Ryland James views his latest music video as the “celebratory conclusion” of a deeply personal, multiyear odyssey.
Released last month, “3 Purple Hearts” documents an 18-hour road trip that James took with his boyfriend, Ryan, earlier this year as they prepared to move in together. The colorful clip, viewable above, shows the two men enjoying each other’s company as they hike through forests and observe a waterfront sunset.
The song’s title, James said in an email, is taken from a series of emojis Ryan left on one of his Instagram posts just before the start of their relationship.
“I noticed it and somehow immediately knew he was someone special,” the 22-year-old pop musician explained, adding that the video itself is about “having fun being in love and finally being free to share it with the world.”
James rose to prominence in his native Canada in 2014 when he landed a spot on “The Next Star,” an “American Idol”-like musical competition series featuring contestants who are 15 years old or younger.
His artistic profile has grown considerably since then. In 2019, he dropped his breakout single, “Good to You,” and opened for Alessia Cara on her Pains of Growing Tour across both the U.S. and Canada. His self-titled debut EP was released last year, followed by “A Little Christmas,” a five-track collection of holiday songs. Music critics favorably compared his vocal stylings to Adele and Sam Smith.
In spite of those successes, James said he lived in constant fear over how his fans and loved ones would react if he lived openly as his true self. By February, however, he “couldn’t hold it in anymore” and came out publicly in a note posted to Twitter.
“I’m queer,” James wrote. “That’s it. I won’t label myself beyond that as I’ve always been attracted to many different people of different genders throughout my life and feel like no label truly embodies my sexuality fully. I’m just me.”
“Love has no borders or limitations,” he continued, after noting he had researched “conversion therapy” videos in an attempt to suppress his desires at first. “It’s eternal. It’s all encompassing. And it should always be given easily and unconditionally because every human being is connected as one at the end of the day.”
Nearly six months later, James has no regrets. The response to his coming out, he said, was “overwhelmingly positive” and encouraged him to mark “the beginning of a new era in my life” with “3 Purple Hearts.”
“Everything worked out beautifully, and this video is a reflection of that,” he said. “[It’s] the most important video I’ve ever made, not only for myself as an artist but for myself as a person.”