Fast-rising British RnB artist James Vickery announces highly-anticipated debut album 'Songs That Made Me Feel', out July 16th through Th3rd Brain Records
LISTEN TO THE NEW SINGLE ‘YOU COMFORT ME’ FT. EARTHGANG HERE
"Rising star James Vickery is pulling out all the stops ahead of the release of his debut album, teaming up with soul legend Musiq Soulchild for his latest track Come To Me." OFFICIAL CHARTS
”James Vickery's voice will grab you from the very first note" COMPLEX
"Vickery was born deaf in his left ear but didn't let the adversity put him off a career in music"
THE FADER
‘Pressure Pt. II’ voted Top 10 best songs of 2020 ROLLING STONE
"The face of British new wave R&B" FLAUNT MAGAZINE
“James Vickery, a 24 year-old R&B singer from London, went viral on YouTube” BILLBOARD
“Spearheading a fresh wave of British R&B talent” CLASH
“South London singer-songwriter James Vickery is the new face of UK R&B.” NOTION
“An emerging talent that’s taking the R&B world by storm” SPINDLE
"Vickery’s buttery smooth vocals grab you at the first note and send you tumbling headfirst into a sultry soundscape filled with captivating lyricism. The raw, textured, and organic sound that characterised the R&B singer’s earlier releases and sets him apart from other artists on the scene is definitely here to stay." WONDERLAND
Following the release of his highly-praised Maths Time Joy-produced single ‘Somewhere, Out There’, Musiq Soulchild collaboration ‘Come To Me’, and seductive offering ‘Hourglass’ in recent months, which received plaudits from the likes of Wonderland, NOTION, CLASH, Earmilk, Under The Radar, and Hip Hop DX, the fast-rising male face to the UK’s R&B scene James Vickery has now announced the details behind his highly-anticipated debut album ‘Songs That Made Me Feel’, alongside the sultry new jam ‘You Comfort Me’, featuring Atlanta hip-hop collective EARTHGANG.
Throughout the last twelve months, James Vickery has been one hugely prolific name emerging on the scene. With a string of intense and luxurious RnB cuts under his belt already, news of this new full-length has been long overdue. And with so much praise landing at his feet to date, he continues to push himself ever forward with the unveiling of his next single ‘You Comfort Me’, this time collaborating with EARTHGANG.
Produced by Jack Dine, with additional production from Maths Time Joy, and still maintaining plenty of his smooth RnB direction throughout, this new effort sees him dabble in a diverse array of funk and soul influences, which makes for an incredibly diverse return. With its broad and bouncing aesthetic layered throughout, this new groove adds yet another layer to his ever-evolving sound.
Speaking about his debut album, James said, "My baby is finally ready. I’ve taken my time with it, been given total artistic freedom to create the album I wanted to create, I’ve suffered, I’ve cried, I’ve had some of the best moments of my life. I can hand on heart say that this is totally the album I’ve always dreamed of making, I have no doubt that there will be at least something you can relate to on my debut album purely because I’ve delivered it to you totally and unapologetically raw, as it really and truly were in fact Songs That Made Me Feel."
While adding about the new single, "You Comfort Me was the song I wrote that I didn’t know I needed. It somewhat goes against the grain of the usual ilk of songs that I write. It was written at a time when I needed a song that could uplift me, make me feel whole and pure, it’s something I could put on when I needed to feel happy again. Will go ahead and say that it’s one of my favourite songs I’ve ever written, and to have Earthgang on it is a complete honour beyond words that I can even fathom. I hope this song helps people the way it has helped me over the past year."
With the UK plunged into lockdown throughout the majority of 2020, his new studio full-length intends to encapsulate the feelings that many of us began to experience throughout last year. With so many separated from their loved ones and worried about what the future holds, James is looking to take these uncertain times and reflect them back to us with a rich and vibrant collection that looks to bring some much needed warmth and joy to our lives.
'Songs That Made Me Feel' Tracklist:
1. Rather Be
2. Come To Me (with Musiq Soulchild)
3. Hourglass
4. Until Morning
5. Finally (prod. SG Lewis)
6. Street Lights (ft. Rob Araujo & Jack Dine)
7. All That I Am
8. You Comfort Me (with EARTHGANG)
9. Somewhere, Out There
10. Save You
South London's James Vickery is the new face of UK R&B. Following the enormous success of his hugely popular COLORS session, which amassed more than 24 million views, James caught the attention of many admirers internationally, subsequently leading to the London-born songwriter inking record and publishing deals with TH3RD BRAIN and Roc Nation respectively despite being born deaf in his left ear. 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…”
In March 2020 Vickery released ‘Overture’, his first body of work since becoming a signed artist. The six-track EP featured collaborations with Kenny Beats (Dominic Fike), SG Lewis (Clairo), Pomo (Anderson. Paak), Sad Money (Sabrina Claudio) and Maths Time Joy (Mahalia). The project showcased the full spectrum of Vickery’s R&B capabilities from sultry bedroom slow jams to uptempo electronic hits. Listen to ‘Overture’ HERE
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)
So what can we expect from Vickery moving forward into the album release? 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.”
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 makes him one of British R&B/Soul Artists to watch out for in 2021.
In July 2021, Vickery releases his much anticipated debut album ‘Songs That Made Me Feel’. Speaking about the full length project, he tells us that the album divulges several romantic relationships and also a handful of personal and platonic ones. The album has sexual undertones throughout, but like all of his music he never wants it to be confused with lust, it's a diary about falling in and out of love mostly. Throughout the album James talks about the search for happiness and the dream of one day finding a partner for life. There's a common theme of hope throughout the album, and the sadder songs portray his ongoing search to find out if true love really does exist in the modern day... You will also note the mute symbol that is used throughout the project. This logo signifies the challenges that he has overcome to get to where he is today, in order to bring you this debut album.
FOLLOW JAMES VICKERY ON:
ABOUT EARTHGANG
Hip-hop duo Johnny "Olu O. Fann" Venus and WOWGR8 "Eian Undrai Parker" formed in 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia, and became known as EARTHGANG. They grew up on the city's Southside, an area also home to OutKast and Future. After meeting in high school, they continued to make music together, influenced by a diverse range of artists like Curtis Mayfield, T-Pain, Ms. Lauryn Hill, and Gil Scott-Heron. They began working on their first EP while at Hampton University in Virginia, and The Better Party was released in 2010. The following year they self-released two full-length albums, Mad Men and Good News. EARTHGANG began to tour, and in early 2013 they performed at the A3C Festival in Atlanta. Later that same year they made their label debut with Shallow Graves for Toys, and the record reached number 11 on Billboard's Emerging Artists chart. The duo continued to raise their profile touring North America, including sets at SXSW. 2015 saw the release of Strays with Rabies, which included guest spots from J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League and DJ Khalil. Although naturally suspicious of record labels, and still harboring a D.I.Y. mentality, Earthgang signed to J. Cole's for their following album. They were convinced after meeting J. Cole that with his and his label's help, they would more opportunities. Before releasing Mirror Land in 2017, they put out the EP Rags.