If you’re going to tackle issues that echo through generations, you’d better have a sound and story that do the same – and Valley James is just such an artist. After pawning her wedding ring for a guitar at the tender age of twenty-three, the singer-songwriter has spent the last seven years in Nashville crafting a uniquely dark, ethereal sound, aiming to inspire through the simple, transformative act of being brave enough to take her shot. Veiled in the mystique of her Western roots, and wielding the crystalline vocal of a modern Patsy Cline, a lifetime of soul searching has now led to the cinematic debut album Star (set to release 2025) – her soundtrack of hope and redemption. A native of the “beautiful high-desert” town Star, Idaho, James’ interest in both music and its connection to the human soul began early. Surrounded by thousands of square miles of open space, she was a rodeo kid just trying to find herself. James herself grew up with Patsy Cline’s Gold on repeat, feeling called to explore the wild edges of her home and circumstance. In some ways, music pursued her. Living out the lines to a classic country song, James learned to play and sing with authentic authority, pouring her past into raw-but-revealing early compositions. A short time in Los Angeles led to a chance meeting with Beach Boys member Bruce Johnston, and after he encouraged the young talent to try Nashville, her songwriting education began. Indie-rock star Blake Sennet (Rilo Kiley, The Elected), artist Jillian Jacqueline and other friends helped James find her voice amid the uncertainty of the pandemic – fertile ground to explore the themes of trauma and tenacity. With themes that range from transgenerational trauma to the ultimate discovery of who you are, James’ music is a testament to her belief in hope and redemption. Pulling inspiration from Ennio Morricone, Gillian Welch, Chris Isaak and beyond, Valley James music is an orchestral Americana soundscape with plenty of atmosphere to evoke the wind-blown aura of her high-desert home – and the presence of something larger than ourselves.