Premiere: James Bay Performs A Stirring Live Version Of "Scars"

He played an acoustic set in a recreation in of the iconic club, CBGB

Meet singer-songwriter James Bay. A soulful, bluesy Brit rocker, he sounds like the midway point between Hozier and Sam Smith — retro without being kitschy about it.

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At just 24, with only a handful of EPs under his belt, the Hitchin-born musician recently earned a coveted spot on the BBC’s annual Sound Of… critics poll and will be opening for Taylor Swift on the European leg of her 1989 tour later this year.

It's appropriate, then, that the not-quite-throwback singer gave a searing performance of "Scars," a not-quite-break-up song, in a recreation of the historic CBGB nightclub.

James Bay

James Bay

Surrounded by actual walls salvaged from the iconic venue, the up-and-comer also talked about the story behind the song and explained why it took over a year to complete.

James Bay

James Bay

Watch the stirring acoustic performance now, exclusively on BuzzFeed.

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James Bay's debut album Chaos And The Calm is out March 23 and available on iTunes First Play starting today. Listen now!