from a place of real emotions, realizations, and things you’ve learned.” So, for the first 3 hours, we just talked. Talked about people who have come and gone in our lives, why they had left, and all these different things. That’s how we came up with “Hurt Me Too”.

The main sentiment I came up with was “I swear I gave you my best.” ‘Cause sometimes, you really give your all even though they may not see it. You try your best and it’s just not enough. Sometimes, it just happens like that. It’s just not enough. That relationship or that friendship, whatever it is, comes to an end. Sometimes, you make enemies out of it. Sometimes, it’s tough. But, the last line in the chorus was “I know it hurts ‘cause that sh*t hurt me too.” It’s just kind of like, “Oh, I empathize.” It’s like, “I know how you feel because I feel that too.”

There’s a lot of context with this song specifically. I drew a lot of inspiration from a lot of different things. But yeah, that was the core of the song. It didn’t originally sound like that, like I mentioned earlier. I had sat down with Tim, we were supposed to work on something new, actually. I let him hear one of my songs and it was “Hurt Me Too”. He was like, “Wow, this is written really well but, I feel like, if we change the arrangement, then we could really feel what you’re saying.” So, we tried that. He just started playing the piano and I was just singing the song on top of it. I was like, “Wow, this is hitting different.” That’s how we made the shift into what it is now.

Would you say that with their help, the song reached its intended potential?

It’s hard to say that that was the intended potential. But it definitely gave the song another purpose. That’s kind of how I see it.

In “Hurt Me Too”, you explore a variety of emotions that stem from heartbreak. In the process of creating this new single three years ago, you’ve also mentioned that Seth helped you draw upon emotions that even you had no idea that you were feeling at that time. During this whole process, what has been the most valuable lesson you’ve learned both as an artist and as a person?

I had this natural thing as a celebrity, being in the limelight, being in the spotlight, to hide myself, to hide my emotions. I’ve had to deal with a lot of pressure from people. A lot of pressure from fans. A lot of false rumors and a lot of stories being said. I would always just try to avoid it, show that I’m not affected, and just move on. But eventually, that got to me. I don’t think anyone can live like that for long. Because of that, I wanted to avoid writing songs like [“Hurt Me Too”]. From that session [with Seth], you had to write about what you were feeling otherwise it just feels fake. It also feels like you’re selling yourself short. 

I was feeling all those things and I never wanted to talk about it. But imagine if I never decided to talk to someone about it and then go through all those emotions and write this song. It would’ve never happened. 

I learned a lot from writing it. It helped me to learn to really analyze my emotions without fear and really find comfort in it or some understanding of myself, some learning from all that pain. It became great, turning this pain into something beautiful. I started doing that a lot more since that session. In this upcoming EP,  I actually have a lot – maybe 20 demos or more – but we’re only looking for 6 for this particular EP. There’s some pretty sad songs on there but you hear that there’s like an understanding or I’m coming from a place where I’ve learned from that. 

I don’t really like writing sad songs for the sake of it being sad and making someone feel bad. Because I don’t want to and I personally don’t listen to songs that just intentionally make me feel bad and like wallow in the pain. I like when there’s actually a meaning to it and it helps me get over it or resolve those feelings or heal that pain. So, that’s what I tried to do with these songs. 

For the new single’s music video, directed and edited by your friend Elena Virata, you went with a concept that you described as “simple but powerful” in order to bring home the message of the track. Heartbreak is often a very complicated and intricate reality to deal with, so, what inspired this more straightforward approach in visualizing it?

The approach was the same that I took with the music. So, the same way that we had “simplified” everything – removed all the flashiness and removed all the bells and whistles and just focused on the singing, the message, and the piano just supporting it – we wanted to do the same thing for the music video. It’s just me, the piano supporting what I’m feeling and really pushing the message. So, we wanted to keep it simple and straightforward but also capture the message of the song. So, we really focused on emotion, more than anything. 

We just really wanted to capture what I’m feeling when, if you watch the music video, when I’m behind closed doors. It starts with me coming out to, like, a press conference. Everyone’s asking me how I’m feeling. They kind of just go inside my head and then you see what’s inside my head, behind closed doors: I come home and this is what I truly feel. But I haven’t been able to show people that. And when it goes back to the press [conference], I just choose to smile. It’s easier to just smile and not tell anyone. I’d like to think that’s how I used to be.

With this song, with its music video, and with the upcoming EP, I hope to really show more of myself to my audience, to my fans. And I hope they get to know the real me through the music and through the videos.

Indeed, if you watch the video for “Hurt Me Too”, it’s like you telling everyone, “This is who I am.”

Yeah! Who I really am, what really goes on in my brain, what I actually feel. As I’d mentioned earlier, as a celebrity, I really have to put on a straight face even when I’m really pissed off or I’m really going through something. You know, when I get asked those questions straight to my face, it’s like, “That was really uncalled for” but I can’t show my real emotions because it would just attract more problems. That’s when I learned to numb myself. With music, I’ve really found a way to process those emotions and also express them.

As you’ve said, you’re no stranger to the spotlight and your music often digs deep into your personal experiences and emotions. What’s it like sharing that part of yourself with so many people? Does it scare or worry you when you release music as vulnerable as “Hurt Me Too”?

It’s terrifying. It’s just my experience but it can be scary for a lot of people to actually be seen. For people to actually see you for who you are. To actually know how you’re feeling. Being seen and being vulnerable can be a terrifying thing. Especially for a man, it can be a terrifying thing. Like I said, I learned to numb myself so I can be that kind of good-natured, happy person. Learning to numb myself really affected me in the long run.

Learning to be vulnerable and everything, yes, it was terrifying. It still is. I keep thinking, “Oh my God, this music video’s been out for like 4, 5 days now,” and like, “How many people are watching this and seeing this?” But it’s also like getting something off my chest. It feels good to be honest about your feelings.

“Hurt Me Too” is your first release under Sony Music Entertainment. How has it been working with them so far? Moving forward with this partnership, where do you see your music being taken?

It’s been a dream working with Sony! They’ve been very supportive of my vision from the very beginning – where I’ve wanted to take the music, the direction and everything. [The] whole EP will be released this year in collaboration with Sony and I really feel the difference with this project compared to my previous ones. So yeah, I’m very excited.

How would you describe that difference?

I’m used to either [others] doing everything and [I] really have no say in it and, it’s either that or I have to do everything on my own with a small team. There was no in-between so I think I finally found that right balance of being able to work with people that really believe in your vision and have the power to make a move and being able to balance that with having my own team that has a very strong vision for where we wanna take things and we align on that vision. It’s a great balance. I think I’m very lucky with Sony.

It’s been almost two years since you released your sophomore album lovescene:. With the release of “Hurt Me Too”, you’ve mentioned you’re already working on an EP as a follow-up. Aside from the upcoming EP, what else can we expect next from James Reid in the near future?

Besides from the EP, I’m still the chairman of Careless Music and we have really exciting other projects coming up from our other artists. Jolianne has a lot of great projects coming up. She’s got so much great music in the bank ready to go. We’ve also got Lesha who’s just released a song as well [and] August Wahh.

Apart from the music side, I’m also planning on producing and starring in a film. We’re in very early stages right now so there’s no script yet. We’re still working out the concept but I’m excited. I’ve always wanted to go back to acting at some point and this next film will be very close to my life. It’s not like a biopic or anything. It includes music, show business, the limelight, and everything like that. That’s all I can say for now. I’m pretty excited!

Listen to James Reid’s “Hurt Me Too” below: