When Richmond recording artist Cole James releases his latest song, his best friend’s late brother will be very much top of mind.
James is hoping his latest track will support Kory Nagata’s family charity in the same way they supported him in his music career.
James, a Steveston-London alumnus, is fundraising for the Kory Nagata Memorial Fund, which supports underprivileged youth athletes in B.C.
Nagata recently lost his life on the Fraser River after trying to retrieve a football that had fallen into the water near the Pacific Gateway Hotel.
James, who has always been close to Nagata’s brother, Henry Lin, wanted to help, especially during the difficult time of COVID-19.
He told the Richmond News that for every pre-save of his new song “You’re Mine,” $1 will be donated to the fund.
“Henry and Kory have both been super supportive of my music since the beginning, said James.
“I thought it would be a good opportunity to relate something that I’m working at and raise funds for something (the Nagata) family is doing.”
Music, said James, was something he was always good at, but was too shy and scared to express himself through.
“Growing up I was super focused on sports, but I would still do music stuff at home … but I wasn’t a fan of sharing anything about it,” said James.
“It wasn’t until in my early 20s that I wanted to put myself out there because I knew I would regret it if I didn’t.”
While James is using his new song as a way to help raise money to help underprivileged youths, he hopes the song can bring some positivity to those in the community during COVID-19.
“It’s not the best time of year for everyone because of COVID and it’s just nice to have something light-hearted to raise awareness for something negative and to turn that into something positive like donating money.”
James’ new song will be released on Aug. 18 on all streaming platforms including YouTube, Soundcloud, Spotify and Apple Music.
