"It's funny: For years nothing happened, then everything happened," says Tim James. Well, Tim, not everything - but it's safe to say you're on your way. The 23-year old, whose rock-and-R&B-fused self-titled album hits stores in August, deserves major props; not only did he write or cowrite all the tunes on his C2 Records debut, but he also collects royalties from close pal Hoku's 'Another Dumb Blonde' and Youngstowns 'I'll be Your Everything.' Born in Dearborn, Mich., Tim was 11 when he wrote his first song; he taught himself how to play the drums and keyboards a year later. When stints in two boy bands during his mid teens went nowhere ("We were a boy band when boy bands weren't cool," Tim says), he went solo. After a string of rejections - and with just $10.67 in his pocket - Tim auditioned for the top brass at Columbia and won them over with his bluesy pop. "(They Said) 'Let's do this,' " Tim recalls "I was like, 'Can we get it done before next week - my rent's due!' " On his first single, the ballad 'I'll be Your Secret,' To, waxes poetic about a doomed romance. But does singing about girs help him impress them? "My batting aerage is pretty low," he admits adding, "Maye a hit single will change that."