Presented by SONY'S "Lost In Music" (SXSW Badges & Music Wristbands only)
Rag'n'Bone Man
One of Entertainment Weekly’s ‘10 Artists Who Will Rule 2017’
“Rory Graham (Rag’n’Bone Man) is going to be huge…every song lands like a punch to the heart. It is a big, emotional record, rooted in musical styles that transcend fashion.” – The Daily Telegraph
“A surely unstoppable star in waiting.” – Evening Standard
“An unlikely star, a breakout hit with an uplifting message on the frailty of humanity, a style that is modern and resolutely traditional.” – The Times
(Columbia Records; New York, NY - February 10, 2017) – The powerfully gifted UK hip hop bluesman Rag’n’Bone Man (Rory Graham) has released his Columbia Records debut album Human, available everywhere today (Standard / Deluxe). The 12 track LP features breakthrough hit “Human” which reached #1 on iTunes in 33 countries, #1 at Triple A Radio and the Top 10 at Alternative Radio in the U.S, the Top 10 of Billboard’s Alternative chart and is certified Platinum in 4 countries (Gold in 6).
“Human” has surpassed 100 million streams, climbing to #2 on the Worldwide Shazam chart with the video for the soulful hit also topping the 100 million mark – watch here. The artist’s astonishing rise has been rooted in non-stop touring and his authentic integration of the blues into hip hop-styled beats, garnering unanimous rave reviews across the globe with The Guardian claiming him as ‘the voice of a long-lost blues legend…’ and Idolator including him in their On The Verge List; 25 Artists to Watch In 2017, proclaiming ‘all eyes are on him…’ Rag’n’Bone Man made his US radio debut at Sirius XM and was named one of their Future Five artists to watch this year. "Human" was also selected for Alternative radio new music discovery campaigns that included iHeartRadio's "On The Verge," Entercom's "7x7" and Cumulus Media's "New Now."
Now poised to become a breakthrough U.S. success story, Rag’n’Bone Man will make his American television debut with a full live band performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on February 16. The two-time Brit nominee and winner of BRITs Critic’s Choice Award is also set to embark on his first major UK headline tour in April with a month-long schedule of sold out dates.
Most recently, Rag’n’Bone Man shared his new track “Skin,” another stunning vocal performance taken from his forthcoming album Human. The track perfectly showcases the soulful/bluesy vocal reach and hip hop-fueled leanings of the UK star. Other songs on the album include “Innocent Man,” “Bitter End,” “Love You Any Less,” “Odetta,” Grace,” “As You Are,” and more (full track listing below).
Rag’n’Bone Man has been a prolific underground presence in the UK since he first started rapping in his hometown of Uckfield at the age of 15. At the age of 19 with encouragement from his father, he started singing at local blues nights, developing his chops and raw instinctual gift for the genre. His combined love for blues and rap soon developed into something bigger when he joined Brighton’s hip-hop crew, The Rum Committee, regularly travelling up to London to play hip-hop nights in Brixton. The releases of his Blues Town, Wolves and Disfigured EPs earned him huge crowds across the country, solidifying a dedicated fan base incredibly early on in his career.
He has gained praise from multiple peers and music legends along the way, including Chaka Khan, De La Soul and Elton John. Rag’n’Bone Man recently revealed that one of his standout moments, so far, happened when Elton John rang him up ‘out of the blue’ to say he liked his music. The legendary John also regularly plays Rag’n’Bone Man's music on his Beats 1 show. The song “Human” is also featured in promos for the upcoming new Fox 10-hour event series Shots Fired.
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