James Michael Bay born 4 September 1990 is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist. In 2014, he released his single "Hold Back the River", which has been certified platinum, before releasing his debut album Chaos and the Calm (2015). The album went to number one in the UK and number 15 in the US. In February 2015, Bay received the Brit Awards "Critics'.

Bay was brought up in Hitchin, Hertfordshire and attended Hitchin Boys' School. Aged 11, Bay was inspired to play classical guitar after hearing Eric Clapton's "Layla". And he used a guitar he found in the cupboard in his house. When he moved to study in Brighton seven years later he gained a greater education from playing the city's open mic nights, on which he said, "That taught me a lot about writing and performing on my own and trying to hold my own".

Bay caught the attention of a Republic Records A&R after a fan uploaded a video to YouTube of him performing at an open mic in London, and within a week he was signed to the label. His first EP, The Dark of the Morning, was released in 2013. Within a year he was selling out his first UK headline tour.