6 minute read
VEGAN QUEEN V
The Good, The Bad AND The Ugly – vegan musician Jen Armstrong (Vegan Queen V) speaks to us on how it’s been during Lockdown as an artist, and what’s on the horizon.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN PLAYING MUSIC, HOW DID YOU START AND WHAT INSTRUMENTS DO YOU PLAY?
I had a very privileged childhood - I had a family who could afford private music lessons! I picked up the violin when I was 7, much to my mum’s delight. I began playing the piano at 10, jealous of my two older sisters who were receiving lessons and I was not.
Both instruments have proven invaluable to my musical journey, especially piano being the instrument I compose songs on and perform with.
HAVE YOU GOT ANY RECORDINGS OUT AND ABOUT?
I do have songs online! I’m working on my debut animal rights album and that will be my first big release. I have songs and accompanying videos up on YouTube, a favourite being ‘What Hell is Like,’ a song I was inspired to write after watching the Earthling Ed / Surge documentary ‘Land of Hope and Glory.’ My single ‘Only One Life’ is available to watch, filmed in East London where we used some of the beautiful animal wall / street art you can find there. Also look out for my parodies, ‘No Meat,’ and ‘Vegan Dirtbag.’
WHAT PROMPTED YOU TO BECOME VEGAN?
I was one of those vegetarians who thought they were doing their bit to help animals. I was one for many, many years - since the age of 8 in fact. I didn’t once question where the milk I was pouring on my cereal was coming from; or the eggs I’d happily cook up on usually a daily basis, to be ‘healthy.’ I moved to London in 2016 and it was there that I met a few vegan friends who asked why I wasn’t vegan if I loved animals. Around the same time, a new partner (who also wasn’t vegan at the time) showed me ‘Cowspiracy’ and ‘Forks over knives’ and it was a fairly swift shift to veganism for me after that (and him a few months later!)
HOW HAS THAT AFFECTED YOUR MUSIC?
I finally had something important to write about! I’ve been writing songs since the age of 12, and I’ve been in the professional pop song writing world for the last 10-15 years. Really all anyone cares about is relationships. Love. Or the absence of. Or the longing for. It gets pretty old pretty fast not gonna lie. After discovering how utterly vile the meat, egg and dairy industries are, and starting to understand the level of oppression and abuse billions of animals endure every year, I just started naturally writing songs for them, about them, and from their point of view.
YOU WON THE FXECTIVE FACTOR VEGAN TALENT CONTEST AT VEGFEST BRIGHTON IN 2018 – CAN YOU PRONOUNCE THAT YET 3 YEARS ON? (JOKE). HOW DID THAT FEEL AT THE TIME?
Haha my brain just won’t let me pronounce that name properly! It was brilliant to be a part of the competition, and although I won’t lie I am not a fan of popularity contests.. it was still a lovely feeling for the judges to like my song and performance so much. I really enjoyed meeting the other artists too and listening to their vegan songs - so nice to be in a group of passionate and talented people, using their art to fight for animals and the injustices they suffer.
THERE WERE SOME FAMOUS JUDGES ON THAT TALENT CONTEST – INCLUDING ROZALLA, WHO HAS HAD HUGE INTERNATIONAL HITS. DO YOU HAVE ANY FUN ‘CELEB’ STORIES?
Aside from meeting Rozalla at Vegfest? My biggest claim to fame is probably that I’ve supported Billy Ocean! And The Proclaimers! Same festival.. different year. I’ve also hung out with Kenny G. Basically all the people my parents and their friends love. I’ve also hung out with John Newman and Ellie Goulding at a party in Hollywood. I say hung out with. They were there and so was I.
HOW DOES THAT CREATIVE PROCESS COME ABOUT FOR YOUR VEGAN THEMED SONGS? IS IT PAINFUL?
One of the songs off the upcoming album was written after a friend and I visited a local dairy farm. We were trying to inconspicuously take photos of the poor little babies in their isolation pens outside, who were bored witless, cold and alone. A farmer saw us and actually invited us in to the farm to look around, which we were quite surprised by. We witnessed a mother and her new born baby sharing their first few moments together. As vegans we know what happens to dairy cows and their babies. It was a very bittersweet moment. One I’ll never forget. If I think about the reality of what these innocent beings have to go through too deeply or for too long.. I can’t even move. It’s important to find the balance.
WHAT ABOUT THE DREADED L WORD – LOCKDOWN? HUGE IMPACT ON MUSICIANS GENERALLY – GOOD, BAD, OR UGLY?
It’s the good, the bad AND the ugly right?! For me it’s certainly been all three. I know many many musicians are really suffering both mentally and financially, and that goes for the rest of the arts too. And society in general. I really feel for everyone, in particular our young and old generations. They are probably the most vulnerable and damaged groups in all of this madness.
HOW HAS LOCKDOWN HELPED WITH THE CREATIVE PROCESS?
Lockdown for me has been an incredible time for self reflection, self development, self healing, self love.. up until March 2020 life had very much been about paying rent first, art second. Money making first, living life second. Moving away from London and easing my financial commitments has given me time to understand who I am, why I’m here, what makes me happy, what makes me sad.. I’m grateful for this time, although I know it comes with much loss and sadness for so many. It’s in challenging times where we either shrink away or we grow strong. I’m definitely a stronger person than I was 12 months ago, and creatively it’s been a time to come to the realisation that I want to dedicate my life to helping animals and ending all oppression in the world.
WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO MOST IN MUSICAL TERMS?
Lockdown has made me realise how much I took live music for granted. I cannot wait to be playing live again, with a band, for happy people, in a beautiful atmosphere. I can’t wait to be dancing to music alongside my friends and total
strangers. Aside from this, I’m incredibly excited to be putting together a body of work in the name of animal rights. I’m also looking forward to collaborating with other creative vegans, it’s together that we’ll change the world!
VEGANISM IS ON THE RISE – IS THIS UNSTOPPABLE? OR DO YOU SEE DANGERS AHEAD?
I think the fake GMO meat industry will be a blessing and a curse. I hope people will realise that a whole foods plant based diet is the key to health and happiness, and I hope more people will reconnect with the earth and where we get our healthy nutritious fruit and veggies from. It’s good for the
body, and for the soul. If people are manipulated in to thinking that fake GMO crap is the answer, although the animals will benefit, unfortunately I don’t think human animals will.
WHERE SHOULD WE GO TO HEAR AND SEE MORE OF YOUR WORK?
YouTube (veganqueenv) is the best place to find my music until the album is released (summer / autumn 2021 all being well!) I’m also part of the German vegan music collective ‘VVANDEL’ (vvandel_ musik); we released a vegan EP in spring 2020, profits of which are being donated to animal welfare organisations. If you would like to support my work you can do so via
