Rising British R&B artist James Vickery releases 'Live From London' EP on May 13th through Th3rd Brain
LISTEN TO ‘LIVE From London’ HERE
“The texture of Vickery's voice resembles a shark's scales, smooth and yet rough at the same time. While most of the tracks are "dim the lights and light candles" tempo, there are slightly more upbeat songs such as the breezy "Tear It Apart" and Justin Timberlake-esque "Spanish Rose." – The Fader
“London-based singer James Vickery is making a splash from across the pond.” - Okayplayer
“Vickery showcasing breathy, harmonious vocals while capturing the bliss of a romance that has found its stride.” - Vibe
“The face of British new wave R&B…he’s a soulful musician on the rise” - Flaunt
“South London’s James Vickery isn’t just a talented recording artist with gorgeous vocals – the soulful artist prides himself on delivering stunning performances of his already captivating discography. Vickery enunciates every lyric as his smooth vocals complement the acoustic instrumentals.” – Ones To Watch
“James Vickery's voice will grab you from the very first note. It is rich, powerful, and incredibly soulful, echoing the likes of Rag'n'Bone Man and Sam Smith (but with a lot more soul).” – Complex
Following the recent release of his outstanding new EP ‘Overture’, which has received plaudits from The Fader, Complex, Okay Player, CLASH, This Song Is Sick, and Earmilk, as well as garnering more than 6.6 million streams on Spotify and 20 million views on Youtube, rising British R&B artist James Vickery has now announced the full details behind his new ‘LIVE From London’ EP.
Featuring three of his original EP’s standout offerings; ‘Pressure’, ‘Turn Me On’ and ‘Perfect Company’, the frontman looks to offer a more intimate and personal side to his sound with these seamlessly performed versions. Shot at The Old Vinyl Factory in Hayes, each addition comes accompanied by a new music video, aimed at highlighting the bold and vibrant qualities he brings to his live shows.
Watch ‘Perfect Company’ (LIVE From London) HERE
Speaking about his new collection, James said, "At the end of last year we filmed the next installment from my Youtube Series 'LIVE from London' where my band and I perform completely live in unique locations across my hometown.
“This episode was shot at The Old Vinyl Music Factory in Hayes - Every single Beatles album, from Revolver to Sgt Pepper was recorded here, it was such an honour to perform in such a place rich with so much musical history.
“Being a live artist has always been one of the most important aspects for me, so I wanted to find a way to incorporate this into my own releases."
James Vickery’s new EP ‘LIVE From London’ is available to stream and download from May 13th via Th3rd Brain Records. Watch the video for his previously shared performance ‘Turn Me On’ HERE.
‘LIVE From London’ Tracklist:
Pressure
Turn Me On
Perfect Company
ABOUT ‘OVERTURE’
South London's James Vickery is the new face of UK R&B. With his hugely popular COLORS session amassing 17 million views, James caught the attention of many admirers internationally, subsequently leading to the London-born songwriter inking record and publishing deals with LA-based TH3RD BRAIN and Roc Nation respectively despite being born deaf in his left ear.
On March 25th Vickery released ‘Overture’, his first body of work since becoming a signed artist. The six-track EP features collaborations with Kenny Beats (Dominic Fike), SG Lewis (Clairo), Pomo (Anderson .Paak), Sad Money (Sabrina Claudio) and Maths Time Joy (Mahalia). The project showcases the full spectrum of Vickery’s R&B capabilities from sultry bedroom slow jams to uptempo electronic hits. Listen to ‘Overture’ HERE
Speaking about his pre-existing medical condition Vickery told Fader:
“Growing up in and out of hospital with a hearing impairment was extremely tough for me... If I hadn't started going to speech therapy at a young age, I’m not sure I would have ever found my voice. The truth is I found out I could sing, almost accidentally - because of speech therapy, and never looked back since…”
This incredibly personal work includes previously released singles; ‘Pressure’ (with SG Lewis), his most recent single ‘Spanish Rose’, ‘Tear It Apart’ (with Kenny Beats) and ‘Something Good’, alongside two brand new tracks ‘Turn Me On’ and ‘Perfect Company’.
Speaking about the EP and the artwork’s very personal meaning, James gives us this insight, “I decided to call the EP 'Overture' as it means 'an introduction to something more substantial'. I wanted to tell people that this is just the beginning of what they can expect, that an album is soon around the corner. I'm not afraid to talk about my hearing impairment anymore, I'm proud of it, and that's why the tattoo of the mute icon behind my deaf ear is the main feature in the singles and EP artwork. It is who I am today, and a full representative of why this music is the way it is today.”
It’s clear that James Vickery has conquered more struggles than your average singer, but isn’t letting this hold him back as he releases regular unique content (see his LIVE from London series on Youtube) and continues working on his debut album due for release in early 2021.
So what can we expect from Vickery moving forward into the album campaign? He tells us: “I look up to artists like Nao who has stuck with her sound from day one, and has crafted her own lane. I'm definitely trying to do that myself as a UK Male R&B Singer. I want to cover all bases of R&B and experiment with all the subforms with it, keep people guessing what they can expect from me next- with the one thing that ties it all together, the vocal.”
Recently James Vickery released the candid official video for his single ‘Pressure’ (with SG Lewis). The track premiered on Jamz Supernova’s BBC Radio 1Xtra show late last year, it went on to be featured on BBC Introducing Mixtape of The Year 2019 and picked up 15 Spotify New Music Friday placements amongst many others. ‘Pressure’ has already amassed over 5 million streams online. Directed by Cameron Turnbull and produced by Lizzie Roderick of MDRNLOVE, it’s a playful video that show’s Vickery at his optimum. Watch ‘Pressure’ (with SG Lewis) HERE
JV's distinctive voice and look, combined with his incredible vision for how his voice fits into a song allows for a completely unique take on R&B and landed him as one of Complex’s British R&B/Soul Artists to watch out for in 2020.
‘Overture EP’ Tracklisting
1) Tear It Apart (with Kenny Beats)
2) Spanish Rose
3) Pressure (with SG Lewis)
4) Turn Me On
5) Perfect Company
6) Something Good
‘Overture EP’ is out now