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One to watch: Victor Ray
The singer-songwriter specialises in soulful ballads filtering classic soul, blues and rock through a maverick 2020s spirit
Five years ago, after Victor Ray followed his teenage dreams down to London, he’d head for the city centre from his one-bedroom flat in Camden, find a busy spot like Oxford Street by midday, and do what he did back home in Newcastle. Which was: set up a battery-powered amp on the street to run a backing track or guitar through, then belt out big soulful ballads for two, three hours, going for every high note until he could barely speak. He’s great at telling stories ripped from the pages of his life through song and, like his mate Myles Smith, he’s proving there’s space for young black British talent making authentic, popular music that isn’t rap.
Or read this on The Guardian