Swiss singer-songwriter Bastian Baker is making a name for himself in the US with his memorable falsetto and catchy lyrics. Lead single “Stay,” off his 2018 self-titled US debut album, comes beautifully to life in a stripped down acoustic performance video, which Billboard premieres exclusively today (March 12).
The nearly three-minute clip was filmed in Switzerland and the track has Baker begging a girl not to leave him. Accompanied by an acoustic guitar, the singer tries his best to win her back with a convincing chorus and smooth singing style.
“Just stay/ Stay before I fall down/ Stay before I lose my head/ Just stay/ Stay until we’re sober/ Why don’t you stay over/ I want you to stay,” he sings on the chorus in a sultry falsetto.
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Baker penned the song with Vlad Holiday; the track was written while he was at the Australian Open. He played the song live for over 1.1 million people while on the road with Shania Twain last year as part of her Now World Tour. Each night he’d open the show with a solo acoustic set that highlighted his vocal prowess and burgeoning star power.
“When you listen to the song on the album, it’s very pop,” he tells Billboard. “When I perform it acoustic, I can make it take on a more alternative/singer-songwriter vibe which I enjoy, depending on where I’m performing it.”
It was touring with Twain that helped Baker decide to release “Stay” as the first single off his latest album, thanks to the audience’s enthusiastic response when he played the song among his new material.
“Performing acoustic is really enjoyable for me. I love performing with my full band, but I just spent the last year traveling the globe on the Shania tour just me and my guitar and it was fun being a one man band each night,” he adds. “I never wrote up a setlist. I could get the vibe of the audience each night in each city and try my best at being their own personal DJ.”
Following his time on the road with Twain and headlining dates in New York and Nashville in January, Baker is set to embark on his own headlining tour in Europe. The trek, titled the Pregame Tour, kicks off on March 15 in Belgium.
Get a first look at the acoustic video for “Stay” below.