How Losing Dad Turned Foy Vance's Songs Into Soulful Lifelines

Foy Vance is a talented singer-songwriter from Bangor, County Down, who has been making music for many years. His journey as a musician changed in a big way after his father, Hugh, passed away. Before his father's death, Foy wrote songs mainly to help him travel and perform. He described his earlier music as 'borrowed knowledge,' meaning he was writing from what he had learned, not from his own deep feelings. But when his father died, Foy realized that music was much more than just a way to get somewhere. It became a life raft for him, something that helped him deal with his grief and sadness. He said that when he wrote music, he could almost hear his father's voice, as if his dad was still with him, helping him write the songs.

Since 1998, Foy Vance has been on a journey to honor his father's memory through his music. He has released seven albums, with his latest one called The Wake. This album is the seventh in a series dedicated to his father. Foy is known as a songwriter that other artists admire. He has fans like Ed Sheeran and Sir Elton John, who have both praised his work. In fact, Sir Elton John has said that he idolizes Foy Vance. Foy became famous in 2013 with his album Joy of Nothing, which won the first Northern Ireland Music Prize. After that, he signed with Ed Sheeran's record label, Gingerbread Records, and has worked with Ed on many projects.

Foy's father was a preacher and a big supporter of his music career. He always encouraged Foy and would enter him into singing competitions, even driving him to different places to perform. Foy remembers his dad as someone who could light up any room with his presence. Even after his death, his dad's sense of humor showed through, as he wanted his gravestone to say 'Here lies the late late Hugh Bailie Vance' because he was always late. Foy says that writing songs is easy, but writing a really good song that means something is much harder. He believes that if songwriting feels too difficult, it might be because you are trying too hard to make it perfect. Now, Foy uses his music to remember his father and to share his feelings with others. He talks about his experiences and his music on the radio, hoping that people will connect with his story and his songs.