Award-winning Lithuanian artist Vidas Bareikis launches his international chapter with a genre-defying rock collaboration
November 11, 2026 – What happens when an award-winning Lithuanian pop artist known for defying creative conventions joins forces with a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and pop culture icon? The answer is “NPC,” the electrifying new single from charismatic and theatrical artist VB by the Sea, featuring legendary ZZ Top frontman Billy Gibbons.
Released through Pacific Records on November 11, “NPC” marks VB by the Sea’s debut release with the Pacific Records label and an exciting new chapter for Vidas Bareikis, the acclaimed Lithuanian singer, songwriter, composer and theatre director behind the project. Produced by Karolis Talutis, Martin Guigui, Brian A. Witkin, and Billy F. Gibbons, the single brings together an impressive creative team to introduce Bareikis’s distinctive artistic vision to a Global audience.
Already an established creative force in his home country, Bareikis is now setting his sights on the U.S. and international music scene, introducing audiences to an artistic identity that combines his theatrical imagination, irreverent humor and instinct for challenging expectations with the rebellious spirit of rock and roll.
For an artist who has built his career by refusing to fit neatly into any one category, the unlikely collaboration with Billy Gibbons feels particularly fitting. On paper, a Lithuanian theatrical visionary and the legendary guitarist of ZZ Top might seem an unexpected pairing. In practice, their shared appreciation for musical individuality and creative freedom makes “NPC” a collaboration with compelling international appeal.
Behind the VB by the Sea identity stands an artist whose accomplishments extend well beyond the recording studio. Bareikis has directed 26 theatrical productions, received Lithuania’s prestigious Golden Stage Cross theatre award, and earned multiple M.A.M.A. Awards, the country’s equivalent of the GRAMMYs, recognizing his achievements as a performer, songwriter and live act. His ability to translate ambitious creative ideas into large-scale entertainment was celebrated when he performed a solo arena concert for 11,000 loyal fans to mark his tenth anniversary on stage.
Now, with his signing to Pacific Records and the launch of VB by the Sea, Bareikis is bringing his boundary-pushing songs and performances to a new global audience.
His latest single, “NPC,” offers a fitting introduction. Fueled by rebellious rock energy, sharp-witted social commentary and a healthy dose of absurdist humor, the track borrows its title from the video game term Non-Player Character, referring to figures whose actions and dialogue are determined by programming rather than individual choice.
In Bareikis’s hands, the concept becomes a playful provocation: How many of us are actually making our own decisions, and how many are simply following the script?
Through observations about predictable routines, inherited opinions and society’s endless pursuit of money, status and approval, “NPC” pokes fun at the ways people move through life on autopilot. But rather than delivering a heavy-handed philosophical lecture, the song wraps its message in infectious rock energy and an irreverent invitation to question the rules.
The participation of Billy Gibbons adds another compelling dimension to the release. As the founding guitarist, vocalist and primary songwriter of ZZ Top, Gibbons has spent more than five decades cultivating one of rock music’s most distinctive identities. From his early work with psychedelic blues-rock outfit Moving Sidewalks, which opened for the Jimi Hendrix Experience, to his groundbreaking career with ZZ Top and subsequent solo ventures, Gibbons has remained synonymous with unmistakable guitar tones, blues-rooted swagger and an unapologetically individual approach to music.
That spirit of originality is equally central to Bareikis’s artistic philosophy. Throughout his career, he has approached music and performance from unexpected angles, challenging familiar formulas and embracing ideas that might initially seem unconventional. His collaboration with Gibbons is a natural extension of that creative curiosity, bringing together two unique artists from vastly different musical backgrounds who share little interest in playing by somebody else’s rules.
“NPC” also offers the first glimpse into THE GAME, VB by the Sea’s forthcoming concept album, which blends rock music, theatrical storytelling and philosophical exploration into an imaginative musical journey.
Built around the idea that human existence resembles an elaborate video game, THE GAME reimagines life’s familiar experiences as challenges, levels and unwritten rules. From ambition and competition to relationships, success and failure, the album explores the contradictions of modern life through a collection of songs connected by a larger narrative.
While the album draws naturally from Bareikis’s extensive background in theatre, THE GAME is first and foremost a rock record, designed to engage listeners through its music as much as its underlying story. Its conceptual framework provides an additional dimension for audiences interested in exploring the ideas behind the songs, without requiring them to approach the record as a theatrical production.
For Bareikis, whose career has consistently blurred the boundaries between music, theatre and live entertainment, the possibilities for this new artistic universe are wide open, and its immediate purpose is simple: to introduce and invite audiences to the music and personality of VB by the Sea, an artist unafraid to embrace the unexpected.
Following the November 11 release of “NPC,” VB by the Sea will unveil an official music video alongside live performances in December, bringing another visual dimension to the song and offering audiences a deeper introduction to the imaginative world of THE GAME.
With his debut Pacific Records release, an ambitious concept album on the horizon and an exciting collaboration with one of rock’s most recognizable figures, VB by the Sea is entering the international music scene with a clear message: The most interesting things happen when you stop following the script.
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Pre-save “NPC” feat. Billy Gibbons here: https://orcd.co/npc