Singer 'very lucky' to overcome debilitating injury

Vince said he was "very aware of the fact that I'm very lucky"

There were times when musician Vince Freeman's dream of finishing his debut album seemed impossible. The platinum-selling artist suffered six years of debilitating pain due to a spinal injury which left him unable to hold his baby son and then the Covid pandemic happened. But after successful treatment he has finally completed his first UK tour and finished his album.

Vince said continuing working as a musician was "really, really tough", but his family helped his mental health stay strong

Vince's career was at a high after competing in The Voice 2012 and releasing a hit single.

The singer, who lives in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, said he was "just going out and doing as many gigs as possible", averaging about 300 shows a year.

He had won the UK Indie Awards in 2008, beating the likes of Jamie Woon, Newton Faulkner and Ed Sheeran.

Then, four years later, he was asked to go on the first ever series of The Voice, which he followed up with single The Singer, which charted at number two in Germany.

"I finally sort of felt like I was starting to get somewhere," he said.

But around 2015, aged 37, two severely prolapsed discs and an osteo-degenerative condition left him unable to do the most basic of daily tasks, let alone organise a tour.

"I just found that over a period of time I was more frequently coming home and saying to my wife, 'my back hurts'," said Vince.

"It got to a point where it was more than just moaning."

He collapsed one morning and ended up in hospital.

"Anybody who's dealt with like chronic pain... you know, it's quite a hard thing to deal with over a long period of time," said Vince

Vince's injuries left him on morphine "24/7" and "a whole cocktail of drugs", as well as needing regular surgery.

"You kind of become your worst version of yourself," he said.

The musician could not drive or carry his equipment to gigs, so he had to hire someone to do this for him. He also had to walk with a stick at times.

"Day to day was awful," he said.

"I couldn't even carry Rory [his son] for the first 12 months of his life."

After six years and a period of osteopathy, Vince finally started recovering and one day the pain was gone.

"I just was sobbing," he said.

Things were looking up. Vince received a platinum disc for performing vocals on Sun is Shining by Lost Frequencies.

He said: "I got asked to do a writing session for Alicia Keys' team before the Brits, and I remember saying to my wife, 'I've made it. I've done it. I finally got my toe in'.

"And then, like literally two weeks later, the whole world shut down. I feel like I lost 10 years."

The Covid pandemic left Vince, like many musicians, unable to play gigs.

Vince is "very grateful and very thankful" to be back to full health

Undeterred, the artist bought a coffee truck and travelled around local events.

One day, at a festival, by luck he ended up selling coffee to an entertainment lawyer.

This led Vince to finding his manager and writing his debut album, Scars, Ghosts and Glory, which explores his journey over the years, including his six years spent in severe pain.

"I've never been prouder of anything that I've ever done," he said.

The album is due out in the summer.

'Thrilled'

Now, he has a team in the US and one in the UK and has just completed his first country-wide tour - something he had been waiting so long to do.

"I just loved every single minute of it," he said, adding he was "thrilled to be back out on the road".

Vince said: "It's wonderful to be able to sit at the table with my kids. All of these little things are what I would call the the 'glory' [in the album title].

"It's about these little things that add up to a life worth living."

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