NEW YORK — When shopping at a vintage shop in New York City with hundreds of music T-shirts plastered around the walls, British singer James Bay is in awe.

When he sees Kurt Cobain’s face on a tee, he says: “Of all the artists that have iconic looks, his is like, ‘I bleached my hair.’ He’s so cool.”

R&B star Maxwell is called “amazing!” and several T-shirts featuring the Rolling Stones hits home with the singer: “Last summer we opened for the Stones. And Ronnie’s been onstage with us.”

At Metropolis Vintage, Bay walks away with a Beatles shirt and a red Keith Haring tee. He was hoping to find something with Aretha Franklin’s face on it: “Since I was 16, I religiously listened to Aretha.”

Bay released the new EP, “Oh My Messy Mind,” last week.

Mesfin Fekadu, The Associated Press