Foy Vance Releases Cathartic Album 'The Wake' 26 Years After Father's Death

The album serves as the spiritual conclusion to Vance's 26-year journey of navigating grief over his father's passing.

Mar. 16, 2026 at 8:50pm

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

Foy Vance has released his latest album, 'The Wake,' which completes a mission he set out on a quarter century ago to release a musical compendium as an aid to navigate the death of his father. The project serves as the spiritual conclusion to a 26-year-long emotional arc that Vance employed over the course of seven albums as a tool to contextualize the weight of his father's passing.

Why it matters

Vance's deeply personal journey of processing grief through his music over the past 26 years provides a powerful example of how art can be a cathartic outlet for dealing with loss. The release of 'The Wake' marks a significant milestone in Vance's life, as he has now come full-circle in his efforts to make sense of his father's death.

The details

Vance, 52, notes that although 'The Wake' serves as the end of the seven album arc he began after his father's passing, it's still "not goodbye completely." He explains, "It's just an evolution. It was like on the day that I put the last nail in the coffin, so to speak, I did think, 'Oh, that's it. Am I done with the grief now? Am I done with the... ?' And I realized you're never done grieving." The album features soulful melodies complemented by Bonnie Bishop's angelic backing vocals, as Vance weaves a tapestry of melancholy thread with the needle of hope.

  • Foy Vance's father passed away 26 years ago, on the same day Vance completed 'The Wake'.
  • Vance is releasing 'The Wake' on March 13, 2026, and is performing at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville that same day.

The players

Foy Vance

A Northern Ireland-born artist who has released seven albums over the past 26 years as a way to navigate the grief of his father's death.

Bonnie Bishop

A backing vocalist who contributed angelic echoes to Vance's album 'The Wake'.

Ethan Johns

The producer who worked with Vance on 'The Wake'.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“I feel like I put blinkers on, and got my head down, and carved a narrow road, far off the beaten path.”

— Foy Vance, Artist

“The last song that I wrote for the record was 'Hi, I'm the Preacher's Son.' And that was an acknowledgement in myself, that no matter where I go, no matter what I ran from or ran to, that that ran deep in me. The fact that he was who he was, the fact that he approached life, and thought about life, and he was always turning things inside out. I never got to... It was annoying as a kid, but nothing was ever allowed to be just face value. He was always subversive.”

— Foy Vance, Artist

“'I wanted this album to feel like family members gathering at a wake, and it feels like you met every member, and put them in chronological order; surprises included. My work is done.'”

— Foy Vance, Artist

What’s next

Vance is set to perform at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville on March 13, 2026, the same day he is releasing 'The Wake' album.

The takeaway

Foy Vance's deeply personal journey of processing grief through his music over the past 26 years serves as a powerful example of how art can be a cathartic outlet for dealing with loss. The release of 'The Wake' marks a significant milestone in Vance's life, as he has now come full-circle in his efforts to make sense of his father's death.