Cometh the hour, cometh the man.
From Ed Sheeran to Elton John, Britain has a long tradition of gifting the world excellent storytellers, and it seems the cloudy country has similar plans for 2025.Enter Victor Ray. The London-based pop and soul artist's songwriting has quickly resonated with many, hitting over 150 million streams on his initial offerings, and 6.2 million followers across social media.
Ray's craft initially shaped at home, until his gift could no longer be contained, spilling onto Newcastle's streets. "I got my first guitar when I was 11," Ray recalls.
"I remember doing guitar lessons in school and thinking, 'I don't want to learn guitar anymore, because this is so frustrating'. I quit after two months and put the guitar away. Then a few months later, I started watching YouTube videos and teaching myself that way. I think the first song I learnt was 'Little Lion Man' by Mumford & Sons."
Ray was born in Uganda, with his parents moving to England when he was one. He recounts the journey and sacrifices his parents made. "My mum's Kenyan and my dad's Ugandan. We lived in Kenya for maybe six months, and then we moved to Newcastle.
"It was a very big culture shock for them. They had a community in Africa, and then not really any here. They were starting from scratch."
Ray became increasingly obsessed with music, and disinterested in his day job. Finally, a timely word sent him on the beginning of the path he now walks. "I can't believe that busking got me this far," he smiles.
"I started when I was 16. I'd seen people doing it. Meanwhile, I had a day job at the time and just hated it. At this time, I was starting to dream of becoming an artist more seriously, and I had a conversation with my brother. He was like, 'you sing more than you speak. Why aren't you just doing that?'.
"So I went outside and did what I was doing all the time anyway. I got a terrible guitar amp, plugged a microphone into it, stood on the main strip for three hours and had the time of my life. I was singing all sorts of covers, lots of Ed Sheeran. A few months later, I quit my job to just pursue busking and gigs.
"The best thing I learned from busking is what it means to have an amazing song. I spent so much time singing songs with huge choruses, really well written songs. Subconsciously, I took all of those sensibilities in, so when I started writing more myself, I had more knowledge, like what notes made people on the street turn around. It helped me with songwriting a lot."
After making his start with busking, Ray is extremely comfortable playing solo with his audience. So, his first gigs with a full band unlocked a whole new dynamic for both the music and Ray's performance.
"Acoustic feels more intimate. It's like you're having a conversation with the audience. I talk a lot in-between songs, because all my songs are true stories.
"So I end up having this interaction with the fans and those moments are really nice, but with a band, oh my gosh. I did a little tour towards the end of last year with my band on the biggest stages I've ever headlined.
"I started running around the stage, and picking up the mic stand. I don't know what happened, the band just gives you this energy and freedom that you feel like you can have so much fun. Eventually, I'll mix those two, still be intimate and then still have fun. That's the goal."
An immense and warm voice such as Ray's demands a massive and intricate, yet tasteful, production, exemplified in tracks such as 'Comfortable'.
"I was working with two producers with that one, all in one day. The soundscape is so cool, there's loads going on. I was listening to the strings the other day, and I was like, 'wow, this string section is so beautiful'. A lot of love and care went into that song," Ray emotes.
His newest offering, 'Hearts Break And People Change', is a deeply moving account of having trust broken repeatedly, and learning to say goodbye.
Ray offers his perspective on broken trust and familial relationships. "It's tough. Most of us are inclined to want to forgive people that we love, but sometimes people grow in different directions.
"Sometimes a person you thought was gonna be in your life at this capacity forever, someone so close and so crucial, changes. People do change. It's a hard pill to swallow, but when it's family, boundaries are really important.
"We have more agency than we think we do. We do have a responsibility to keep some people around us, but that doesn't mean that you have to give access to parts of you that are going to be hurt.
"You can set boundaries and the relationship can change, maybe you see them less, you don't talk to them about certain stuff. They're still there, but they don't have to be there in the same capacity. That's the way I would deal with it."
The sage songsman will be making yet another journey, this time to Australian shores in April for a run of debut shows in intimate venues that ensures tickets will be hot. "I'm so excited," Ray beams.
"I've never been to Australia. I'm looking forward to the people when I travel. When you get to know a place, it's not really about seeing stuff, it’s about talking to people. Every Australian I've interacted with in my life has been a great vibe. So I'm hoping to meet loads of really nice people."
Victor Ray 2025 Tour Dates
Wed 2 Apr - Oxford Art Factory (Sydney)Fri 4 Apr - Prince Bandroom (Melbourne)
Sat 5 Apr - The Triffid (Brisbane)
