Polish Singer/Songwriter Viktoria Vera releases “The Ocean”
Interview conducted April 15, 2021
By Dan Locke
2020 was a busy year for Viktoria Vera between collaborating with a number of Boston-based
rappers, working feverishly on her debut collection, and garnering support on over 60+ curated Spotify playlists and editorial features in publications like Buzz Music LA, Rattler Magazine, and more. Now, with “The Ocean” as her first release of 2021, she marks the next chapter of her rising career.
You are from Poland. What was your upbringing like?
How did you discover music? How did you start to write music?
I was born in Poland so I was raised up in really spiritual religious family and I started singing in choir when I was 6 years old, I am really grateful for this experience. My parents also play music at home all the time especially old school music from 80s 90s.Gospel repertoire really gave me a real ear training as well as different vocals techniques. I was always into writing I started journaling when I was 9/10 years old and writing my own poetry in polish, with the time when I was in high school, I was always a part of creative music projects in my school and I was writing my own lyrics in English as well as in polish.
How is the live music scene in Poland? How does it differ from America?
I think is a lot of differences, first of all the United States is much bigger country than Poland so you can work with people from different cultures and use in your music different languages as well as connect more and understand cultural differences. In Poland you can create music in English as well but I think it will not gain as much popularity as in the USA. I love music scenes in The USA and in Poland even if they are different. I think like in my country we have a lot music happening underground in small venues, jazz clubs, cinemas and theaters. Poland is really well developed in the sense of live music and cultural events.
What makes a good songwriter?
This is a really good question. I am 20 years old and I am still working on my songwriting I am always trying new things and I want to stay really open and create more new stories (not only mine but other people as well) and not only write about my feelings. I feel like what I learnt from other really good professional songwriters is that you have to stay creative open-minded and true to yourself because if you will create a story or write about your own experience people will listen to your songs and connect with your music more and they will come back and listen all the time if you will catch their heart with your story.
Tell me about your debut single “Good Enough”?
I wrote this song when I was 17 after my first big heartbreak that I was going through. It is just about how good we want to be and trying our best for another person to change her negative thinking into being positive and in general how you can love someone who is not meant to be for you and it is just not the right match for you. In the sense of production, I was looking for someone who really knows how to create a soulful old-school vibe for this song and I met an extremely talented producer from Berklee College of Music in Boston Dan Sear who helped produce my first single.
How was it to work with T.B.H.?
He is really talented and creative person. Working with him it was super fun and actually it was the first I ever recorded with the rapper, I am glad he included me in his project.
What is the process of writing your music?
I am trying to be natural and creative as much as possible in general sometimes I will write just an idea or situation that is happening right now in my life or I will watch a movie and the scene will really inspire me and then after few days I will get back and write even more sometimes I will write something really good in 15 min sometimes it will take me more than one hour, in general, I like to listen to a beat and create in the same time while I am listening.
How often do you sing in Polish?
I sang in Poland every week in theater as well as performing during the summer a lot, last year before I moved to the USA, I was really focused on studying to pass all of my final exam in high school so I was focused more on writing and creating my own music than performing but still I was performing in a jazz club in my city few times.
Tell me about your first release of 2021 “The Ocean”?
I wrote this song when I moved to LA for 6 months from Boston, I felt really lonely and I did not know anyone there so I really appreciate and spend a lot of time with nature especially on the beach and I found my inner peace there so I wanted to create indie chill vibe song when I am singing about nature and how good I felt.
How did you meet and start to work out with Dan Searl?
I met Daniel in September the same month when I came to the USA, he was really helpful and supportive for me and I love working with him on music, he is extremely talented super creative and easy going to work with really open for new ideas he is my producer and also helping me with promoting content that I am sharing online. I started working with him in his studio and then we built together our own independent record label Lithoneyproductions and right now we are helping other artists with their music.
Digital vs. vinyl?
Definitely vinyl I love listening to music in the old school way it is a different energy you can really feel vibrations of the instruments in the song when you are listening to music on the record player.
What song from the past is in your mind right now? Moreover, what is the meaning that song means to you?
It is crazy that the same songs that I am listening to right now and I listened like 2 years ago has totally different meaning for me, I think that the song that I am listening constantly is Unthinkable by Alicia Keys and Body and Soul by Tony Bennet and Amy Winehouse and has a huge meaning for me in the sense how emotional I am and that I can fall in love really easily and just give 100% of myself to someone and sometimes I feel like I am crazy because of that haha as well as I am really spiritual and I am always trying to stay connected to my spirit and care about what is inside of me and how I feel.
If “Video Killed the Radio Star” do you think that the Covid-19 virus has killed live music? Do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?
I think that has huge impact for sure. Music is never going to be killed, never! However live music is really affected by the COVID I am praying that next year everything is going to be back to normal. I know I have some live performances in summer but I do not want to take anything for granted because everything can change due to COVID
What have you been doing with your self-quarantine?
I am working constantly haha on my music as well as helping other artist with vocal coaching and songwriting sessions, I am going to release my first EP this year so I am staying really focused on working on my new songs.
You have done a few music videos over the last year. Out of all the covers you have done, have you heard any feedback from any artists on your version of their song?
Yes, I hear a lot of positive feedbacks, I am happy that people like my own soulful original style, even when I am covering someone’s songs, I want to do it in my own way and show my interpretation.
Anything you would like to say in closing.
Cannot wait to share my new EP with people this year I did a lot of collaboration with really talented rappers from Boston and I am excited to work on my professional music videos as well so stay tuned because a lot of music is coming this year. My new single before the EP is coming as well 15th May it is called Living in the Future and you can hear rock and blues vibes on this one. I was really inspired by Paulo Nutini music and what is happening in the world right now.
As a fun fact I am a big fun of rock music (Nirvana, Guns and Roses, Red Hot Chili Peppers Paolo Nutini) and I always wanted to create a song in a rock vibe.
I am always trying to experiment with my music and do not be close in just one genre. Hope you guys will love this as much as I.
