Combining elements of folk, soul, and funk, English singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist
Will Heard was still only 20 when his guest vocals appeared on an August 2013 U.K.-charting version of "Sonnentanz (Sun Don't Shine)," a brooding electronic track by the Austrian duo
Klangkarussell. Having played saxophone since he was 10,
Heard's soulful and jazz-inspired vocal delivery often mimicked the sound of that instrument. Inspired by the music of
Nina Simone,
Ella Fitzgerald,
James Brown, and
Free, as much as by more contemporary artists such as
Jessie J and
Adele, he continued to write new material and make U.K. live appearances surrounding the initial flurry of interest that followed the success of "Sonnentanz." By the end of September, a further vocal collaboration had surfaced, this time on "Comfortable," a single by the Australian electronic duo
the Aston Shuffle. ~ James Wilkinson