Vlad Holiday likes to move musically in the shadows. His compositions are steeped in nostalgia, love, and human vulnerability. His crooner songs slow the pace of a world caught in a rush, infused with melancholy and creating a sonic universe of their own one that seeks comfort in embracing even life’s darker moments. As a completely independent artist, he reaches audiences around the world who recognize themselves in this honest, inward-looking perspective. His music is reminiscent of the Belgian band Balthazar, particularly their singer Maarten Devoldere and his solo project Warhaus. Born in Bucharest, later fleeing to New York and now based in Nashville, Holiday’s music is shaped by a sense of constant movement and outsiderhood. Vintage microphones, tape machines and analog equipment define his lo-fi sound, blending past and present into one. Even though optimism and collaboration have their place in Vlad Holiday’s work, a certain darkness is always present in his music as the expression of an artist in the midst of his journey. And what could be more beautiful than surrendering to melancholy from time to time?