Vania

Photo provided by, Vania

Meet Vania

Prepare yourself for pure wonder as we dive deep into the otherworldly pop sensation that is Vania. Atmospheric and overwhelmingly sincere Vania is the gaussian blur I needed to put over my eyes. Vania sounds soften this terribly hard world into a much nicer place to be. Get to know Vania as we chat about smells, DIY, and advice.

A self-portrait by Vania

Would You Rather

your sense of smell or sense of hearing be a hundred times stronger? Why?

I’m trying to think about what 100x would actually DO to me or humans in general. We’d probably melt? That said, I’d choose sense of smell because even the slightest whiff of something familiar can transport me to another time/ place. If I smell the ocean, I can pretend I’m back in Portugal. And then it translates to all senses; I can then see the beach, hear the waves, feel the sand. Makes me happy :)

Some Questions with Vania

How do you think DIY pop as a genre has changed/continues to change with the rise of tech?

I think there’s so much more flexibility in terms of what the genre actually consists of. There are thousands of sounds and plug-ins at your fingertips so it’s easy to take sonic risks and merge different kinds of styles together. Country and Hip Hop can hold hands. We listen to music fleetingly now and therefore have changed the way we create. Who needs structure?! The average song in Top 40 is under 3 minutes long...I think in time, one super genre will emerge and songs will be 30 seconds long. Just the hook. Boom. And then in terms of the “DIY” aspect, it’s so much more accessible to make music nowadays. You can program all the instruments yourself on a midi keyboard and record studio sounding vocals in your bedroom. So there are tons of people making music out there and tons making GREAT music. Did this answer the question...

If you could be on any reality TV show, what would it be and why?

I’m flip-flopping between “The Bachelorette” and “Alone”. On one hand, I’d love to be flown around on a helicopter and have 30 people vouch for my LOVE. But then I’d probably fall in love with Jeremey who’d say last minute that he still has feelings for his ex and wants to go home to see if he can salvage their relationship. On the other hand, I’d love to live in the wilderness, living off the land, learning how to make a fire, and having a best friend who’s a squirrel. It’d start getting cold though and food will become scarce, so I’ll have to eat my squirrel friend :( To make matters worse, whilst building a fire I’ll accidentally burn down my wood hut that took me 3 episodes to build. Final answer: Alone

What is the best book you’ve most recently read?

Thanks for asking. I’ve neglected my reading habit the past few years but am proud to say that I’m ABLE TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION NOW. I finished reading a collection of short stories curated by “The Moth” called, “All These Wonders”. Beautiful truth about the human experience. Being that they’re short stories, it’s easy to get one or two in before bed. I cried, I laughed, I felt wiser after reading them. I’m now reading their second installment, “Occasional Magic”. I truly recommend it! All of your feelings will be nourished.

Who have been your greatest creative influences?

My first love was Matt Bellamy of Muse. He inspired me to pick up the piano, to learn Rachmaninoff, to play with your voice, to be dramatic and angsty. Depeche Mode, Eurythmics, Röyksopp. Give me a rolling bass and 80s synths any day and I’m happy. I wasn’t really drawn to the female voice when I was younger, but now it’s all that triggers inspiration; Ionalee, Agnes Obel, FKA Twigs, Empress Of, Molina. I love that they are producers as well.

What was the inspiration behind your latest release, Wonder?

Wonder was inspired by my stays at eating disorder treatment centers. I was having a hard time realizing that you can be physically healthy but still suffer years later from disordered thinking. Instead of numbing out and not addressing this downward swoop in my recovery process, I wrote exactly what I wanted, which was to be wrapped in a cocoon of support and love. In this instance, that meant being back in the care of professionals.

What advice do you have for artists trying to keep creative in the current climate?

There’s tons of pressure to create constantly now that there’s more time on hand. But it also means we need to carve out time to take breaks. TAKE them! You must live, you must leave the house. Admire nature, hug a tree for a whole minute or lay in the grass and watch ants crawl on you. Notice your surroundings because they will fill you with the energy/ inspiration needed to write. Love as much as possible. People watch and make up stories for them. Change your scenery and be present for all your senses. I need to take my own advice

If you could cover the soundtrack to any movie, ever, what would it be and why?

These are tough questions dammit. My thought process: “Drive” was a big moment for me in terms of SYNTH discovery. But you’re not asking what my big cinematic music moment was. The entire soundtrack?! Probably “Guardians of the Galaxy”. Fleetwood Mac, Bowie, The Runaways…that’d be fun.

Any final comments? (This is your electronic soapbox for one last answer.)

Love as much as possible and give to others, it won’t deplete you it’ll feed your soul. And thank you to TFR for hitting me up and giving me a chance to be interviewed!