22-year-old Jamaican singer-songwriter Romain Virgo hits the road on a whirlwind tour stretching across California, Oregon and Washington throughout the rest of June and July. In support of his critically acclaimed album The System, Virgo will perform at a variety of club venues with fellow artists Perfect and Prince Allah as well as major festivals – including Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, Reggae on The River and Bridge City Music Festival. See Romain Virgo’s full tour schedule below and check www.facebook.com/RomainVirgo for most up-to-date information.
Since its May 8 release, Romain Virgo’s The System (VP Records) has remained at the top of the Billboard Reggae Album chart – where it debuted at #6. Virgo’s second album has been so well-received within the Jamaican diaspora that his recent album launch concert – held on May 30 in Kingston, Jamaica at the Emancipation Park – drew in a massive crowd of nearly 2000 people along with major sponsors like Red Bull, Pepsi and Digicel.
Critics continue to rave about The System- calling Virgo’s music “striking” (Washington Post), “high-quality” (BBC) and “so present, so affecting” (New York Times). In a recent article, Billboard describes Virgo as “a leading light among a new generation of roots reggae stars” and mentions how he has chosen “empowering messages over misogynistic and violent lyrics, intricately textured one-drop rhythms instead of frenetic digital beats…and found an appreciative, multi-generational audience.”
Read BILLBOARD’s full story on the rising star’s success:
http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/record-labels/how-rising-reggae-star-romain-virgo-is-breaking-1007324562.story
It has only been five years since Romain Virgo became the youngest winner of TVJ’s popular “Rising Stars” – Jamaica’s equivalent to American Idol. In this short time frame, Romain recorded his debut self-titled album with several chart-topping reggae hits (“Can’t Sleep” and “Wanna Go Home”) and his new album The System. He has won numerous awards within the Caribbean community – including Entertainer of the Year by The Jamaica Recording Industry Association (JaRIA). He made history again as the first Jamaican artist to perform at Academy of Country Music Awards in Nashville, Tennessee – where he sung his Reggae’s Gone Country rendition of “All The Gold In California” alongside original vocalists The Gatlin Brothers.
ROMAIN VIRGO U.S. TOUR DATES:
- Sat June 23 @ Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, Boonville, CA
- Wed Jun 27 @ Echoplex, Los Angeles, CA
- Thu Jun 28 @ World Beat Center, San Diego, CA
- Fri Jun 29 @ Moe’s Alley, Santa Cruz, CA
- Sat Jun 30 @ Wild Mountain Fair Festival, Concow, CA
- Sun Jul 1 @ The Shattuck Down Low, Berkeley, CA
- Mon Jul 2 @ HopMonk Tavern, Sebastopol, CA
- Fri Jul 6 @ Bridge City Music Festival at The Refuge, Portland, OR
- Sat Jul 7@ Club Sur, Seattle, WA
- Sat Jul 21 @ Reggae On The River, Garberville, CA
Video for New Single “I Know Better”:
Video of Live Acoustic Performance of “Not Today”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_y8x-dwobE
