'Just Breathe' helped St. Pete songwriter Kristopher James deal with lifelong anxiety and depression

He brings the tune to a Friday set supporting Laura Reed.

click to enlarge Kristopher James, who plays Palladium Theater in St. Petersburg, Florida on Aug. 9, 2024. - Photo by Kayla Erny
Photo by Kayla Erny
Kristopher James, who plays Palladium Theater in St. Petersburg, Florida on Aug. 9, 2024.
On a new single, “Just Breathe,” soulful Bay area songwriter Kristopher James juxtaposes the weight of his anxiety and depression with a feel-good arrangement colored with horns and a toe-tapping rhythm.

James told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that while those difficult conditions have been his constant companions since he was a kid, it wasn’t until adulthood when they started to manifest themselves in more physical and visceral ways.

“It got to the point of not being able to leave the house, shaking/hiding and most notably not being able to catch my breath,” he added. “While life wasn’t conducive for traditional therapy, I knew it was deeper than I could do on my own and tried to understand what was happening and why, through friends, family, and as many responsible resources as I could read/listen to.”

So the words “just breathe” became a mantra for him whenever he was having an episode. While the song started as a somber waltz, it was brought to life in a more vibrant manner during the pandemic.

“The song needed something happier, something with more energy, something that looked at my anxiety and depression and said ‘smile,’” he added.

Tickets to see Kristopher James open for, and then back,Nashville’s “tiny giant” Laura Reed at Palladium Theater's Side Door Cabaret in St. Petersburg on Friday, Aug. 9 are still available and start at $25.
Readers are invited to submit their own events to Creative Loafing Tampa Bay’s things to do calendar.

Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.

Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

WE LOVE OUR READERS!

Since 1988, CL Tampa Bay has served as the free, independent voice of Tampa Bay, and we want to keep it that way.

Becoming a CL Tampa Bay Supporter for as little as $5 a month allows us to continue offering readers access to our coverage of local news, food, nightlife, events, and culture with no paywalls.

Join today because you love us, too.

Ray Roa

Read his 2016 intro letter and disclosures from 2022 and 2021. Ray Roa started freelancing for Creative Loafing Tampa in January 2011 and was hired as music editor in August 2016. He became Editor-In-Chief in August 2019. Past work can be seen at Suburban Apologist, Tampa Bay Times, Consequence of Sound and The...
Scroll to read more Show Previews articles

Join Creative Loafing Tampa Bay Newsletters

Subscribe now to get the latest news delivered right to your inbox.