Chris James wanted to become a star even as a teenager but he never expected it to happen so quickly. Born in California, Christopher James Brenner has a German mother and an American father. The family moves to Hilden, a small town in North Rhine-Westphalia, when he is still at nursery school age. He grows up in a very down-to-earth environment there: his mother works as an inspector in the import/export business and his father is an English teacher.
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Chris James wanted to become a star even as a teenager but he never expected it to happen so quickly. Born in California, Christopher James Brenner has a German mother and an American father. The family moves to Hilden, a small town in North Rhine-Westphalia, when he is still at nursery school age. He grows up in a very down-to-earth environment there: his mother works as an inspector in the import/export business and his father is an English teacher. At the age of 15, Chris learns to play the guitar and composes his first songs in his bedroom. It is a time when his classmates are forming bands, so Chris decides to become a musician. Going by the name Chris Brenner, he covers songs by artists such as Ed Sheeran and Coldplay. Over the course of two years, he uploads a video to YouTube each week and gradually acquires a fanbase. After leaving school, Chris moves from his home town to nearby Dusseldorf and spends one semester studying computer science. But he much prefers to go busking and performs at birthday parties, weddings and small concerts. In 2018, he launches his first album “Mellow!” under his stage name. Though he now writes his own songs, he only came up with his own original sound when he moved to Berlin in 2020, explains the artist: bedroom indie pop. Laid-back “hangover music” He says that his role models are the American singer-songwriter John Mayer and UK indie rock band The 1975. He listens to them a lot at the moment, “though that changes every couple of days”. Chris James’ songs are airy and light, perfect for relaxing. Chinese fans write to him that his music helps them unwind when they are stressed about school. Chris himself describes his songs as “laid-back Sunday morning hangover music to enjoy with a coffee”. This is the vibe he wants to keep alive on his third album, though “the new songs will have a bit more oomph”. One reason why Chris James is better known in Asia than in Germany is that he co-wrote one very successful track for the Korean boy band BTS. Following its release in November 2020, “Life goes on” went straight to number one on the American Billboard charts and was viewed over 423 million times on YouTube. The last concert the artist played was in Berlin in December 2019. Although he has been successful to date, particularly on social media, he says with some regret: “These days I only make music online. I miss the feedback that you get in real life.” He brings out a new song every month, and his latest single “The Cool Kid” is also Chris James’ first advertising collaboration. A German car manufacturer is using it to promote a new model. His third album is to be launched in the summer, and for the autumn the musician is planning a tour of Germany.
