After years of chasing what&rsquo;s next, James Reid&rsquo;s newest single, &lsquo;Blessed&rsquo;, captures what it means to just be grateful, grounded, and surrounded by the right people.

James Reid doesn&rsquo;t overcomplicate things. When he talks about his latest single, Blessed, he traces it back to one simple thought. &ldquo;I feel blessed,&rdquo; he says, almost laughing at how naturally it came to him during a songwriting camp earlier this year. What started as a passing line turned into a song that captures a kind of gratitude most of us can relate to.
Speaking with L&rsquo;Officiel Philippines, the singer opens up about finding peace in the present, reconnecting with his fans through language, and how Blessed marks a new chapter in both his sound and his state of mind.

When Reid first sat down with his guitar in February, there was no grand plan. Just chords, a melody, and a feeling he couldn&rsquo;t shake. The words &ldquo;I feel blessed&rdquo; came out almost instinctively, and he built everything else around that. &ldquo;I just started thinking about what I feel blessed for and who I feel blessed to have in my life,&rdquo; he says. The result is a song that feels deeply personal but effortlessly universal that&rsquo;s neither loud nor overly sentimental.
He credits much of the sound to his collaborator Luke April of Player Two, whose influence helped shape the smooth, easy rhythm that runs through Blessed. He also points to American artist Dijon as a major source of inspiration. 
But what makes Blessed stand out most is its use of both English and Tagalog, a deliberate choice that came from wanting to connect more deeply with his listeners. &ldquo;There are just some lines that sound and feel better in Tagalog,&rdquo; he explains. &ldquo;I really wanted to include more Tagalog in my songs because I want to connect with my fans more.&rdquo; For this, he turned to singer-songwriter Jason Marvin, with whom he had also worked on Pahinga. The Tagalog lines, says Reid, came from the heart. &ldquo;Sometimes the feeling just fits better that way.&rdquo;

At its core, Blessed is a love song. &ldquo;The song really is about my girlfriend,&rdquo; he shares, smiling as he glances her way during the interview. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s me trying to grasp and find the words to describe how she makes me feel. I always fail, honestly,&rdquo; he adds, laughing. &ldquo;The words never exactly add up to how much I feel, but I try. And that&rsquo;s the fun part about making music.&rdquo;

Coming off a year that felt like shedding old layers, he describes 2024 as a turning point. &ldquo;Last year, I got rid of a lot of toxic people,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;Now I just really appreciate being around good people, people I can trust, people who give me good energy.&rdquo; That shift in energy is what Blessed represents: a simple gratitude for where he is, who he&rsquo;s with, and what&rsquo;s next.
As for what comes after, the singer says there&rsquo;s plenty more on the way. He has written around 20 songs this year alone and plans to release his next single in November, followed by more music next year. &ldquo;Blessed just felt like the right place to start,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s the beginning of a new sound for me. I wanted people to hear it first because it sets the tone for what&rsquo;s to come.&rdquo;

James Reid Talks ‘Blessed,’ Gratitude, and a New Chapter in His Music

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