Fresh from his nomination at this weekend’s MTV VMAs, JC Stewart now shares his brand new single ‘Don’t Say You Love Me’. It’s the first song to preview his eagerly anticipated second EP, which follows this autumn, and builds up a career total of 200 million streams.

‘Don’t Say You Love Me’ is already established as a firm fan favourite after being the opening song in JC’s live show for several years – and one listen reveals precisely why he always chose to introduce himself to new audiences with the song. It brings everything that makes him an undeniable rising star into one three-minute pop package. It simmers with drama, as it escalates from introspective singer-songwriter verses before erupting into an immediately memorable hook. 

Meanwhile, the Professional Sadboy’s talent for delivering vulnerable stories of lost love into songs of huge appeal reaches new heights. It’s a simple message about something that almost everyone goes through: if we have to split up, let’s at least limit the pain we’ll put ourselves through by making it a clean break.

JC says, “‘Don’t Say You Love Me is a song I wrote over three years ago. I opened the live set with it for years and it always made me feel alive as soon as the first beat kicked in. I wrote it about needing to leave someone and having to stand up for yourself and have the courage to walk away from something when it would probably be easier to stay.

This song has been something I have been planning to get out to the world for a long, long time and I am so glad that that time has finally come.”

JC Stewart wrote ‘Don’t Say You Love Me’ with Sam Merrifield (Mimi Webb) and the song’s producer Nathaniel ‘Detonate’ Ledwidge. It was subsequently completed with mixing from the Grammy-nominated Matty Green (Dua Lipa, Dermot Kennedy).

The emotions behind ‘Don’t Say You Love Me’ fuel JC’s impassioned and heart-felt performance in the accompanying video, which was directed by Nathan Barlow.  But its overall atmosphere is one that instead builds excitement for his live show to a fever pitch. JC begins the song alone before his band are revealed, as the climate around them builds into a tumultuous storm. It ends with him crowd-surfing above an audience of real fans before he drops to the ground – the storm has passed and a new ray of optimism shines through.

After recently playing Latitude, JC Stewart has just finished a tour as special guest to The Vamps. JC’s next run of headline shows will be revealed soon.

JC Stewart started 2021 on a high when he was named as MTV’s first global Push artist of the year. The single ‘Break My Heart’ then continued to fire his momentum skywards. Co-written with Niall Horan and broadening his already engaging pop appeal, it reached a remarkable 37 New Music Friday playlists, a total that matched Taylor Swift’s single from the same week. His most recent single, ‘Loud’, again reiterated his phenomenal ascension with fresh Radio 1 support from Mollie King, Scott Mills and Chris Stark. He also making waves internationally, resulting in his first Gold disc in the Netherlands.

Emerging from Northern Ireland, JC Stewart possesses all the traits needed to become a globally recognised artist. His music is powered by a voice as real and powerful as the heartfelt emotions he explores. Yet while his talent is remarkable, his personality is relatable. His sharp wit and inclusive nature are immensely popular at social media, a following which exploded after Jennifer Aniston shared his quarantine-themed twist on the ‘Friends’ theme last year.

That growing following includes some famous fans too. Last year saw him release his big collab, teaming up with 220 Kid for ‘Too Many Nights’, while his debut EP ‘When The Light Hits The Room’ was co-written with the BRIT / Ivor Novello winner Tom Odell. His first major collaborator came when he co-wrote ‘Hollywood’, a song which later featured on Lewis Capaldi’s huge debut album. 

Follow JC Stewart:

Official site

Spotify

Author: Andrew Braithwaite

Andrew is the founder and Managing Director of Music Talkers. He's also a keen music enthusiast and plays the guitar.