07/07/2025
âI almost deleted the track that just got me signed to my dream label.â - James iD
Let us tell you the real story behind James iDâs âGo Backâ feat. Keirah Kirton on SHĂN Recordings.
It starts in Aberdeen, 2021. James is supporting Franky Wah at a show and manages to get his email. From that moment, he started sending demos every few months, hoping one would stick.
Around the same time, heâs working with Keirah Kirton - theyâre both from the same city, and James had heard her incredible voice on Ronnie Pacittiâs tracks.
They sat down and wrote about that weird space after a breakup, when you miss someone but know youâre better off apart.
But the early version wasnât working. The instrumental wasnât doing Keirahâs vocals justice, so James shelved it.
Then industry politics hit. Label complications that really messed up Jamesâs drive for music. He stepped away from releasing for a long time. âGo Backâ sat forgotten on his hard drive.
Fast forward to 2025. James rediscovers Keirahâs vocals and has a vision for something completely different. He calls her back to the studio: âWe need to start fresh.â
New key, new energy, new everything. She re-sang the entire vocal, and it was exactly what they both hoped for.
Meanwhile, James is still sending Franky demos after three years. Then he sends âGo Back.â
Frankyâs response? âIâm all over this bro, love it.â
No hesitation. He wanted to sign it immediately, saying heâs glad he waited for this one.
Six weeks later, it was scheduled for SHĂN Recordings.
This track is almost four years in the making. Multiple versions, moments where James almost gave up completely. But sometimes the best songs arenât rushed - theyâre reborn.
âGo Backâ is about that space between missing someone and knowing youâre better apart.
But maybe itâs also about the space between giving up and breakthrough.
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