Vance Joy says he's "not the first guy to play folky chords and sing".
That may be so, but his ability to "play folky chords and sing" has propelled him to stardom not just in his home country of Australia, but worldwide.
Joy has had two No.1 albums (2014's Dream Your Life Away and 2018's Nation of Two),has won two ARIA awards, and 10 of his songs are now ARIA-certified platinum or multi-platinum. That includes his breakout hit Riptide, which has gone platinum 12 times. Riptide also topped triple j's Hottest 100 and was APRA's Song of the Year in 2014.
His singles - including Riptide, Mess is Mine, Georgia, Fire and the Flood, Lay It On Me, I'm With You, Saturday Sun and We're Going Home - have been streamed more than 3.2 billion times. Album Nation of Two cracked the US Top 10 and peaked at No.2 in Canada.
His 83-date Nation of Two in 2018 introduced him to new fans across the world, as did playing at festivals like Coachella, Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and Splendour in the Grass. Joy has also toured stadiums with pop powerhouses Taylor Swift (a fan and friend of his) and P!NK.
Earlier this year he released a collaboration with Marshmello and Benny Blanco, You, followed by Missing Piece, a song for our times about navigating long distance relationships and the euphoria of reuniting.
Maybe there will be some really good songs that come from this time out.
Vance Joy
It's distinctly and uniquely Joy. There is something about his voice and his delivery that makes a connection. We can not only hear what he's singing, we feel it. I ask him how he achieves his.
"I have no idea," he replies, laughing. "But thank you. I didn't get trained to sing but I feel like it's a fortunate thing to have your own musical voice and style.
"I'm not the first guy to play folky chords and sing, there are a million people doing it, but I remember when I was 14 and playing guitar and trying to sing covers and something just clicked in me.
"I was never told that I had a good voice or anything, but I felt like there was some kind of soulful element to how I was singing.
"Take Chet Faker. He's not necessarily the greatest singer of all time but when he sings, the Spanish band I play with here in Barcelona, they say 'He sings the truth'. I like that idea."
Joy moved to Barcelona earlier this year to be closer to his girlfriend (Missing Piece was inspired by their long distance relationship). He has been enjoying the pandemic-driven break from touring.
"There were a few years where I was playing heaps of shows, at least 100 shows a year, but some years it was closer to 200," he says.
"It was really fun, so much energy, and I definitely have some great memories from those times.
"It has been strange to take a break but it was probably a good thing. It allowed me and the band to be somewhere a bit more permanently; to plant deeper roots and not be doing a one or two-month return to Melbourne and then saying goodbye and being away for a very long time again.
"My tour is a while away but it's nice to have a plan for the next year or two: planning to release an album and then going on a big Australian tour.
"So it's been a good break, a nice break, but it's also nice to see something concrete up ahead. Maybe there will be some really good songs that come from this time out."
Joy's 13-date Australian tour will stop off in Newcastle on October 15 for an all-ages concert at Foreshore Park, Camp Shortland. He is bringing his full band with him and special guests The Rubens, Middle Kids, Budjerah and Mia Wray.
He can't wait.
"I love that we're travelling to the regions. I'm looking forward to seeing some new places and not just the same five or six cities," Joy says.
"Because we're playing slightly bigger shows we wanted to have a quality line-up. Fans of the other bands will go to see them as well, and it will feel more like a festival than just my show."
