Riptide Dreams

“Everything that came into my life in the last two years has all been dependent on that song opening doors for me,” James Keogh, aka Vance Joy, says about his hit number “Riptide,” which has been certified platinum by the RIAA since its release in 2013. The 27-year-old Australian crooner is new to the music industry, only releasing his debut full-length Dream Your Life Away in September of 2014, but he has already graced the stage at Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza. Keogh, who was playing for the Coburg Football Club in 2009, readily admits that music just got serious for him. “The dream grew for me when I wrote my first couple of decent songs in 2010,” he says. “I always try not to take it too seriously because I think a lot of the good stuff comes when you’re not trying to control too much.” A fixture in his native Australia, Keogh has enjoyed navigating the American festival and touring circuit, admitting that he was “almost surprised” by the number of people who gather by the stages at some of the country’s most significant festivals. “It’s been interesting. It’s almost been a replication of my first year playing tours in Australia but on a bigger level.”