3 Reasons You Should Be Going to See Jacob Banks on Saturday

Trust us, when he’s huge you’ll reference this show for years to come.

We don’t do a lot of live music at VanMag, so when we do I hope you know it’s serious. Like fawning over Nigerian-born, Birmingham-raised Jacob Banks, who seems equal parts Ray Charles, Woodkid, and grandson with a shot of James Carr.1. He has a serious set of pipes.The man’s got talent. Banks employs sweeping, powerful vocals that seem to send a shock through whichever song he’s performing. It was this voice, along with the talent that accompanies Banks’s production, that secured him as the first-ever unsigned act to appear on a BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge. Listen to his cover of Say Something and tell us we’re crazy.2. His music is genre-defying.Though some may try to limit Banks to the singular titles of Hip Hop, R&B, Contemporary, Pop, or Soul, his style is influenced by several genres at once (Banks himself admits to being inspired as a child by animated Disney movies!). His songs evoke moods from across the spectrum: “Be Good To Me,” featuring Swedish artist Seinabo Sey, juxtaposes glitched electronic production against bluesy lyrics; meanwhile, “Unknown” is a sweeping, heartfelt ode to a past love that will leave you curled up on the ground.3. He’s just getting started.After being established in the music scene for only a few years, Banks has already racked up an impressive number of feats: he’s followed up three successful EPs with the release of an album, Village (through Interscope Records); he’s performed at the likes of Coachella and SXSW; additionally, he’s drawn the attention of pop culture outlets, counting the show Suits and several FIFA video games as supporters of his music.Tickets are available here.