by bill biss
From the very first minutes of listening to VV Brown, it is apparent that she is an artist to be on the look out for. Her style? You could say she is gathering the classic hooks of 1960s, creating original and new lyrics (she writes all her own songs) and creating a modern pop sound that is both a joy to hear and wildly fresh.Her debut recording called Travelling Like the Light is set for a U.S. release date digitally on March 16 and in stores on March 30. Not only is she a very talented vocalist and songwriter/musician, VV Brown is also an innovative fashionista and runway-ready model.
Not enough? Brown is also a creative artist who is geared up to release a comic book coming soon.
It was also apparent from The Rage Monthly interview below that VV is grounded and intelligent about her success so far in the music industry and her plans for the future.
The Rage Monthly: How would you describe your sound?
VV Brown: I love doo-wop music and music from the 1950s and 1960s. I was just a huge lover of it all. I kind of made this record alone. And, I’m very much into indie music like punk bands…like The Sex Pistols, Blur and the Brit bands of the 1990s. This is like doo-wop indie, it just kind of stuck and that’s why I came up with it.
But, the more and more I grow; I kind of changed [my classification] to alternative pop because I don’t want to be enslaved to 1950s references. This is a Polaroid picture of how I was feeling at the time.
Rage: I like your canvas of sounds on this. Your song, “Crying Blood…” I couldn’t help thinking of a speeded-up “Monster Mash.”
VV: It was so not intended (laughter) when I wrote that! I think what it is is that a lot of songs from the 1950s…I was writing around my one-string guitar, you’re kind of forced to go into these very classic blues chord progressions and melodies. I think there are loads of songs that have that melody thing.
Because “Monster Mash” is kind of one of the biggest hits, I kind of took that association. But, I kind of dread that association. I wish I realized that at the time and kind of changed it.
Rage: A good word for you is “fierce.”
VV: Why thank you.
Rage: Not only did you create this excellent debut but you also model and you worked on a comic book. Is that correct?
VV: Yes. I’ve got my own comic book coming out. It’s going to be a graphic novel and the first volume is coming out in April. It’s a really important project to me. It’s called The City of Abacus. In April, you can go online at thecityofabacus.com and check it out and buy!
I did the story and sketched and worked alongside with my friend David Lane and a girl called Emma Price. We worked together on it. It’s a serious, serious project. I just love being creative and doing many different things.
Rage: It shows. In your music video for “Leave,” how did they get your head in a box?
VV: (laughter) Ahhh. That was a really hard and long photo shoot. I had to literally put my head in a box and stand on this circular platform that went around and they shot the box head bit. I love that video. I really think it’s a really innovative, fresh idea.
It really worked wonders for us. It really helped get our song out in a massive campaign in France and led to a number one album on this iTunes chart, which was brilliant.
Rage: You are the oldest of six kids. What inspiration and guidance did you receive from your parents as you discovered your love of music?
VV: My parents are the best. They were so supportive and encouraging of us in the arts. Daddy is very interested in art and artistic intelligence and they owned a school. Their contribution to my career is massive! My mum used to drive me to London every Wednesday to play in my punk band when I was 15, which is an hour and a half from where I lived in the countryside.
Her dedication to me as an artist is just ridiculous. My mom and dad encouraged all of us to play instruments and also to be open-minded. She’s very kind of a “hippie” mom. I’m just so grateful to have them in my life really. It sounds corny when I say that…but.
Rage: What were some of the first records you remember liking?
VV: My very first record that I bought was Kriss Kross and “Jump.” I used to wear my trousers back to front (laughter) because I wanted to be like them. I listened to a lot of ska records because my parents are Caribbean and British. There was a massive ska movement in the 1980s and they were part of that scene.
My dad loved Queen so I always used to listen to Queen. I was forced to listen to Queen on the way to school while my dad yelled to all the lyrics and melodies. I got interested in The B-52s when I was 13. I loved their song “Love Shack” and that video was awesome. Still, to this day that’s one of my favorite videos.
Rage: You also have a desire to write film scores?
VV: Yeah, that’s my ultimate sort of desire. I love pop music but when I was very young, I was always interested in classical and jazz music. I suppressed it for a long time because I didn’t think it was cool. My heart…even before I knew I wanted to sing, the very first thing I wanted to be was a composer.
I remember that feeling when I was 5 around the piano. I was getting this electrical shock over the fact that I just created something from nothing. So the composition side of film music is all where it really started with me. Between the age of 5 and 10, I used to make up compositions. It would start off being 20 seconds and led to 20-minute pieces.
Rage: I read you used to read your sister’s Vogue as a kid. So did I.
VV: (laughter)
Rage: How would you describe your fashion sense?
VV: I would call it “Retro Diva Geek Chic.”
Rage: My favorite right now off your debut is “L.O.V.E.” What’s that first line you say at the beginning?
VV: Cool. [VV sings]…”You best believe I’m in love baby!”
Rage: Do you have plans in the works to tour with this?
VV: Yeah, we’re actually in the process of confirming a 33-day tour all over America. That should be announced really soon. We’ll be going on tour with one of my really favorite bands, which I can’t really say until it’s confirmed. It’s going to be fantastic. It’s just going to be great to be on the road and have people really actually feel the record live. I truly believe this is where it really starts—to see the live performance.
Rage: The best of luck with this.
VV: Ahhh…thank you. Take care.
