Mt. Juliet Resident, James Dupré, Releases ‘Another Love Song’
James Dupré, a former EMT-Paramedic from Bayou Chicot, Louisiana was recently named one of “10 Country Artists You Need to Know,” by Rolling Stone Magazine. Today he is edging toward 11 million views on YouTube which is what really unlocked the rest of his life’s biggest changes, in a chain reaction.
“I started putting YouTube videos up in 2007. Just cover videos and stuff,” James explained. By early 2010 he had developed a large following. One day he got an email from a producer inviting him to play on The Ellen Show. It said “Ellen loves your videos,” which he really thought was spam, but he called the number anyway. They had an opening for the next week and flew him out. He spent that evening mingling with Miley Cyrus and John Corbett. “That was such a great experience, and my hometown, just the support that I got after that was amazing.”
Riding that wave of support and the continued growth of his fan base, James moved to the Nashville area shortly after Ellen and currently resides in Mount Juliet.
A few years later, in 2013, he received another email inviting him to another mysterious experience. A script writer in Dallas had recently secured Randy Travis to play the lead character in her film. She asked him if he would be interested in playing as his son?
James was not an actor. He asked her where she had gotten the idea, but she said that he seemed so comfortable in front of the camera on his YouTube series. Dupre’ wasn’t one to argue with that. He jumped on board and had an “out of body experience.” Randy Travis took him under his wing and became his mentor, showing him pointers on set. Due to Randy’s stroke and recovery needs, the film, “The Price”, didn’t premiere in Dallas until 2015.
That was the same year James got the highly coveted 4-chair turn, earning a spot with Adam Levine’s team on NBC’s The Voice. He says living for the better part of a year in LA with the most talented people he had ever met was a great experience, but the highlight was when John Fogerty was Adam Levine’s guest coach. “For me that was like ‘yeah okay’ [insert joyful nostalgic giggle here] That made it for me.”
In 2018, James married his long-time love, Kelsie Menard, in a Louisiana ceremony. His friend and mentor Randy Travis and his wife, Mary, were in attendance. James and Kelsie recently announced they are expecting their first child together.
His new single, “Another Love Song,” co-written by Dupré along with Justen Harden and John Griffin, showcases his rich, traditional style while also showing some grit as he sings of a relationship gone wrong and how from his point of view, “the world don’t need another love song” because “too many loves songs don’t come true.”
Except James’ has.
For more information on James Dupré and his upcoming tour dates, visit www.jamesdupre.com and follow him on social media.
Especially YouTube.
There’s magic on that channel.
written by Livi West