James Bay: My girlfriend won’t let stardom go to my head

Support: James Bay says his family life keeps him grounded
PA Images on behalf of So TV
Alistair Foster22 February 2016
The Weekender

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James Bay has said that success will not go to his head because of the hard time he is given by his girlfriend and parents.

The singer, 25, who is up for four Brit Awards this week, was one of the breakthrough artists of 2015.

He played at last week’s Grammys and was arguably the British success story of the night after his duet with Tori Kelly led to an overnight increase in iTunes sales of 467 per cent, the highest of any artist nominated.

Bay has so far shielded his girlfriend Lucy from the public eye. The couple have been dating since they met in his home town of Hitchin, Hertfordshire, as teenagers.

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He said: “My parents and my girlfriend keep me grounded in every way you can imagine. They are the biggest support network and the biggest reminder of where I’ve come from.

"They put me down in all the sort of classic ways you can imagine. If ever I were to get to big for my boots, they are right there to say, ‘Hey mate, chill out.’

"And that’s everything you need from those kinds of people. I guess I’m not that kind of bloke, but it’s cool to have them as that kind of support.”

Bay is joined by Adele and Years & Years in having four nominations for Wednesday night’s ceremony. He is up for male solo artist, breakthrough act, single and MasterCard British album of the year.

Although he walked away empty-handed at the Grammys, where he had three nominations, he said Ed Sheeran — who won two — was the first person to console him.

He said: “I got to meet a load of people, see a lot of people, and perform. It was a dream come true moment.

"Ed Sheeran — lovely, lovely lad — I ran over to him to congratulate him, but before I could get a word out, he was patting me on the back.

"He was saying, ‘This is my fourth Grammys and I’ve brought my parents to every single one, and I’ve been nominated 10 times, so I’m over the moon to have won, so don’t sweat it.'

“There is the little disappointment, obviously, but he was like, ‘Don’t worry, you’ll be back’. I got to get my foot in the door and it was a lot of fun.”

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