VALERIE JUNE, Manchester

Valerie June biography

Valerie June (born Valerie June Hockett in 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist from Memphis, Tennessee. She began recording and performing in 2001, initially with her then-husband in the duo Bella Sun. In her solo work her sound encompasses a mixture of folk, blues, gospel, soul, country, Appalachian and bluegrass. Good things come to those who wait and Valerie June's time is now, the last year bringing rave reviews at SXSW, a collaboration with Grammy-nominated Fugees producer John Forte (on the hip-hop-blues song Give Me Water) as the word-of-mouth whisper has gradually grown into a collective global holler. This September, one of her friends sent her a Facebook message saying she'd seen a video of her glorious Bestival Performance. “And she said, 'you're gonna be a huge star',” smiles the captivating Valerie June. “A while ago I would've been like, I dunno about being a huge star. But now I'm like, you know what? If I can get a break? I will take it. I deserve it. I have paid my dues! I can't work on Maggie's Pharm no more. If you wanna bring me a coffee, yeah, I'll let you bring it. Because I have been the person bringing the coffee. I don't need any more experience in that. Now, being a queen? M'Kay! I think I can use a little spoiling. Bring it on.”

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