NATIVE JAMES on “FALLEN,” Fusion, and Facing the Apocalypse With Sound

CREDIT: CAMERON DICKSON

Grime meets metal. Rage meets reflection. Native James is entering a new era — and FALLEN is the battle cry.

With a voice that commands and a riff that doesn’t let go, FALLEN marks the explosive return of one of the UK’s most compelling genre-benders. Building on the momentum of last year’s Rebirth EP, Native pulls no punches as he confronts personal duality, societal chaos, and the mysticism that binds them all. “FALLEN is about all of us that have fallen far from grace,” he explains. “It’s the first segment of a new era.”

Off the back of a whirlwind run of live shows — including Sniester in Amsterdam, MEFF-FEST 2, a full UK tour with Hyphen, and an upcoming double appearance at Glastonbury — Native is making serious noise. With support slots for letlive.’s farewell shows this summer and a festival calendar stacked with dates, this next chapter is already unfolding loud, fast, and unfiltered.

We caught up with Native James to talk emotional chaos, crowd energy, the grime-metal fusion that comes naturally, and why FALLEN is just the beginning.

Q: "FALLEN" marks the beginning of a new chapter for you. What sparked this shift, and how does it build on or break away from the Rebirth EP?

After Rebirth, I wanted to delve deeper into the fusion we had in that EP — exploring more sounds and giving people something they can sing along to. It was really the performances that made me want to amp things up x1000.

Q: You mention exploring “the duality of yourself” and the “manic behaviours of the world” — how do those themes play out sonically and lyrically in FALLEN?

It feels very dystopian in the world right now — so much so that we can’t ignore it. I wanted to start off by saying “the apocalypse is here” as a pre-warning, haha. There’s light and dark in everything, but it feels apocalyptic to me. FALLEN represents the fall of an old age and the rise of a new one.

Q: You’ve just come off a run of shows at Sniester and MEFF-FEST, with Glastonbury and the letlive. farewell gigs coming up. How has this stretch of live shows shaped your energy going into this new era?

It’s been insane. We’ve played around 22 shows now and it feels like we’re finally finding our sound live-wise. My energy levels keep going up (over 9000), and the crowd participation... people are so involved now!

Q: There’s a real fusion of grime and metal in your sound — was that always intentional, or did it emerge naturally as you evolved?

This merged naturally. It’s weird — everything has slotted into place as I’ve trusted the universe. I’m literally taking it step by step at the moment.

Q: You talk about mysticism and emotional impulses in the world today. What role do you think artists like yourself play in helping people process that chaos?

I believe mystic and emotional impulses go hand-in-hand in music. We feed off the vibrations of certain songs — they can elevate or deflate, make us angry or sad. I think it’s about outlining what you’re wanting to portray, and the people who feel the same will come. Once that starts to build, it feels a lot clearer when you’re around people who have similar emotional bouts and mystic inquiries. Let me know if you'd like to add a headline, pull quote, or short artist bio to go with it!