With a much anticipated EP in the works, British soul singer Vincent Darby is scheduled to embark on his first US tour in September. The five-week trek will play 20 states, with five dates in Florida.
Darby, whose maternal grandparents are Jamaican, is from Birmingham in the British Midlands. That city is one of the strongholds for West Indian immigrants, many of whom went to the United Kingdom in 1948 aboard the Empire Windrush.
The 19-year-old Darby released Baby Oh I, his latest song, in early August. He will be touring with Canadian duo Locals Only Sound, whose member Gray Hawken is producing the EP.
“This is going to be my first time performing in the US. I’m super excited to see a part of the world where I haven’t spent much time before. I think the thing I’m most apprehensive for is not seeing my family every day,” said Darby.
Touring the US, he added, is only natural given the potential for massive sales.
“The main objective of the tour is to have fun and keep doing what we’re doing as a collective. As well as having fun, I think Locals Only Sound and I want to break into one of the biggest markets in the world.”
The US has been very accommodating to the new wave of British soul acts in recent years. James Blunt, Amy Winehouse, Sam Smith, Adele and Ed Sheeran have enjoyed considerable success on the Billboard pop charts. They have also won multiple Grammy Awards and staged sold-out tours.
Hawken produced Baby Oh I and its predecessor Get Away which are both expected to be on Darby’s yet-titled EP. Recording sessions for the mini set took place in Toronto and Kingston, Jamaica.
According to Darby, the project is “a mixture of the Caribbean in terms of the reggae/dancehall beats mixed with the soulful, electronic sounds of Toronto.”
Darby’s Jamaican grandparents settled in the UK during the 1950’s, a period of mass migration from the Caribbean to that country. Though his father is British, he recalls being taught the importance of acknowledging his Jamaican roots.
“My mother is Jamaican so she really made sure that the traditional Jamaican values and the respect was bestowed on me and I believe that this reflects in my music,” Darby said. “Growing up, I spent a lot of time with my mom’s parents so I was always around when the cooking and the baking was taking place. Even though my grandparents moved from Jamaica in the late 1950s, they really and truly kept every single Jamaican tradition alive, so I believe this holds its presence within my music.”
Vincent Darby and Locals Only Sound are scheduled to kick off their American tour on September 21 in Burlington, Vermont. Their first show in Florida is on October 16 in Tallahassee, followed by dates in Tampa, Jacksonville, Miami and Gainesville.
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