Foy Vance facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Foy Vance
|
|
|---|---|
Vance at the 2018
Berlin International Film Festival |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Foy Best Vance |
| Born | 18 November 1974 Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels |
|
Foy Best Vance (born 18 November 1974) is a talented musician and singer-songwriter from Northern Ireland. He is signed to Ed Sheeran's own record label, Gingerbread Man Records. Foy Vance has toured with Ed Sheeran and his songs have been used in many TV shows.
In August 2013, he released his second album, Joy of Nothing. This album was praised by critics. They called it "a gorgeous collection of open, uplifting songs." In May 2016, his third album, The Wild Swan, came out. After this, Vance supported famous musicians like Elton John and Josh Groban on their tours.
Contents
Foy Vance's Music Journey
Early Days and First Album: Hope (2006–2011)
Foy Vance's first song, "Gabriel and the Vagabond", was released in December 2006. Two of his songs, "Homebird" and "Gabriel and the Vagabond", were featured in the TV show Grey's Anatomy. Another song, "Indiscriminate Act of Kindness", was used in a TV ad for Great Ormond Street Hospital in the UK.
Before his first album, Vance released two smaller music collections called EPs. His first album, Hope, came out in July 2007. It received good reviews in the UK. A special part of the album is the song "Two Shades of Hope", which secretly includes his daughter, Ella, singing "You Are My Sunshine".
From 2007, Foy Vance performed his songs at a big youth festival in Ireland called Summer Madness. In 2008, he was invited to perform in several prisons in England.
In 2010, Vance worked with David Holmes to create music for a short film. This film, called The Shore, won an Academy Award in 2012. Vance even got a small acting part in a movie because of this work.
The Melrose EP and More Tours (2011–2012)
In January 2011, Foy Vance went to Los Angeles to finish recording The Melrose EP. He also played a special show for his fans there. Later that year, he hosted a big music event in Belfast called "Foy Vance and Friends", which sold out the Ulster Hall.
In August 2012, The Melrose EP was released. This EP featured four new songs. The music from this EP was also used in the Academy Award-winning film The Shore. The main song from the EP, "Be the Song", was featured in many TV shows like Private Practice and House, and the movie Warm Bodies.
Vance performed at BBC's Proms in the Park in Belfast in September 2012. Later that year, he joined Ed Sheeran as a supporting act for his UK tour. They even sang a duet of Sheeran's song "Kiss Me" together. Vance also supported Sheeran on his US tour.
Joy of Nothing Album Success (2013)
In early 2013, Foy Vance signed with Glassnote Records. His new album, Joy of Nothing, was released in August. A music video for the song "Joy of Nothing" came out, featuring Vance and his daughter Ella. The album included guest singers like Bonnie Raitt and Ed Sheeran.
In June 2013, Vance released a 22-minute video called Recording Nothing. It showed how he wrote and recorded the album. He performed at Tennent's Vital festival and toured with Bonnie Raitt. Vance and Ed Sheeran also made surprise appearances at each other's concerts.
In November 2013, Joy of Nothing won the first-ever Northern Ireland Music Prize for best album.
The Wild Swan and New Collaborations (2015–2018)
In November 2015, Foy Vance officially joined Ed Sheeran's Gingerbread Man Records. His third album, The Wild Swan, was released in May 2016. Critics thought Vance deserved a big success with this album.
In May 2016, it was announced that Vance would support Elton John on some of his European tour dates. In September, Vance started his Wild Swan World Tour, beginning with a sold-out show in Perth, Australia. The tour also included stops in North America, the UK, and Europe.
Vance also helped write the song "Pushin' Time" for country singer Miranda Lambert's album in November 2016. In December 2016, Vance released the song "Moonshine" for the movie Live by Night. This song featured Kacey Musgraves and told the story of a bootlegger. A music video for "Moonshine" was released in January 2017.
Recent Albums and Awards (2019–Present)
In June 2019, Vance released From Muscle Shoals. This album featured songs inspired by American folk music. In July 2019, he worked with American DJ Illenium on the song "Blood". In September 2019, he released another album called To Memphis. His album Signs of Life came out in September 2021.
In January 2024, Foy Vance, along with Ed Sheeran and Max Martin, won an Emmy Award. They won for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics for their song A Beautiful Game. This song was featured in an episode of the Apple TV+ show Ted Lasso.
Foy Vance on Television
Foy Vance has appeared on TV several times. In 1994, he was on the talent show Stars in Their Eyes, pretending to be Andrew Strong from the band The Commitments. In 2012, his music was used in the TV series Beauty and the Beast.
He also appeared on RTE's Other Voices in Ireland. Vance was part of the Channel 4 series 4Thought.tv, where he talked about how important the hymn "Amazing Grace" was to him. A Channel 4 documentary also covered his life and career. In September 2011, Vance joined the band Snow Patrol on Later... with Jools Holland to perform their song "Fallen Empires". He also appeared on the show with Rudimental in May 2015.
Vance also hosts a show called Notes from the USA on Euronews.
Foy Vance's Music Releases
Albums
- Hope (Wurdamouth Records, 2007)
- Joy of Nothing (Glassnote Records, 2013)
- The Wild Swan (Gingerbread Man, 13 May 2016)
- 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)
