Foy Vance (born 1974) is a musician and singer-songwriter from Northern Ireland signed to

Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently re ...

Gingerbread Man A gingerbread man or a Gingerbread man cookie is a biscuit or cookie made from gingerbread, usually in the shape of a stylized form / caricature of a human being, although other shapes, especially seasonal themes (Christmas, Halloween, Easter, et ...

label. Vance has toured as a support act to British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran and his music has been featured on numerous TV shows. In August 2013 he released his second full-length album, ''

Joy of Nothing ''Joy of Nothing'' is the second studio album by Northern Irish singer-songwriter Foy Vance. It was released on 26 August 2013. Background The album was inspired by Vance's relocation to the Scottish highlands. Critical reception AllMusic wr ...

'', which was produced by Irish producer and arranger Michael Keeney and was met with critical praise, being called "a gorgeous collection of open, uplifting songs, which showcase ance'smagnificent songwriting skills." In May 2016, his third studio album ''The Wild Swan'', produced and mixed by

Jacquire King Jacquire King (born January 11, 1967) is an American record producer, recording engineer and mixer. King has worked with such notable artists as Kings of Leon, Tom Waits, James Bay, Kaleo, Modest Mouse, Shania Twain, Buddy Guy, Norah J ...

, was released and it was announced that Vance would support

Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...

on selected tour dates in June and

Josh Groban Joshua Winslow Groban (born February 27, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. His first four solo albums have been certified multi-platinum, and he was charted in 2007 as the number-one best selling artist in the United States, wi ...

in July and August.

Music career

2006–2011: Early career and ''Hope''

Vance's first single, "Gabriel and the Vagabond", was released on 18 December 2006 on Wurdamouth Records. The single's

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

was "Indiscriminate Act of Kindness". The songs "Homebird" and "Gabriel and the Vagabond" were both featured in the second season of the US TV drama ''

Grey's Anatomy ''Grey's Anatomy'' is an American medical drama television series that premiered on March 27, 2005, on ABC as a mid-season replacement. The series focuses on the lives of surgical interns, residents, and attendings as they develop into s ...

''. "Indiscriminate Act of Kindness" is featured in a TV commercial for

Great Ormond Street Hospital Great Ormond Street Hospital (informally GOSH or Great Ormond Street, formerly the Hospital for Sick Children) is a children's hospital located in the Bloomsbury area of the London Borough of Camden, and a part of Great Ormond Street Hospita ...

, which was aired in the UK up until Christmas of 2006. Vance, who often uses alternative tunings for his guitar, had previously released two limited edition EPs on Wurdamouth Records, ''Live Sessions and the Birth Toilet Tour'' and ''Watermelon Oranges''. On 21 July 2007, Vance's debut album, ''Hope'', was self-released via Wurdamouth Records. The album obtained some critical acclaim within the UK with the album track "Two Shades of Hope", which contains a hidden recording of Vance's daughter, Ella, singing "

You Are My Sunshine "You Are My Sunshine" is a song published by Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell on January 30, 1940. According to Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI), the song has been recorded by over 350 artists and translated into 30 languages. In 1977, the Louisi ...

" at the end. His pianist is London based composer Jules Maxwell. From 2007, Vance performed his contemporary songs at Ireland's largest annual Christian youth festival Summer Madness at the

King's Hall, Belfast The King's Hall was a multi-purpose venue located in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The King's Hall consisted of 6 event venues. The King's Hall is owned by the Royal Ulster Agricultural Society (RUAS) (previously the North East Agricultural Associ ...

for several consecutive years. In early 2008, Vance was invited to perform at a number of prisons in England, including New Hall women's prison near Wakefield and Full Sutton maximum security prison near York. In 2010, Vance, along with David Holmes, composed the music for a short film by director

Terry George Terence George (born 20 December 1952) is an Irish screenwriter and director. Much of his film work (e.g. ''The Boxer'', ''Some Mother's Son'', and '' In the Name of the Father'') involves " The Troubles" in Northern Ireland. He was nominated ...

, and as a result was offered a part in the director's next feature film, '' Whole Lotta Sole'', as a busker. The short film, ''The Shore'', won a 2012 Academy Award.

2011–2012: ''The Melrose EP''

On 31 January 2011, Vance went to Los Angeles to finish the recording of ''The Melrose EP'' with Holmes. During his trip to L.A., Vance put on a special show for fans. As part of Belfast Music Week 2011, Vance hosted a hoedown branded as "Foy Vance and Friends". It featured a spread of Vance's close friends from Belfast who joined him on the stage. The event sold out

Ulster Hall The Ulster Hall is a concert hall and grade A listed building in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Situated on Bedford Street in Belfast city centre, the hall hosts concerts, classical recitals, craft fairs and political party conferences. History ...

in the city. During 2012's

South by Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, ...

festival in Austin, Texas, Vance was programmed as part of Brooklyn Vegan's tribute event to

Daniel Johnston Daniel Dale Johnston (January 22, 1961 – September 11, 2019) was an American singer, musician and artist regarded as a significant figure in outsider, lo-fi, and alternative music scenes. Most of his work consisted of cassettes recorded a ...

. On 27 August 2012, Vance released ''The Melrose EP'', on Communion Records. The EP featured four new tracks which were produced by Holmes. The EP makes up the score of Terry George's

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

winning film '' The Shore'' and the lead track from the EP, "Be the Song" has featured on episodes of '' Private Practice'', ''

House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air cond ...

'', ''

Arrow An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers ...

'', '' Haven'' and '' Constantine'' in addition to the film ''

Warm Bodies ''Warm Bodies'' is a novel by author Isaac Marion. The book was described as a "zombie romance" by the ''Seattle Post-Intelligencer'' and makes allusions to William Shakespeare's ''Romeo and Juliet''. The author, based in Seattle, originally w ...

''. Vance performed at BBC's '' Proms in the Park'' in Belfast on 8 September 2012. In late 2012, Vance was one of the support acts for British artist

's UK tour. As well as his support slot on the tour, Vance came on stage during Sheeran's main set to duet on his song "Kiss Me" from Sheeran's album '' +''. Vance went on to support Sheeran on the US-leg of his tour, where the pair again duetted on "Kiss Me". Sheeran has also been known to cover Vance's song "Guiding Light", which often closes Vance's headline sets.

2013: ''Joy of Nothing''

In early 2013, Vance signed with Glassnote Records and completed his new album, ''

'', which was released on 26 August. The album announcement was accompanied by a music video for the song "Joy of Nothing" which featured Vance and his daughter Ella. The album includes vocal features from

Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt (; born November 8, 1949) is an American blues singer and guitarist. In 1971, Raitt released her self-titled debut album. Following this, she released a series of critically acclaimed roots-influenced albums that incorporated ...

and Ed Sheeran, the latter of whom expressed his excitement for the release. On 10 June 2013, Vance released a 22-minute documentary, ''Recording Nothing'', showing the process of writing and recording the album. Vance performed at

Tennent's Vital Belfast Vital (formerly Tennent's Vital) is an annual music festival in Northern Ireland. It was first held near Botanic Gardens in 2002 then later moved to Ormeau Park in 2007, both of these venues were in Belfast. The festival had taken a not ...

on 15 August 2013 along with headliners

Snow Patrol Snow Patrol are a Northern Irish–Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in 1994 in Dundee, Scotland. They consist of Gary Lightbody (vocals, guitar), Nathan Connolly (guitar, backing vocals), Paul Wilson (musician), Paul Wilson (bass guitar, ...

, and also toured with Bonnie Raitt throughout the UK. He and Sheeran traded cameos, with Sheeran joining Vance on stage at the

Bowery Ballroom The Bowery Ballroom is a New York City live-music venue located at 6 Delancey Street in the neighborhood of Bowery in Manhattan. The Bowery Ballroom holds something of a cult status among musicians as well as audiences. ''Rolling Stone'' magaz ...

on 4 November 2013 and Vance joining Sheeran at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as The Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh and Eighth avenues from 31st to 33rd Street, above Pennsylv ...

on 7 November 2013. On 12 November 2013, ''Joy of Nothing'' won the inaugural

Northern Ireland Music Prize The Northern Ireland Music Prize awards are the Northern Irish awards for musicians who are friends with the organisers. It is produced by the Oh Yeah Music Centre, and is supported by Arts Council of Northern Ireland and Phonographic Performance ...

for best album. Other nominees included Tired Pony, Girls Names, and Two Door Cinema Club.

2015–present: ''The Wild Swan''

In July 2015, Vance appeared at the Barn on the Farm festival at Over Farm,

Over Over may refer to: Places *Over, Cambridgeshire, England * Over, Cheshire, England * Over, South Gloucestershire, England *Over, Tewkesbury, near Gloucester, England **Over Bridge * Over, Seevetal, Germany Music Albums * ''Over'' (album), by P ...

, near

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east o ...

and recorded a number of session for the festival's

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...

channel. In November 2015, Vance signed with Sheeran's

Gingerbread Man Records Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently re ...

, and on 13 May 2016, he released his third studio album, ''The Wild Swan''. Reviewing the album for the ''

London Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

'', Andre Paine commented: " ..after a decade as a jobbing songwriter, Vance deserves a commercial breakthrough." In May 2016, it was announced that Vance would support

in June on selected dates of his Wonderful Crazy Tour in Europe. On 10 September, Vance embarked on his Wild Swan World Tour with a sold-out performance in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

. After Australia, the tour was scheduled to include dates in North America, the UK and Europe. Vance co-wrote the song "Pushin' Time" with

Miranda Lambert Miranda Leigh Lambert (born November 10, 1983) is an American country singer and guitarist. Born in Longview, Texas, she started out in early 2001 when she released her self-titled debut album independently. In 2003, she finished in third place o ...

and Natalie Hemby that appeared on Lambert's album '' The Weight of These Wings'', which was released in November 2016. In December 2016, Vance released the single "Moonshine", which appeared on the soundtrack for the

Ben Affleck Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and a Volpi Cup. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS education ...

film '' Live by Night''. "Moonshine" features

Kacey Musgraves Kacey Lee Musgraves (born August 21, 1988) is an American country singer. She has won six Grammy Awards, seven Country Music Association Awards, and three Academy of Country Music Awards. Musgraves self-released three solo albums and one as Texa ...

and is meant to pay tribute to "the films strong female characters", whilst telling "the story of a bootlegger running moonshine". In January 2017 a music video was released for "Moonshine" and premiered on Billboard.com.

2019: ''From Muscle Shoals'' and ''To Memphis''

In June 2019, Vance released a new album, ''From Muscle Shoals'', a collection of Americana-inspired songs recorded at FAME Studios in

Muscle Shoals, Alabama Muscle Shoals is the largest city in Colbert County, Alabama, United States. It is located along the Tennessee River in the northern part of the state and, as of the 2010 census, the population of Muscle Shoals was 13,146. The estimated popu ...

. In July 2019, he released the dubstep/future bass song "Blood" in collaboration with the American DJ and producer

Illenium Nicholas Daniel Miller (born December 26, 1990), professionally known as Illenium, is an American DJ, record producer, and songwriter. He has released four studio albums, his most recent being '' Fallen Embers'', released in July 2021. It earne ...

. It represents the sixth single from Illenium's studio album ''

Ascend ASCEND is an open source, mathematical modelling chemical process modelling system developed at Carnegie Mellon University since late 1978. ASCEND is an acronym which stands for Advanced System for Computations in Engineering Design. Its main uses ...

''. In September 2019, he released a new album, ''To Memphis''. In September 2021, he released a new album, ''Signs of Life''.

Television

On 4 June 1994, Vance appeared as

Andrew Strong Andrew Strong (born 14 November 1973) is an Irish singer and the son of Irish musician and singing coach Robert (Rob) Strong. He grew up in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, (where his father lived while performing with showbands), and Naa ...

of ''The Commitments'' on the TV talent show '' Stars in Their Eyes''. In 2012, his music was used in several episodes of The CW series ''

Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' (''The Young American and Marine ...

''. In 2007, Vance appeared on RTE's ''Other Voices'', filmed in

Dingle Dingle ( Irish: ''An Daingean'' or ''Daingean Uí Chúis'', meaning "fort of Ó Cúis") is a town in County Kerry, Ireland. The only town on the Dingle Peninsula, it sits on the Atlantic coast, about southwest of Tralee and northwest of Kill ...

, Ireland. Vance took part in the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

series ''4Thought.tv'', where he spoke about how profound he found the hymn, "

Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a Christian hymn published in 1779 with words written in 1772 by English Anglican clergyman and poet John Newton (1725–1807). It is an immensely popular hymn, particularly in the United States, where it is used for both ...

", how it impacted him hearing a vagabond at

Ground Zero In relation to nuclear explosions and other large bombs, ground zero (also called surface zero) is the point on the Earth's surface closest to a detonation. In the case of an explosion above the ground, ''ground zero'' is the point on the grou ...

, New York, playing this song. A Channel 4 documentary about Vance, covered all aspects of his career from him growing up, playing shows in Ireland, playing a show in New York with

Pete Townshend Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is co-founder, leader, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s. Towns ...

, and organically recording his debut album ''Hope''. In September 2011, Vance joined Snow Patrol on the BBC Two's '' Later... with Jools Holland'', to perform their single, "Fallen Empires". In May 2015, Vance appeared with

Rudimental Rudimental are a British drum and bass band, signed to Asylum Records, Atlantic Records and Black Butter Records. The band consists of Piers Aggett, Kesi Dryden and Leon "Locksmith" Rolle. They were nominated for a Mercury Prize in 2013, and w ...

on ''Later with Jools Holland''. Vance presents ''Notes from the USA'' on

Euronews Euronews (styled on-air in lowercase as euronews) is a European television news network, headquartered in Lyon, France. The network began broadcasting on 1 January 1993 and covers world news from a European perspective. The majority of Eurone ...

Discography

Albums

* ''Hope'' (Wurdamouth Records, 2007) * ''

'' (Glassnote Records, 2013) * '' The Wild Swan'' (Gingerbread Man, 13 May 2016) No. 28 UK, No. 10 IRE, No. 87 AUS * ''From Muscle Shoals'' (Gingerbread Man, 28 June 2019) * ''To Memphis'' (Gingerbread Man, 6 September 2019) * ''Signs of Life'' (Gingerbread Man, 10 September 2021)

EPs

* ''Blueprints'' (2000) * ''Live Sessions and the Birth of the Toilet Tour'' (2005) * ''Watermelon Oranges'' (2006) * ''Gabriel and the Vagabond'' (2006) * ''Be with Me Remix by The Free Association'' (2008) * ''Portraits of the Artist'' (2009) * ''Time Lays Low'' (2009) * ''Live with the Ulster Orchestra at the Waterfront Hall Belfast'' (2009) * ''Melrose'' (2012)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vance, Foy 1974 births 21st-century guitarists Living people Musicians from County Down 21st-century male singers from Northern Ireland Gingerbread Man Records artists Glassnote Records artists Guitarists from Northern Ireland People from Bangor, County Down Singer-songwriters from Northern Ireland