Recently, I went to a concert at the State Theatre. The headliner was Jonah Kagen. He may not be incredibly popular, but he has a hit single with over 127,000,000 listens on spotify. Jonah was phenomenal, but the opener surprised me. Jonah’s best friend, Vincent Lima, opened for him. His performance stood out, and encaptivated the whole audience. A frequent attendee of concerts, Aaron B, described to me “usually the whole crowd is still talking while the opener plays, but everyone seems to be paying attention as if he’s the headliner”. Vincent Lima was playing on stage for only about 45 minutes, but by the end of it, the whole audience was mesmerized. Before the concert, I didn’t even know him, but as soon as he opened his mouth, I completely forgot about Jonah.
One of Lima’s most popular songs is titled “Orpheus”, accompanied by “Eurydice”. You wouldn’t know by just listening, but he is greatly inspired by Greek mythology. He incorporates the storytelling of these myths with the poetic lyricism and tropes of similar musicians. This adds a unique element to his songs, inviting you to join the story through the powerful music. However, if you don’t like mythology, it doesn’t impact your listening experience. He merely uses these stories to craft the base for the emotions of the song. The common themes of the myths make the listener resonate with the feelings, and try to connect it to their own life.
Aaron B was lucky enough to attend Noah Kahan’s 2022 tour, at his stop in Portland. He made the association that Vincent's performance reminded him of “the opener for Noah Kahan when he was at the State Theatre”. Noah Kahan is now one of the most well known folk artists, with over 27,000,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. The relation between Vincent Lima and Noah Kahan implies there are great things ahead for Vincent. His potential is undeniable. Vincent has a unique storytelling style, however his sound can be grouped with other folk indie artists such as Noah Kahan, Chance Peña, Jonah Kagen, Michael Marcagi, and Hozier. His voice conjures the sound of Alex Warren, because of the way he blends his words with his deep voice. His music contains a touch of many artists, while still creating his own sound.