‘I just want to be a good person’ Singer-songwriter VV Brown burst on to the music scene this year thanks to her vibrant ‘doo wop indie’ sound and her fabulous vintage look. Nang!’s Denise Kodia tracked down the 25-year-old for a chat about music, boys and fashion Who is VV Brown? I’m a singer, songwriter and I’m on a journey of discovery of myself as an artist and a musician. I’m continually evolving, trying to do my thing and hoping people like it along the way. What does VV stand for? My mum named me Vanessa, but when I was at school we used to have hip-hop battles in the playground and I was called VV as a nickname and it just stuck. Plus Vanessa sounds a bit formal. What was it like growing up? It was really good. I went to my parents’ school [they owned and worked at the school], so I got to see them quite a lot - which was a good and a bad thing, I guess! I had a really cool childhood. My parents had a real eclectic taste - they were really cultured and we were introduced to different kinds of life. Where do you get your inspiration from? I get really down sometimes and that negative energy helps me to write songs. I just have a lot to say and feel a lot of things. Crying Blood and many other tracks on your album, Travelling Like The Light, are about a bad relationship. Have you seen the stupid guy who let you go? Does he know he was your muse? I think he figured it out! My lyrics are quite obvious and are quite detailed, especially in the way I describe him. I think he knew and I think he understood as well as he’s an artist. I think he understood it was a part of the process. You usually write about things that are real life. It did give him a little bit of a big head! Would it bother you if you were on the worst dressed list in a fashion magazine? No, it wouldn’t bother me because I think everyone has their bad days. You can’t get it right
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all the time. I think it just makes you more human when you make mistakes. It can be boring when you’re perfect. It’s about learning about yourself; the stuff you can and can’t wear. Can you explain the track ‘Shark In The Water’? This was one of the last tracks on the record. It’s about anxiety and if you’re going through a bad situation or if you don’t quite trust somebody, so maybe there’s a shark in the water as a form of paranoia. It was probably one of the less emotional tracks - everything else was written around the time when I was heartbroken. What about Game Over? Similar thing, really. It was written before Shark. It’s about a relationship that’s in limbo and you’re just telling this guy that you no longer want to be in this limbo stage and so it’s time to move on because it’s game over. What’s the best part of doing music videos? Wow! Music videos are hardcore! It’s hard, hard, hard work, but the food is the best thing. It’s fun to have fashion. I love fashion that’s fun. You also meet some really cool people on set. I love meeting people. You mentioned that you love fashion. Where did this love of fashion come from? I think I’ve only just started to realise how much I love fashion since the media made me aware of it. It’s almost like they’ve made me enlightened about myself. I’ve always been into experimenting and I would always go towards the most extravagant thing when I was at school. Fashion is great - it’s part of your identity, in the same way music is. What artist from the UK do you like? I really like an artist called Imogen Heap and Florence + The Machine. And I love The Gorillaz. That’s quite a mixture. You’re very eclectic in the types of music you listen to. I just love music. I hate the genre in the sense where you have to be boxed. I think good music is good music no matter where it comes from. I just try and to be open-minded. I like everything from classical music to Irish music to Indian and World music. If it’s got a beautiful melody, I’ll be attracted to it. How many instruments can you play? I can play the piano, a bit of the drums, the trumpet, a tiny bit of the guitar and violin. But my main instrument is classical piano. That’s what I majored in when I went to music school. Is there was a moment in history you’d like to go back to and why? There was this one person who I never told I loved. Still to this day I’ve never told him. There was this one opportunity when he said he loved me and I still didn’t tell him because I was really scared. Yeah, it would probably be nice to go back to that, even if it was for one moment to say: ‘I love you too.’ I don’t love him now, but I didn’t capture the moment the way I should have and I kind of regret it. How do you keep challenging yourself? Well, in this industry there are always challenges and there’s always a constant fight. It’s important to never think that you’ve reached the top and to never think you can’t learn anything because there are always things to learn and more to achieve. What else do you love other than music? I love my moped, gardening and boys - one particular boy but I won’t say his name. I also love going to Church, Thai food and I love love! What’s your key accessory - the one thing you have to have with you at all times? Hats! I always have a big hat in my bag. I collect big hats. What’s the biggest hat you have? An orthodox Jew hat. It’s massive, but I love it. If you could collaborate with anyone who would it be? Imogen Heap, Common and maybe Sade. Why those three? Imogen Heap it just a genius, Sade is classic and timeless and Common is cool. What would you like to be remembered for when you’re old and grey? Being a good person. I think it’s easy to say a musician but at the end of the day all those things, as much as they’re great, they don’t mean as much as being a good person.
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