ViRE shares his villain origin story in debut project 'Drift'

Pushing the boundaries of R&B, singer, songwriter and producer ViRE (previously under the moniker of Tanaka x) takes us to new depts in EP Drift. While the singer might be one of the newer R&B players to break out onto the scene from Belfast he is by no means a rookie to the genre, crowned the winner of NI Stars Talent Competition in 2015 and Nashville’s Young Singer-Songwriters in 2017. ViRE has been in his lair crafting soundscapes to shape the future generation. Spending his earlier years influenced by the likes of WizKid and The Weeknd, the self-described mad genius exposed himself to the world and online culture, manifesting this into his music. His debut project tells a story of how heartbreak can be the beginning of a villain origin story.

The project begins with a light airy atmosphere, high vocals and upbeat projection, setting the tone for what seems like a happy typical love song. This swiftly flips on its head (which is why the artwork is upside down) as ViRE starts to read between the lines opens his eyes to the true nature of his relationship with a girl. This bittersweet truth forces ViRE to self-reflect and considers the relationship as a lesson. Karma hits as the main protagonist is slowly becoming more and more resentful and undoubtedly enters the F YOU stage, where we get a glimpse at his more vulnerable thought process. Leading us to the final track, the birth of the infamous F BOY as the character battles his paranoia with females while he elevates and reaches fame. Story to be continued with regard to how he battles this newly formed trauma, how he becomes whole and finds unrequited love.

Talking of the creation of ‘Drift’ ViRE explained “The first 3 songs from the project were written and composed over 2 years ago written in 2018. At the time I was going through a journey internally about self-discovery which was a difficult time. I completely stopped socializing and doing things like going to clubs which left me with no other escape than music. At this time I was hoping and praying that I would find my stride and started experimenting. During this time I was using a new site called splice and came across two samples that spoke to me when I first heard them. Describing the feeling would almost paint me as a madman but it felt like I had just figured everything out and that life was going to change from these songs. They basically wrote themselves, each song didn’t take more than 30mins to produce and write. It felt electric yet anxious at the same time.”

Having already immersed himself in the industry, Johnson Tanaka Furusa, professionally known as ViRE, has been known to break a lot of rules when making music. Through his production, he merges the likes of R&B with Afrobeat, R&B with Trap and Alt R&B with Afrobeat drums. Creating dynamic soundscapes, topped off by a compelling story that connects with the audience. With a debut project underneath his belt neatly, we’re expected another riotous year from the R&B star.

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https://viremusic.co.uk/