U.K. artist Barns Courtney’s new video, “Hands,” premiered today on NME.com and can be seen HERE
The infectious new song can be purchased on iTunes and heard on Spotify. “Hands” is an exuberant ode to romance, with the narrator on a quest to find the girl who penned her number on the back of his hand at a concert and disappeared into the crowd.
“Fire,” Barns Courtney’s first U.S. single, is a standout success at SiriusXM’s Spectrum channel, now over 800 spins and growing. After five short weeks,
“Fire” has pushed its way into the Top 5 on the Triple A charts. In May, Capitol Records will take
“Fire” to the Alternative format, where it’s already getting early airplay led by KNDD/Seattle. Hailed as “rousing” by
People Magazine, the song was handpicked by
Bradley Cooper and
Harvey Weinstein for use in the 2015 film
Burnt and tapped for a Showtime promotional ad campaign.
“Fire” has also been licensed by multiple programs on ESPN and on MLB. The track can be purchased now on
iTunes and heard on
YouTube and
Spotify.
Capitol Records introduced Barns Courtney at SXSW 2016 and he was featured on the Western leg of Alt Nation’s Advanced Placement tour, which recently wrapped up. He has opened for The Who at London’s Wembley Stadium and has also supported Elle King, Blur and The Libertines.
Born in Ipswich, England, Barns Courtney relocated to Seattle at age four when his mother remarried. At around age 14, two pivotal events occurred – an aunt gave him a guitar and he moved back to Ipswich. It was there that he first started performing, bouncing between various bands. He signed a recording contract straight out of high school, but when that deal fell apart, he went through several years of struggle.
“For three or four years, I was selling cigarettes in clubs, working in a computer store, it got really scary. But I never thought about giving up-it’s important to put all your chips on one number or how do you rise above the competition? When I was being honest with myself, I realized the importance of pursuing the thing that you love.”
His frustration fueled the songs he was writing. “They were all about aspects of the same feeling, a desperation to get back in touch with the burning passion I had when I started out,” he says. “That huge, defiant feeling-‘I’ll show them, I’ll get there somehow,’ a sense that burns in your gut.”
In 2015, the young artist went from sleeping in a car to scoring a U.K. viral hit with the single “Glitter and Gold,” which went to #1 on the Spotify UK Viral Chart, and opening a few North American shows for Ed Sheeran, a fellow musician from the Ipswich circuit. “Glitter and Gold” can be heard in the first trailer for The Founder, set for release on August 5 by The Weinstein Company. The trailer can be viewed
“HANDS” IS AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE NOW:
