It doesn’t take much to make James Hersey smile, just sing his songs back at him. This was the case on his last headlining tour.

“When people sing along with me, I love that,” Hersey said. “My last headlining tour in Germany was insane, they knew every word!”

With the massive success of his incredibly catchy track ‘Coming Over’, knowing the lyrics by heart is pretty easy job for fans. He credits the track, released last year, as his biggest success, right after making enough money from music to survive that is.

“I’m so proud of that track, and it’s definitely opened a lot of doors for me,” Hersey said. Modestly the singer explains, “So far it hasn’t changed too much in my life. I really didn’t expect it to turn my world around either, I’m just happy it’s out there making people happy.”

With the massive success of his incredibly catchy track ‘Coming Over’, knowing the lyrics by heart is pretty easy job for fans. He credits the track, released last year, as his biggest success, right after making enough money from music to survive that is.

“I’m so proud of that track, and it’s definitely opened a lot of doors for me,” Hersey said. Modestly the singer explains, “So far it hasn’t changed too much in my life. I really didn’t expect it to turn my world around either, I’m just happy it’s out there making people happy.”

‘Coming Over’ quickly spread among music lovers around the world and has been remixed by some big name DJ’s including filous and Kygo. There is also a lesser-known acoustic version with Zadri which is just as catchy as the rest. His music is uplifting and danceable, with a soulful voice and bubbly personality. The American singer-songwriter living in Austria is paving his name around the world with his music that ranges somewhere between electro-pop and alternative-folk sprinkled with indie. In the midst of his success, he’s gearing up for the release of his 2015 album ‘Clarity’.

“I want to finally have a worldwide release with fresh music, keep writing and collaborating with the right people, and go on a couple sweet tours,” Hersey said. His own album won’t be the only place to hear Hersey’s music as the artist is known for his remixed tracks. His song ‘How Hard I Try’ remixed by filous racked up a quick half a million plays last year and will be featured on ‘Dawn’ the new EP by filous.

“Working with filous was nice, he’s so smart and quick,” he said. “but Kygo is probably my favorite. We’re both so easygoing and open-minded. It’s like jamming with an old friend.”

The 26-year-old has come a long way. Beginning with cello lessons at a young age, he later conquered drums and eventually guitar. Personally inserting himself into each track by writing his own melodies and lyrics is what gives his music an edge. You can feel his raw emotion with every word and each beat which feels neither faked or forced.

“It’s so important, and can be extremely difficult, to capture the right mood and vibe when you’re recording,” he said. “I’m very personal and honest in my writing, and just in general in my life. I think people find it refreshing, and I think it encourages them to do the same.”

Yet, even with taking the tracks so personal and working mostly on his own, the artist is obviously open to collaborations which are almost becoming his signature. He explains his fearlessness toward music with trust.

“I’m pretty good at reading people in person and I believe you can also feel a musicians vibe through their songs. The kind of sounds, flow and lyrics they use tells a lot about how they are as a person,” Hersey said. “Fear plays such a minor part in my life, I would never accept a project that I’m truly afraid of or intimidated by.”