Tour news: Leon Bridges

Soul musician, Leon Bridges.

If you've caught the sweet, soulful strains of 26-year-old Texas native Leon Bridges emanating from the radio in the last few months, perhaps with snappy single Smooth Sailin', or seductive, buttery ballad Coming Home, you'll undoubtedly be excited to hear he's heading to our shores early next year.

The newcomer who's garnered immediate attention with his debut album Coming Home (it shot to number 6 in the US, and peaked at number 8 in Australia and the UK on release) will perform at the St James Theatre on Saturday, January 9, 2016, with tickets available through Ticketek from Tuesday, November 24.

He's proved himself to be a captivating live performer, backed by a five-piece band and impressing audiences at festivals including Glastonbury and Austin City Limits, earning comparisons to Sam Cooke and Otis Redding - though he's modest about being able to emulate his heroes.

"I'm not saying I can hold a candle to any soul musician from the 50s and 60s, but I want to carry the torch."

His influences range much wider than that too. He grew up going to church, fascinated with modern RnB artists like Ginuwine and Usher, took hip-hop dance classes.

He cut his album in a studio owned by two members of Austin rock band White Denim, who invited him to use the space after hearing him play at a coffee-house gig.

Since then he's had a steady rise to fame, inking a deal with Columbia Records, and working his way from intimate solo shows, to a recently sold-out gig at the Apollo Theater in New York.