Londoner Victor Ray has always known how to stop a crowd—first on the street for the viral performances he became known for, and now on the international stage. Ray’s silvery pipes and R&B originals (gone are the days of covering other people’s music) have captivated audiences around the world and his latest stop, in collaboration with DHL’s Fast Track programme which focuses on nurturing emerging talent, is Brooklyn. Central to Ray’s story is an awareness of how difficult it is to exist in the margins. Because of that, he has partnered with DHL to help raise funds for the local community of New York City by collaborating on a limited merchandise line, with all proceeds going to Food Bank for NYC. We caught up with Victor Ray to talk tour life, giving back, and what he can’t travel without.
Hey! How’s the tour been?
Victor Ray: Tour has been incredible. Travelling to places I’ve never been before has felt like a homecoming each time. I just love getting to know a new place through the energy of each show—it’s always different.
What are your tour essentials?
Vocal steamer, PS5, ginger and lemon. Like a proper chunk of ginger to munch on.
How has busking shaped your creative practice?
I’d say the main way it’s shaped me is in performance—learning how to connect with people through my voice. Back when I first started, it was the only way I could make money to scrape by, so I learned quickly how to keep people’s attention. I figured out how to use the big side of my voice, how to feel the music internally. Once I figured that out, those same techniques started showing up at my shows—even when I write music, to be honest.
Tell me about your relationship to community and service.
Some of my earliest gigs were at community centres. My mum often worked or volunteered in jobs where she would serve the community—be it the sick or elderly—so I always had a pull to do the same. Through my own experience busking, I would often find myself getting to know these pockets of communities in different cities, made up of buskers and the homeless. I always valued that feeling of connection.
Did you always want to be a musician?
Oh yes. For as long as I can remember I was annoying everyone in the house, just running around singing. Honestly, it was always a dream. But it took me a while to know that it was who I am and what I was meant to do.
What’s your link to NYC? Why did you choose to activate the partnership there and support a charity?
I feel this strange pull to New York City. Though I’ve only been there once before—and for about 48 hours—the energy of the city is so loud, it just made me want to understand it more. It reminds me a lot of London, where I spent most of my adult life, so it’s always sort of felt like an extension of my journey. Because of that familiarity, I saw similar struggles in a short time. Supporting a charity feels like the perfect first step in understanding the community and my potential place in it.
Tell me about the merch collab with DHL and what you’re doing in NYC.
This merch collab with DHL is sick. We’ve got T-shirts, hats, bandannas, tote bags—all made exclusively for the trip. We sold these at my headline show at Elsewhere, Brooklyn. We raised enough money from combined merchandise sales and DHL’s donation to feed over 116,000 New Yorkers living with food insecurity! Crazy! It’s the kind of collaboration I didn’t even know was possible—but I’m so happy to be a part of it.
How did the partnership with DHL and Food Bank for NYC come about?
We wanted to find a charity that I connected with on a personal level. Through my time busking, I have a close connection with homelessness—so a food bank makes perfect sense. DHL has a partnership with Feeding America, whose mission aligns so nicely with our intention for this trip. I was told a mad fact that DHL has raised enough money to provide over 11 million meals to those in need—they are really committed to making a difference. Feeding America is the parent company to Food Bank for NYC, helping the local community in the city, so it felt like the perfect partner for me to connect with and support.
What was most exciting about your Brooklyn show?
I was most excited to meet my Brooklyn fans, honestly. It was great to chat to everyone. I feel like New York is a place where you have to prove yourself, so I’m glad to know I have a room of people who already have my back.
What are you looking forward to this year?
Writing! I’ve got a couple projects that I’m doubling down on as soon as I finish touring. But both a mixtape and my first studio album are in the works, and I can’t wait to finish them.
Any advice to kids from a similar background who might look up to you?
Chase your dream—unrelentingly and unapologetically. The world likes to tell us that something is impossible, especially when you start on the back foot because of the colour of your skin, your financial situation, or where you might live… But precedents are only set when the impossible happens. Someone’s going to do it—make sure you do it first.