BIMM graduate Victor Ray joins Teddy Swims for sold-out tour

We’re enormously happy for BIMM London graduate Victor Ray, who’s just been announced as the supporting act for Teddy Swims on his upcoming run of shows.

The tour spans 15 sold-out shows across the UK and Ireland, including multiple performances in London, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham and Dublin.

The pair initially connected when Teddy Swims made an appearance in one of Victor’s busking videos, amassing millions of plays across social media. This then led to Teddy Swims bringing Victor onstage for a performance of John Legend’s ‘Ordinary People’ at one of his shows.

Victor has also just been confirmed as part of BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend line-up at Stockwood Park in Luton. He’ll be performing on the BBC Introducing Stage with JGRREY, Sam Girling, Lavs, Deeps and Charlieeeee, with festival headliners such as Chase & Status, RAYE, Charli XCX, Diplo and more.

Born in Uganda and raised in Newcastle, Victor moved to London to attend BIMM and pursue his dreams of becoming an artist. After narrowly missing out on a place studying Sociology at Newcastle University, he took a gap year. He immersed himself in music, causing a profound shift in his passions and pursuits. Whilst exploring various avenues, including playing gigs, busking professionally, and even performing at weddings, Victor’s family encouraged him to pursue his passion and study music.

We caught up with Victor ahead of the tour with Teddy Swims:

“I’m so excited to be joining Teddy Swims on tour, honestly. The way we connected was amazing too, considering how I’ve been street performing my songs for years now – even throughout my time at BIMM – so to be able to have so much to show for it is a blessing.

My time at BIMM London was crucial for me. Just to be surrounded by music and creatives was so important. Moving from Newcastle to London was difficult and isolating, so having a community to support me, like the one I found at BIMM, was so helpful.

I had been writing music and singing for years before I released my first song. So much of that time was when I was a student at BIMM. Being able to study different genres and explore music in diverse ways was fundamental in helping me find my own sound and style. I released my first song a few months after graduating from BIMM, so it was such a smooth transition into the music industry in my experience. I’m very grateful for my time there.”

Cover image of Victor Ray by Harvey Pearson