VINCINT On Why Touring Is Everything

By VINCINT

No one would know my name if it wasn’t for touring. 

I grew up in a family filled with music makers, singers and dancers. There was always someone performing, so that’s where I learned how to become a performer. Writing for me came a little later in life and I thank God it did. I needed to find out who I was as an artist and performer first and I had a crash course with my father being my guide and inspiration. He was in a gospel group known as the Christ United Gospel Singers; they spent their weekends traveling and singing on the road in different churches and venues. Lucky for me, I got to join them on most of their trips and see what it was like to really serve your A game! 

If there’s one group of people it’s hard to impress it’s “church people” (ha-ha) but my dad and his boys had it in the bag! Their voices were obviously the main attraction but they had charisma and charm, which kept their audiences spellbound for hours – and I do mean hours. We didn’t leave those places until the morning sometimes. 

Something I realized at a young age was being good at singing wasn’t good enough, you had to be compelling. The crowd wants to be transported when they listen, not sang too but sang with! It’s a journey for all of you, a glimpse into the world you’ve created. 

Now that I have my own stage, sound and stories, I make sure to bring them with me wherever it may be, remembering I’m the captain and it’s my job to keep them safe through every adventure we go on during my show. 

When I started putting together “The Getaway Tour,” I wanted it to feel like the gatherings I had witnessed in those churches with my dad, where performers from those churches got up and showed off their gifts and told their stories in only the ways they could! I wanted the experience to be a culmination of different experiences and the joy of what it feels like to go to three different concerts at once! 

I love recording and creating in the studio but nothing beats the feeling I get when I can look into someone’s eyes and see the light flip on and watch them dance their pain away or fall in love with themselves again. It’s my life source, it keeps me honest and focused on what my job as an artist should always be. I’m the captain and the audience are my crew – it’s my job to make sure they leave better than they came. A little fuller, a bit brighter, warmer and whole. My shows should always be a place where you can feel at home. Touring changed my life, it’s my first love and it’s the reason people know my name. It’s everything.