Topping a viral hit like "Riptide" is no easy feat, but Vance Joy is back and better than ever with incredible new music. The 29-year-old star performed his latest single "Lay It On Me," which dropped back in July, for the very first time on TV on Jimmy Kimmel Live earlier this month. In the same week, Red Bull TV gave fans everywhere the chance to stream his old meets new set as he performed it live at this year's Austin City Limits. (Scroll through and catch highlights below!)
Since then, Joy gave Forbes a breakdown of what exactly inspired his recently released tracks and the challenges that came along with it. "You're under pressure all the time," he told us. "As an artist, sometimes I get pressured to do things I'm not comfortable with, but I always know when a sound isn't me. I won't stand by something if I don't feel it's right. Being able to navigate through these pressures has made me stronger and has given me a better sense of who I am, and who I want to be."
Whenever he does finish a song, the first people on the singer's mind are his family. "I'll usually show it to my mom and dad first," Joy revealed. "However, if I'm really proud of it, I'll show it to whoever is around."
Along with his parents, another standout supporter of his is none other than Taylor Swift. He accompanied the "Look What You Made Me Do" singer during her 1989 World Tour back in 2015. "She's very easy-going and relaxed," Joy said. "Watching her do her thing was inspiring. I can only imagine what it's like to be her. She conducts herself with a lot of grace, considering how busy she must be and the overwhelming amount of people who want just a moment with her. It was amazing to see it all first hand."
He's not all work though, Joy opened up about the time he jokingly wanted to invite Swift out to the casino at his hometown in Melbourne, Australia. "My family was there, including my mom, dad, sister, and a bunch of friends," he explained. "Taylor was super lovely and she gave me the best shoutout. It was also the final show of the whole tour and I was so thrilled she shouted me out in my hometown. Then me and friends went to a casino because we felt like we were kings of the world. Unfortunately, I don't think Taylor [Swift] could have really shown herself in the public area of the casino, so no I didn't end up asking her, but it was still very fun."
Joy's success is one-of-a-kind and there's so much more to come. At the end of the day, he will always be the humble musician from Melbourne who stays true to himself. "I actually still get very nervous before going up on stage," he confessed. "I was anxious playing in L.A. a few weeks ago because I wanted to impress my friends."
If you want to see him perform, make sure you catch him on his current Lay It On Me World Tour. Several shows are already sold out, so get those tickets before they're gone.
