"Scars" is a song by English singer-songwriter

James Bay James Bay (french: Baie James; cr, ᐐᓂᐯᒄ, Wînipekw, dirty water) is a large body of water located on the southern end of Hudson Bay in Canada. Both bodies of water extend from the Arctic Ocean, of which James Bay is the southernmost par ...

from his debut studio album ''

Chaos and the Calm ''Chaos and the Calm'' is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriter James Bay. It was first released on 15 December 2014 via Republic Records. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rock Album, while the song " Hold Back ...

'' (2014). It was released exclusively to digital retailers on 8 January 2015 by

Republic Records Republic Records is a New York City–based American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). It was founded by Avery Lipman and Monte Lipman as an independent label in 1995, and was acquired by UMG in 2000. Republic was initially an ...

. The song is to be released in September as the third single from Bay's debut studio album ''

'' (2014). An audio video supporting the song was also uploaded on January 8, 2014 on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

. The song was written by Bay himself and produced by

Jacquire King Jacquire King (born January 11, 1967) is an American record producer, recording engineer and mixer. King has worked with such notable artists as Kings of Leon, Tom Waits, James Bay, Kaleo, Modest Mouse, Shania Twain, Buddy Guy, Norah Jones, ...

Background and release

The song was released on 8 January 2015. Prior to this, it was also immediately available buy pre-ordering his debut studio album ''Chaos and the Calm'', which was released on December 15, 2014.

Critical reception

The song earned early acclaim from Aimee Curran of Baeble Music, whom praised Bay's "soulful, indie sound" and that "there's no reason why you wouldn't want it in your permanent music catalog." On 13 January 2015,

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

listed the song at number 4 on the Top 10 Most Viral Tracks in the UK.

Music video

The music video was released on 28 August 2015 and directed by Benno Nelson and Nils d'Aulaire.

Live performances

Bay has performed the song at the Bing Lounge on 4 June 2014, at the Beacons Festival on 21 August 2014 and recently at

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

's Future Festival in January 2015.

Track listing

*Digital download #"Scars" – 4:32

Charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{James Bay 2015 singles 2014 songs Folk ballads Republic Records singles Rock ballads Universal Music Group singles Songs written by James Bay (singer) Song recordings produced by Jacquire King James Bay (singer) songs