Stranger Things star Jamie Bower has shared a brooding new track titled ‘I Am’, marking his fourth stand-alone single for 2022.
Released last Friday (August 12) after being announced the week prior, ‘I Am’ is a dark and twangy country-rock song, with its lyrics and accompanying music video making several references to death and religion. Bower first made mention of the song during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he also comedically recited the lyrics to Lizzo‘s ‘About Damn Time’ using the voice of his Stranger Things character, Vecna.
The video for ‘I Am’ was helmed by brothers Vicente and Fernando Cordero – who served as director and cinematographer, respectively – and sees Bower playing two roles. In a press statement, these characters are described as “a preacher at the pulpit, delivering an impassioned liturgy, and a wayward congregant who stumbles into the chapel”. Thematically, Bower said the clip represented “a haunting display of being confronted by your inner self”.
Take a look at the video for ‘I Am’ below:
Bower’s first song for the year, ‘Crow’, arrived back in April. The following month, he shared the double A-side ‘Run On’ (featuring King Sugar) and ‘Devil In Me’. Before launching his career as a solo artist, Bower was the frontman of London punk band Counterfeit.
Bower previously revealed that he listened to Placebo‘s cover of Kate Bush‘s ‘Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)’ to help him get out of character after playing Vecna. The original version of the song appeared prominently in the fourth series of Stranger Things, leading to a huge resurgence in popularity.
Prior to appearing in Stranger Things, Bower spoke to NME about how he’s enjoyed the freedom of being a solo musician. “I feel creatively in the best space that I’ve been in for a long time, if ever,” he said at the time. “I want to be cautious here because I don’t want to be like, ‘Oh, well, I’m the lone wolf and I don’t need anyone’, but there is certainly something to be said for just going with your gut and going with intuition.”
Bower also recently opened up about his experience with addiction, celebrating seven-and-a-half years of sobriety last month.