Victor Ray signs to Decca

30 January 2024 - Press release

THE SELF-MADE STAR FROM NEWCASTLE WITH A GLOBAL AUDIENCE OF MILLIONS

“..a phenomenon” - Clash

“..impassioned singing and lyrics of wit and gritty candour” - Sunday Times Culture

“Pure soul” - Jack Saunders, BBC Radio 1

 

Universal Music Group’s Decca Records has officially announced the signing of Victor Ray, the 24-year-old superstar in waiting who is fast proving himself to be the UK’s hottest new musical export. Victor will also be partnering with the legendary Capitol Records for the release of his music in the US.

Victor Ray’s career has seen him go from performing on the streets of his hometown of Newcastle, to amassing over 1 billion combined views globally. His new single ‘Comfortable’ has, since being teased in December, seen global audiences and streaming build exponentially in US, Germany, France, Brazil, Mexico, Holland and South Korea, seeing a swift increase to Victor’s socials to 4.7 million. He has now also released an accompanying powerful performance video: 

Born in Uganda, raised in Newcastle and now based in London, Victor Ray got his start as a musician the hard way: busking. Singing his heart out on the cold streets of the North East, then uploading the footage to TikTok has seen Victor bring busking to the digital age. Playing to fans across the world online and winning them over with his incredible voice, as he did last week with Teddy Swims, when the pair performed for crowds in Piccadilly Circus. Victor’s videos of his outdoor pop-up performances have garnered over 171 million views. 

Victor has sold out every single one of his London headline shows to date, most recently at the Moth Club, as well as 2 European tours, where fans have hung on every word as he performed tracks from his 2 EPs; his debut ‘i was.’ released in February last year and most recently ‘i felt.’ in September. A spot on the BBC Introducing stage at last year’s Latitude festival and packed out performances at The Great Escape capped off a stellar 2023 for Victor. His next, eagerly awaited, headline show will be at London’s Lafayette on 29th May 2024, tickets sold out within 6 hours of going on sale.

Speaking about the signing, Victor Ray says: “I’m really excited to have joined Decca and to be working with the team. It was clear from our first meeting that Sam, Tom and Laura understood my long term vision as an artist.”

Co-President of Decca, Tom Lewis, says: “We are so thrilled to welcome Victor to Decca. The speed of his worldwide audience growth is jaw-dropping. The first time Sam (Mumford) and I saw Victor perform was on Oxford Street. He was singing to about 200 people in person and a further 60,000 who were watching him live on social media. His performance was so powerful, and so heartfelt, it felt like he was singing to everyone around the world as if they were there with us. That's his magic - his extraordinary, direct, power as a writer and singer. When Victor Ray sings, he stops people in their tracks, and every single day he is winning over thousands of new fans around the globe."