Austin-Based Victor Grant Dives Into Heartache on Debut "Got It Bad" Single

   Pop/R&B singer-songwriter and fellow Austinite Victor Grant spent years pursing a marketing degree at The University of Texas at Austin before fully embracing his passion for songwriting and performing as part of collegiate a cappella group One Note Stand. 

   As every other independent artist working tirelessly to break through into the mainstream, Grant auditioned for the U.S. version of The X Factor multiple times to highlight his own talents of narrating personal stories with emotive, smooth vocal performances. Though he never officially graced the television screen, the artist has not stopped moving forward with the planned March 2017 release of Out of the Dark, his debut extended play. 

   With the premiere of lead single “Got It Bad”, Grant provides an introduction for his future fans to a collection of tracks that serve as a love letter to his songwriting idol Ryan Tedder. From touchy topics of depression to empowerment and acceptance, the upcoming EP plans to take the listener of a crazy, rollercoaster of a journey through the complex stage of a deteriorating relationship, and eventual break-up. The lead single provides a strong, overall representation of what is still to come. 

   “Got It Bad” delicately opens with a somber piano-driven intro, similar to that of “Underneath” by Adam Lambert. Grant quickly reveals his intimate inner thoughts, going over what could have gone wrong before the closing of a chapter. Inspired by a four-year relationship between two of his best friends that ended overnight, the songwriter wrote the track from the perspective of a lover to aid in the mourning of the relationship. It’s to signal the first step in the grieving process. 

   Produced with a funk/jazz approach like that of Bruno Mars, and aided by a vocal performance that rivals some of the R&B-influenced artists on the scene today, Grant is able to dig deep and pull inspiration from the unfortunate sorrow and heartache of another. “I’ve been going over it a million times, thought you were happy how could I be so blind, you met someone else, the love of your life, was it something I said, was it all just in my head,” he disappointingly admits.

   Just like the sentiments laid out in the single, the moderately uptempo production and lyrical content provide an intriguing juxtaposition where a listener might find themselves grooving along to a story of pain. “Got It Bad” is built around an energetic chorus and dance-worthy beats that may help to digest a heartbreaking true story. Grant’s attention-grabbing vocal range allows for an effortlessly progression from initial sadness to internal doubt leading to eventual movement forward.

   “Out of the Dark is very much story driven. I wrote it at a time where so much was happening in the relationships around me that I needed an outlet to express my own emotions without straight up gossiping,” Grant says of his upcoming EP. “I had friends who had a sex pact that blew up in their faces, I had a friend walk away from his relationship because he met someone else and wasn’t ‘feeling it’ anymore, I had someone tell me that our 2-year ‘friendship’ was basically all made up in my head, and a lot of other stuff. So I had a lot of emotions to get out and this record really brings these stories to life.”

   With a debut single as raw and alluring as "Got It Bad", it's safe to say Victor Grant has the drive and immense talent needed to set himself apart from an ever-crowding field of up and coming artists. The track is officially out tomorrow, Friday, January 13.