Everyone has experienced having an earworm that they can’t get out of their heads. When it comes to this, James Luctamar knows what is needed to get people hooked to a tune. Profoundly creative and innately musical, James is an artist in the most real sense. A pianist best known for his catchy renditions to some of the greatest hits, the highly charismatic musician has turned into an internet sensation.
In 2017, James went viral after posting a piano cover of a mashup combining the hits “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi (featuring Daddy Yankee) and “Wild Thoughts” by DJ Khaled (featuring Rihanna and Bryson Tiller). The cover video took off on Twitter and ended up getting over 4 million collective views over time.
Today James videos have received over 10 million impressions and engagements. His most popular cover has received over 134,000 likes and 72,400 retweets on Twitter. James’s musical style married the classical stylings of the piano with the modern sounds of hip-hop, dancehall, reggae, and gospel tracks that newer generations listen to today. James admits that he has fallen in love with all musical genres and enjoys playing a wide variety of hits from different eras and industries. His approach to recreating songs on the piano is unique and innovative. He can take the most tender and romantic love song and adds a funk to it that makes the melody danceable, and vice versa.
A native of Westchester, New York, James started playing the piano when he was 11 years old. At a young age, his talent was evident. More than his musicality and rhythm, he could also dissect songs and notes entirely by ear. That way, he picked up on a lot of great hits and was able to replay it merely by listening masterfully.
Later on, James developed a sound of his own and decided to put his personality into hits and classics. He found a knack for using Twitter and decided that would be the social platform where he would start. It didn’t take long for the artist to go viral, having Twitter followers falling in love with his approach to music and having them clamor for more.
As a real musician by heart, James hopes that his music will inspire not just the general audience but also musicians as well. He hopes that his passion for music would be contagious and that he would be able to inspire more and more musicians to grow in their craft. Because he mostly works on covers, he finds ways to appeal to more technical audiences who follow the pianist for his skills as well.
So what does the future hold for James? The artist hopes that the sky will be his limit. While the piano is his first true love, James feels drawn to other instruments as well. He has a passion for drums and looks to master the magic of playing it as well. In all that, he remains steadfast in sticking to his strengths. The artist plans to continue blending dynamic styles and create musical masterpieces that will directly speak to his audiences.
With James’s unmistakable gift, it’s not unlikely that Twitter and the whole digital world will be hearing more from the artist in the foreseeable future.
To follow James Luctamar and his music, check out his Instagram and Twitter.
