'Riptide' singer Vance Joy talks touring with Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift

Vance Joy on touring with Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, and the song that changed everything.

Vance Joy is headed back to New Zealand, joining Ed Sheeran on his latest world tour - a gig that, as he told Jono & Ben, was “on and off a few times” before finally locking in. The Aussie singer-songwriter says he’s thrilled to be part of it, calling Ed’s Loop show “something special to watch up close.”

It’s not the first time Vance has found himself alongside one of the world’s biggest pop stars. He spent over half a year touring across the U.S. with Taylor Swift, performing at around 80 stadium shows during her 1989 World Tour.

Living on a bus and playing to tens of thousands every night taught him a lot about stamina and showmanship, and he says watching Taylor in action left a lasting impression. He still laughs about the time she covered his hit Riptide in the BBC Live Lounge - he even emailed her afterwards to ask what “special flavour” she added to it.

For anyone who somehow missed it, Riptide is the song that launched Vance Joy from Melbourne open-mic nights to global stages. More than ten years on, it’s still sitting proudly on playlists everywhere, with over 600 million views on YouTube. Not bad for a track written by a guy who once studied law, played footy for Richmond’s reserve team, and later discovered he was much happier holding a guitar than a football.

Now he’s gearing up to bring his laid-back charm, heartfelt lyrics, and that unmistakable Riptide energy to Ed Sheeran’s shows. Between the Taylor Swift stadium experience and his own string of hits, Vance Joy knows exactly how to win over a crowd - which means fans will want to be in their seats early.

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