James was born and raised in London. He studied Performing Arts and Music at Middlesex University, majoring in orchestration and composition, and then went onto the Graduate Acting and Musical Theatre program at The Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts. He has played keyboards on two large UK national tours and musically directed well over forty musicals. Before moving to the US, James headed the musical theatre course at a large college in London and has also been musical Supervisor for a large part time theatre program. James is currently the head of the music department and on the casting committee at Stagedoor Manor. When not working at Applause, James is the vocal coach and audition technique specialist at The Yale School of Drama.