🌊 A Canadian bay 🎸 A British musician

James Bay

1 4.5

A British singer and songwriter known for soulful guitar-led pop songs

proper noun

: James Bay

Critics praised James Bay for his soulful voice and thoughtful songwriting on the single.

Examples

Fans crowded the venue to see James Bay perform songs from his debut record.
Have you listened to James Bay's new album?
The British singer James Bay released a new album last year.
James Bay performed at the festival last summer.
The British singer James Bay released a new album last year.
Fans crowded the venue to see James Bay perform songs from his debut record.
Critics praised James Bay for his soulful voice and thoughtful songwriting on the single.

Surface Forms

James Bay main

Morphology

James + Bay

This is a proper name: knowing the words 'James' (a personal name) and 'bay' (a geographic feature) does not allow a learner to infer that the phrase refers to a British singer-songwriter. Named entities are arbitrary and can refer to people, places, or brands in unpredictable ways (e.g., James Bay is also a geographic location), so the meaning is not derivable from the constituents.

Etymology

James Bay is the stage name of a British singer-songwriter. The name is simply a personal name—James (first name) and Bay (last or stage name)—so when you hear James Bay in music, think of a person singing rather than the Canadian bay.