Connor Selby almost stands alone in the world of contemporary music, outside the parameters of the genres he touches upon – no one is making the kind of music he is, no one really sounds like he does. This all plays into his sense of identity and belonging.
He has already become one of the most respected young singer-songwriters in the UK; he burst into the attention of the wider world when he released his Provogue Records debut, a ‘MOJO Magazine Blues Album of the Year’ 2023’s ‘Connor Selby’ which has already clocked up 2 million streams. It also received support from BBC Radio 2’s Cerys Matthews, Classic Rock, Guitarist, and beyond.
The fast-rising star also featured alongside a host of superstars on Dire Straits legend Mark Knopfler’s 2024 charity single, “Going Home (Theme From Local Hero),” which features the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Slash, Eric Clapton, David Gilmour, Pete Townsend, Sam Fender, Tom Morello, Brian May, Tony Iommi, Nile Rogers, Roger Daltry, and Ronnie Wood.
He was voted “Young Artist of the Year” at the UK Blues Awards for three consecutive years (2020, 2021, 2022) and was nominated in four categories (Contemporary Blues Artist of the Year, Instrumentalist of the Year, UK Acoustic Blues Act of the Year, and UK Blues Vocalist of the Year) in 2024.
No stranger to touring, he has already clocked up thousands of miles across Europe and played the biggest stages in the UK, from supporting The Who at Wembley Stadium to a Hyde Park Festival alongside the likes of Pear Jam and Stereophonics and opened for powerhouse singer Beth Hart at the iconic London Palladium along with other dates on her March 2024 UK tour. He was the only artist to support the Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band on his April’ Trouble Is’ 25th Anniversary UK tour. He’s played shows with soul Icon P.P. Arnold at the world-famous Jazz Cafe and Betty LaVette at the prestigious Cadogan Hall, London, toured with Robert Cray and produced a standout performance at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival.
You only need to see him perform on stage with his full band behind him – evoking a calm, assured confidence at odds with many other guitarists’ wild shredding. The poise and aura of players like Eric Clapton and Peter Green’s emotive storytelling dance along his fretboard as he’s lost in his thoughts.
“I just want to be as authentic as possible in my music and how I present myself. That’s fundamentally the main thing that drives me as an artist: wanting to be authentic. That’s why I do it. It’s hard to be authentic because you’ve got to not second-guess yourself.”
“Everything I do is natural. The songs are all inspired by things I’ve experienced. I try to follow my gut, for better or worse. My instincts are pretty good, but there’s also the other side to it. I’m self-aware enough to realize that it can lead to certain challenges.”
Experiences are the fundamental thing to make us all grow. Selby has spent the last two years watching out of the window, circumnavigating the UK and travelling through Europe; Spain, The Netherlands, Germany, France, and Austria, taking it all in and reflecting on life and the trials and tribulations that come with it.
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