How Sneaking into Hotels Helped Brendan James Find Career in Music

(andPOP) - Not too long ago, Brendan James was a struggling artist in New York. He was without a record deal. He had no piano.

"I thought, 'Hey, hotel ballrooms have pianos!,'" he said.

So after his night shift at Urban Outfitters, James would sneak into hotels like The Plaza, dress like one of the guests and play the piano in the dark for usually three to four hours before getting the boot.

"I would say I got kicked out half of the time," he said during an interview with andPOP last week.

The fruit of James's hotel incognito is an EP appropriately entitled "The Ballroom Break-In." His latest album, "The Day is Brave," features 11 tracks and drops on Tuesday (June 3).

The content ranges from personal songs like "The Other Side," which talks about James's childhood in Derry, New Hampshire, to "Hero's Song," a track from the perspective of an American soldier in Iraq.

"["Hero's Song"] feels the best," he said. "It's amazing to have that song in my body of work."

He alludes the wide array of topics in his album to musical influences such as Simon and Garfunkel and Bob Dylan. "I was listening to their phrasing, their content," he said. "They didn't always write about love songs." His lyrical inspiration, on the other hand, comes from everywhere and at any point in time from "a well inside" of him. It is then surprising to know that the 28-year-old singer didn't start writing songs until his second year at the University of North Carolina.

"I didn't really know what was inside of me," he said.

James majored in classical music at UNC but switched to the communications program after a year. His lack of interest in a musical education, however, didn't stop him from pursuing a career in the industry. He taught himself to play the piano, started to write songs and moved to New York.

"It was a little scary, but I think I was born to live in New York City," he said.

In his first Big Apple apartment, James was the lone man amongst his roommates. "I lived with four girls in a five-bedroom apartment," he said. "One word that comes to mind is drama." But James is quick to confess that living with four New York natives was a great way to learn about the city.

In his pursuit, James went through "a trial and error at some point" to find the best people to work with. "It's not just about meeting producers; it also takes time to meet the right ones." And James met some of the finest. Mikal Blue, the producer for "The Day is Brave," has worked with Colbie Caillat and One Republic. James's manager also gave his demo tape to Carly Simon. Simon was impressed with his sound and asked James to perform a duet for the Nobel Peace Prize ceremonies in 2003. James said, "It was one of the most amazing things that ever happened in my life."

But it's just the beginning for this up and coming artist. After all, he was recently featured on Perez Hilton's blog. His future goals involve nothing but "music, music, music." It may have taken him a while to get here, but it seems this former undercover hotel ballroom pianist doesn't intend to leave anytime soon.