He was one of the sensations of 2014; Curtis Harding arrived suddenly with his highly acclaimed album Soul Power. At least, so it seemed. Harding is in his mid-thirties and was born into the disadvantaged environment of Saginaw, Michigan – he had to take a strange detour to get to where he is now. As the son of a gospel singer, music was his destiny. First, he sang backing vocals for CeeLo Green and Outkast, then he was discovered by Cole Alexander of Black Lips, and together they founded the garage-rock band Night Sun. And so Harding came to the small garage-rock label Burger Records, which released Soul Power. Last year he had a 3FM Megahit with Keep On Shining and the stages of the Dutch club scene quickly became too small for him. Having successfully played at more intimate venues, this year Harding is ready for the big time. He is taking his edgy, raw and fiery version of soul to various festivals, including Lowlands, Latitude and Pukkelpop.