BioToronto-based singer/songwriter Victor Martin produces a smoothly infectious sound well beyond his years. The 20-year-old artist is an accomplished guitarist and trained vocalist, whose love for songwriting has grown ever since he received a ukulele for Christmas at two years old. He draws from inspirations as diverse as Bruce Springsteen, Tim McGraw, Elvis Presley and Enrique Iglesias, whose track “Hero” Victor calls “the first song I truly fell in love with.” In addition to these western staples, Victor takes a cue from the suave French pop of Francis Cabrel and Johnny Hallyday. Victor was already producing stunning covers of artists like these at age 15, racking up over 160,000 hits on YouTube for his interpretations of tracks like Iglesias’ “Why Not Me”, Cabrel’s “Rosie”, and Hallyday’s “Un Jour Viendra”.
5 years after his successful video covers, Victor continues to work on his own songs. With over dozens of songs written, he continues to masterfully juggle his influences with his original songwriting talent, which ranges in style from haunting folk ballads to infectious summertime pop music. “I would love to have an album out with songs that I love and am able to perform in front of people, whether it’s ten people or thousands of people,” he says. Victor’s passion for live performance is obvious. He performed at every talent show and coffeehouse at his high school, in addition to talent shows at Club Med and at a restaurant in a Jamaican resort. Victor’s most memorable memory of performing was at his first talent show, when he performed a 12-minute medley to a rousing ovation. “I couldn’t believe the reception of the audience; the feeling of ecstasy that I had as they sung along was so unreal to me,” he said. “I started to dream of the day that a crowd would sing to my own songs.”
While Victor’s music flaunts pop and folk styles akin to many of his influences, he is also eager to incorporate a variety of other genres like electronica into his work. There is no genre that is off limits for Victor’s growing arsenal. He tends to be moved by particular artists, rather than stylistic movements. “I pay attention to the artists more than the movement because I admire the artists that, although they can be part of an era, they are so singular to themselves that we could say that could exist in any decade.” The future is bright for any talented songwriter open to a diverse array of styles and ideas, and Victor Martin is a shining example of that.
