Growing up in Philadelphia on a steady diet of R&B, hip-hop, rock,?blues, and soul music, Gilfillian gravitated to records that ignited his?mind while making his body move. For him, listening to the towering?icons of his musician father's era-?- Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Otis?Redding, The Temptations -was just as formative and exciting as?discovering the new sounds of his own generation, and the beats and?rhymes made by rising rap stars like Wu-Tang Clan, Kanye West, The?Notorious B.I.G., and JAY-Z inspired him in new ways. He began to?recognize a connective thread in the sounds he loved best: from the?golden throwbacks sampled by the hip-hop beat makers to the raw,?emotional vocal deliveries of the Motown greats, for Gilfillian the key?ingredient seemed to be the "soul"-not simply the genre, but the?feeling and vibe. Following his electrifying 2016 debut EP with upbeat singles like?"High" and "Troublemaker" in 2018, Gilfillian signed to Capitol Records?and hit the road-performing with the likes of Anderson East, Keith?Urban, Gladys Knight, KALEO, The Fray, Mavis Staples, and more. In?early 2019, Gilfillian traveled to Africa to find healing and inspiration?before headlining a tour in Scandinavia and opening for Brothers?Osborne on their spring tour.?