Fresh off a summer of festivals following the release of his 2018 sophomore album, Electric Light, James Bay hits the road again with a slew of US tour dates including a two-night stint at New York City’s Beacon Theatre on March 12 and 13. The English singer-songwriter has been on a fast, upward climb since his first hit single, “Let It Go,” released in 2013, reaching number 10 in the UK charts. Following the single came his first full length album, Chaos and the Calm, in 2014 featuring the single “Hold Back the River” which reached number 2 on the UK charts and went on to become certified platinum. The one-man act captured audiences with his soulful voice and bluesy guitar picking, earning BRIT Awards for Critics Choice in 2015 and Best British Male Solo Artist in 2016 as well as three Grammy nominations in 2016.
Bay was first inspired to take up music after hearing Eric Clapton’s “Layla” in grammar school, the famous guitarist’s inspiration not a surprise in Bay’s similar sound. He moved to Brighton to study where he was eventually discovered from a YouTube video taken at one of his open mic sets in London, leading to Republic Records signing him a week later. It wasn’t long before Bay took off, already selling out a headlining tour within a year of signing. His latest album, Electric Light, takes Bay to an elevated level in the pop world, experimenting with new sounds like R&B as well as different sampling like using Allen Ginsberg’s poetry. “It’s so interesting to see what people are doing with pop right now – and what I feel I can do with my own pop music, it’s exciting,” Bay says of the album. It’s clear that Bay shies away from any pop tropes, choosing to forge his own path in the genre, unafraid to give listeners something entirely novel and unique.
Bay will be at the Beacon Theatre in New York City for two night next March with supporting acts to be announced.
Beacon Theatre
3/12 & 3/13
8:00 p.m.
$45 +
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