Don't swoon too hard, ladies. I know. America's favorite "Bachelorette" contestant has continued to steal our hearts even since the show's finale last month. But we don't just love James McCoy Taylor for his charm, looks, sense of humor or willingness to be real with his emotions. James' musical career has taken off since "Bachelorette," and this week he is making his way to Tin Roof in Columbia, SC.

I had the pleasure of chatting with James about his experience filming "Bachelorette," his history in music] and what we can look forward to about his show on Thursday.

On "The Bachelorette":

Audrey: So a few months after the airing of the finale, how do you feel in general looking back at the season? Are you happy with how things turned out?

James: Yeah, I mean obviously back then I was disappointed and sad - I really liked Jojo. But looking back, I did the best I could, gave it all I had. I think I showed myself as a fun guy, but also someone who's pretty real and normal and wears his heart on his sleeve.

Audrey: Which one of the guys were you the closest with/do you still hang out with any of them?

James: I'm closest with Wells, Wells is my boy. We talk every day and we hang out a lot too.

Audrey: What about Evan, are you happy for him and Carly?

James: Oh yeah! I just did a fundraiser with him this past week in Kansas City; they're great, I'm really happy for them.

Audrey: What would you say is the funniest thing that happened while you were filming?

James: You run out of games to play. I was messing with Jordan, and I told him that he had a weak arm and that's why he didn't make it in the NFL. We were laughing about it. And he goes, "Oh, you don't think so?" And for some reason, we were just going around slapping each other in the butt with these sticks that we had, and it really hurt! So we stopped and people would just slap people when they weren't looking, like, hard. So I was like "Dude, I will pull my pants down and you can slap me bare butt if you will just admit that you have a weak arm if I'm not, like, crying after you hit me. So Luke was playing scary music, I pulled my pants down, blindfolded myself and Jordan slapped my butt so hard that it literally bled. I yelled so loud and almost cried like a little girl and I had to tell him that he did not, in fact, have a weak arm. Everyone was dying laughing.

Audrey: So did you watch the show as it aired? Was it weird seeing yourself on TV?

James: Yeah, of course! I watched every episode. It was really weird.

Audrey: Do you feel like the show portrayed you and your relationship with Jojo accurately, or do you think there were some aspects that were a little skewed?

James: Yeah, I feel like they did a pretty good job, I mean, of course, there was more than that that I wished they would've shown. I feel like my best moment with her they didn't show. I won the group date rose on that ESPN date we did, and they didn't even show me do anything cool at all. I had told Jojo some really sweet, personal stuff and they didn't show any of it. If I had to pick anything from the whole season they would show, it would be that. I think it made me seem more insecure than I really am -- there were a couple questions where they didn't show what I said before or after -- but for the most part, I think they did a pretty good job of showing my relationship with Jojo.

On his music:

Audrey: Do you feel like "The Bachelorette" has had an effect on your music career?

James: Oh absolutely! A lot more people want to listen now.

Audrey: That's awesome! How long have you been performing music?

James: You know, I've been performing for years. But that was not my job before and I didn't even write that that was my job. I literally found out when America found out that apparently, I was a singer/songwriter.

Audrey: It's so funny how the occupations are like... not real occupations.

James: Yeah! I mean I brought my guitar because I knew there was going to be a lot of downtime. And the producers told me that I should be doing what I love, and I was like "Yeah, cool, maybe I will one day!" It's not what I did before but it was definitely a sign that I should give what I love a shot.

Audrey: So I know that you went to Texas A&M and then transferred to Harding University. Were you in a band in college? What was that like?

James: Yeah, so we mostly did local shows; we traveled around a little bit. I ended up at Harding because all I wanted to do at A&M was play music all the time and not pay attention to school. That's why I transferred to Harding; I wanted to graduate and be successful in my career, but I loved music more. And that always won out over studying and going to class. I wrote all the music, booked all the gigs and was the singer for the band. It was very time-consuming.

Audrey: Who are your biggest music influences?

James: I don't even know, I love so many artists. If I had to pick it would probably be James Taylor, I've been listening to him all my life. The Eagles are up there and then any mixture of Texas country and Southern rock. George Strait is one of my favorites, too, for sure.

Audrey: What kinds of songs can we expect to hear on Thursday?

James: It'll be a good mix of fun, upbeat songs, a lot of country music and definitely some of my original songs too.

(Don't worry, y'all, I personally requested Darius Rucker's "Wagon Wheel.")

Audrey: Have you been to Columbia before? Do you have a favorite restaurant or bar in the area?

James: I have! Tin Roof is by far my favorite place in the Vista. In Five Points, I went Bird Dog and really liked that. And Cantina had some really good Mexican food.

I was actually in town for a football game that weekend. I was planning on just scalping a cheap ticket. I was at some bar close to campus, we only had 45 minutes until game time. I get my wallet to pay and I realized that I had no cash and I had lost my debit card. I was talking to my buddies and told them I was going to just grab some cash out of my truck, which I had to run to because it was parked really far away. I go to leave and this sweet, older couple stops me and the lady says, "No, don't you do that. Here's 50 bucks, that should cover you." I said, "No, absolutely not." And the guy looks at me and says, "I am going to rip this 50 dollar bill in half right now if you don't take it." And he was dead serious. I didn't even know how to thank them enough, I gave the guy a hug and they told me to enjoy my time in South Carolina. After that, I just loved all of South Carolina. I'm really looking forward to coming back to Columbia.

Lightning round:

Audrey: Weirdest performance tradition?

James: I get my manager to slap me in the face like three or four times. Not too hard, just enough to get my hyped up. A few good, firm slaps.

Audrey: Any other pre-show must-haves, other than a slap in the face?

James: I always have a whiskey coke before. Not that much coke.

Audrey: Good luck charm you never perform without?

James: Oh, I've got this pick. I got it from Randy Rodgers, he's a guy from Texas and I always have it with me. I never play with it, but I keep it as a backup.

Audrey: First song you ever learned on guitar?

James: "Enter Sandman" by Metallica.

Audrey: First place you ever performed?

James: I performed at our state championship in our stadium.

Audrey: Who's your biggest supporter?

James: I have a lot of big supporters, but I'd probably say my manager, Brian Thompson. He was making a whole lot of money and he actually quit his job because he wanted to go on the road with me and make it happen.

Audrey: Favorite song to perform live?

James: Oh man, I'd say it's one I wrote called "Took From Me."

Audrey: Strangest venue you've ever performed in?

James: I did a last minute gig in Clemson, basically in an alley. I was on my way to do another show and I called the bar owner -- he had no idea who I was -- and he said I could play there. I was just in a really good mood, I was driving around, passing through Clemson and just felt like playing a show. The place was packed. There were these sweet, young girls that were so upset they couldn't get in because it was only 21 and up. There was this ice cream place in Clemson I had never had before and about an hour later, these girls were just standing there with melted ice cream. I literally put down my guitar and hopped the fence and ate some ice cream with these 16-year-old girls, then hopped back over and started playing again. It was really fun.

For more information about James and his music, check him out on Facebook or Twitter. And don't forget to follow Tin Roof for updates on his show and others in Columbia!