One of R&amp;B's most promising voices speaks on his latest shoot, his role in 'Little,' and the exciting plans he has in store.

Photographer: Noa Grayevsky

Styling: Jermaine Daley

Luke James is a star whose light is only continuing to grow&nbsp;brighter. In a comment on his&nbsp;<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GGkCGy4OAs" target="_blank">VH1 Dear Mama performance</a>, a fan perfectly summed up the effect of his&nbsp;je ne sais quoi:&nbsp;&nbsp;&lsquo;Luke is the ex-boyfriend your grandma gives a lifetime invite to all the family functions.&#39;&nbsp;This&nbsp;April, the New Orleans native&nbsp;captivated audiences&nbsp;as Trevor in Tina Gordon&rsquo;s Little. The project made history as Marsai Martin, the film&rsquo;s star, became the youngest executive producer ever at just 14 years old.&nbsp;

James&rsquo; credits are as vast as they are impressive. In 2014, the smooth beats and impressive vocals of his eponymous&nbsp;debut <a href="https://open.spotify.com/album/55Oye0FffojvyoADZteEFT" target="_blank">album</a>&nbsp;debuted to significant critical acclaim, helping to cement his place as one of R&amp;B&#39;s most exciting talents.&nbsp;On the silver screen he has garnered an audience for his work on Star&nbsp;and his portrayal of Johnny Gill in The Bobby Brown Story.&nbsp;The Grammy-nominated&nbsp;triple threat has also written bops for other music stars, including: Justin Bieber, Keri Hilson and&nbsp;Britney Spears&#39; criminally underrated &quot;Kill The Lights&quot;.&nbsp;James has developed a close relationship with none other than&nbsp;Beyonc&eacute;, opening&nbsp;for her <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGoguR2gYn8&amp;t=95s">Ms. Carter World Tour </a>&nbsp;in 2013 and also appearing in videos for &quot;Superpower,&quot; &quot;Run the World,&quot; and the star-studded Destiny&#39;s Child number &quot;Soldier.&quot;&nbsp;A mentee of record producer Danja, he wowed us during his participation in last year&#39;s Soul Train Awards <a href="https://www.bet.com/video/soultrainawards/2018/exclusives/soul-cypher-featuring-erykah-badu-bj-the-chicago-kid-kelly-price-queen-naija-and-more.html" target="_blank">cypher</a>&nbsp;and the award show&#39;s&nbsp;tribute to Toni Braxton.

James spoke to L&rsquo;Officiel USA to discuss his latest shoot&nbsp;with New York photographer Noa&nbsp;Grayevsky, his role in Little, and the plans he has in store.

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When did you first realize that you wanted to be an artist?&nbsp;

I&#39;m not exactly sure of the age, but it was definitely somewhere in my single digits. Music was the highlight of my life as a kid and still is. Hearing it was like electricity running through my body. It would stop me in my tracks or keep me geauxing. I knew that if it was inside of me, like it was in others that I admired, then I had to share it quite the same if not more.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Whatʼs one thing everyone should know about you?&nbsp;

I love, love, love&mdash;really love&mdash;what I do. I can do it all day and all night. Whenever...wherever. I don&rsquo;t do anything where love can&rsquo;t exist.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Where are you based right now?&nbsp;

Everywhere, to be exact. I&rsquo;m a bit of an addict when it comes to&nbsp;light &amp; rhythm. Wherever that is &ndash; is where I&rsquo;ll be. As of right now: New York.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

In this shoot with Noa Grayevsky, why did you go in this direction with&nbsp;these&nbsp;photos? The styling&nbsp;was inspired by the 90ʼs film&nbsp;The Five Heartbeats. Did that film have any significance for you?&nbsp;

That film helped curate my dreams of being an artist. I know I&rsquo;ve watched that film more than 100 times, especially now that I just purchased a VCR. I found the VHS with original casing at a vintage sale and was flabbergasted that it was for sale. But I understand culturally that it has no relevancy to those who aren&rsquo;t accustomed to our generous culture.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

You seem very comfortable in front of the camera.&nbsp;What do you channel when you walk on set for a photoshoot?&nbsp;

God. (joke) But seriously,&nbsp;I just have fun. I tap into the mood and I flow like water.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

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Can you tell us a little bit about your role in Tina Gordonʼs film Little?&nbsp;

I play a guy named Trevor, who is adult Jordanʼs (Regina Hall) hopeful romantic lover and&nbsp;will bend over backward for her affection.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

How did you approach the film in comparison to how you approach music?&nbsp;Is it difficult to switch back and forth? How are they different? How did you make that transition?&nbsp;

All of it is a conversation of feelings. The difference is I didn&rsquo;t write the script. With music, it&rsquo;s my pen, my vision, my direction. The only thing that could be difficult is time. Time to do everything. Both are complex art forms that deserve dedicated time.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

What do you do in your downtime? If you have any...&nbsp;

Make love and not war. That&rsquo;s getting harder to do these days. But I&rsquo;m resilient.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Who inspires you right now?&nbsp;

My mother. She always has. Such grace. My friends. My team. Castmates.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

What are some of the pillars of your music?&nbsp;

Funk, blues, soul, jazz, gospel, and hip hop.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

We hear youʼre working on new music, what can we expect with this long-awaited project?&nbsp;

Projects. FREEDOM. Four years in the making.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

What was the most unexpected part about taking on the entertainment industry?&nbsp;

Talent isn&rsquo;t enough.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

What does Black excellence mean to you in 2019?&nbsp;

Survival.

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What does community mean to you? What do you feel is your responsibility as a public figure in your community?&nbsp;

Love. Stay black and proud loudly.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

You killed it in the Soul Train Awards cipher last year. What was that experience like?&nbsp;

Freeing. I had always wanted to do it since Inception. Shit! Ms. Badu, Robert Glasper, Thundercat. Fucking right! I&rsquo;m grateful that producer Jesse Collins put me on.

&nbsp;

Youʼve accomplished so much, what is left on your to-do list?&nbsp;

Stop global warming and the disrespect of my people and all.&nbsp;

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TUXEDO DIOR / SHOES CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN / SIGNET RING SHIHARA / NECKLACE, BRACELET, AND EARRINGS LUKE'S OWN

SWEATER, SHIRT, PANT, TIE, AND SHOES FENDI / SOCKS PANTHERELLA / SIGNET RINGS SHIHARA / BRACELET AND EARRING LUKE'S OWN

SUIT BOSS / T-SHIRT ZIMMERLI / SHOES CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN / SIGNET RING SHIHARA / BRACELET AND EARRING LUKE'S OWN

SUIT, SHIRT, AND TIE ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA / SHOES CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN / SIGNET RINGS SHIHARA / EARRINGS LUKE'S OWN

COAT AND SWEATER ISSEY MIYAKE / TROUSERS OFFICINE GENERALE / SHOES FENDI / SIGNET RINGS SHIHARA / BRACELET AND EARRING LUKE'S OWN

COAT SACAI / SUIT AND SWEATER OFFICINE GENERALE / SHOES FENDI / SIGNET RINGS SHIHARA / BRACELET AND EARRING LUKE'S OWN

COAT, SHIRT, AND TROUSERS VALENTINO / SHOES CHRISTIAN LOUBOUTIN / SIGNET RING SHIHARA / BRACELET AND EARRING LUKE'S OWN

SHIRT AND TROUSER NO. 21 / TIE AND SHOES FENDI / SIGNET RINGS SHIHARA / BRACELET AND EARRINGS LUKE'S OWN

Hair: Wade Lee

Makeup: Megan Kelly

Retouching: Amanda Unger

Shot at Urban Myth Studio

A Star Is Born and His Name is Luke James

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