A 22-year-old singer-songwriter from York, Fin Henderson, has been announced as the backing act for Laura Mvula for her headline concert with Harrogate International Festivals.

The Pocklington-based musician said supporting Laura Mvula was ‘the gig I’m most excited for’.

“People always say you never know when somethings going to happen,” Fin said. “I was sitting at home when I got the email saying, do you want to support Laura Mvula,” he laughed, “Hmm, go on then!”

One of Yorkshire’s rising stars, Fin’s bold approach and unique style saw him win a major competition as the 2017 Salute Music Maker Champion. His song, A Million Places, claimed the number one position after a public vote.

Fin now performs regular gigs across York.

After making music videos in his teens from the age of 14, Fin was almost going to quit music after studying Italian and French at Leeds University.

“There was a period where I thought I’d just get on with ‘realistic’ things so I was taking a bit of a break from music at University. I wasn’t writing or doing gigs; it wasn’t till the end of the summer I got everything going again, so I dropped out of Uni and felt, ah come on, it’s time to give music a go.”

Reviews praised A Million Places for being raw, honest and heartfelt.

Fin said: “I’m a singer songwriter – people tell me it’s a sound that’s in between Muse and Tom Odell. It’s why I’m excited for this gig, where everyone sits and listens, and you can feel you’re really speaking to the audience. Sometimes I play in really busy bars and if you can’t hear the lyrics it just sounds like vaguely depressing background music,” Fin laughed.

Mvula was famously championed by the late superstar Prince, and recently appeared with artist David Byrne. The soul sensation also has a commission in the offing with the BBC Proms; Harrogate is one of her few UK appearances. Her two highly regarded albums, Sing To The Moon and The Dreaming Room were both nominated for the Mercury Prize.

Laura Mvula, with support act Fin Henderson, plays on July 27 at the Royal Hall, Harrogate, 7.30pm. Tickets: From £24. Book here