CREATIVE CONVERSATIONS 128: VASSY TALKS ABOUT THE PRESSURE THAT COMES AFTER HITTING NUMBER ONE, AND WHAT PERFORMING AT WORLD PRIDE MEANS TO HER

Interview by Brooke Gibbs.

With the success that VASSY has received, it’s hard to believe she was kicked out of the choir as a young artist growing up in Darwin, Australia. Now, with both national and international success, VASSY’s release, Pieces, with Bingo Players & Disco Fries, is the most added dance track in the US and third most played song at Dance radio in the U.S.

VASSY is also booked to headline World Pride in Sydney this Saturday. Futuremag Music Editor Brooke Gibbs sat down with VASSY to talk about what’s in store for Saturday, the pressure the comes with following releases after international success, and the experience of returning to Darwin with a number one title.

VIDEO: WATCH Brooke Gibbs and VASSY talk about all things Sydney World Pride, ‘Pieces,’ and the Darwin music scene.

FMM: Thank you so much for joining me today. I'm really excited about your international success as well as your upcoming World Pride performance. It sounds like you've got a lot going on at the moment. How are you feeling with it all?

VASSY: Yeah, I feel really good. It's a busy time and this is an exciting time. Pride is a big deal. World Pride in particular, because it only happens every four years, years, and this year it's happening in Australia. So, I'm really excited about it.

FMM: Sounds like an amazing opportunity and I'm really stoked for you too, because Pieces is currently the most added dance track in the US. How does that feel, hearing that and knowing that?

VASSY: It feels good. Yeah, it's a really good feeling, number one, as the most played and added song at Dance Radio across America. It was exciting because I was right, like, sandwiched between David Guetta and Joel Corry, I think it was. We didn't think we were going to go number one, but when we did, it was really cool. It was a good feeling, considering it’s tough to get that number one spot. So when we hit number one, we were really excited, of course.

FMM: And once you hit it, do you find it's hard to maintain it? Or what’s it like when you've actually hit that spot?

VASSY: You typically stay there for about a week or so. It's hard to stay there for longer than that because everyone sort of gets their go. But, it feels good. But, it happens fast. Then you're already onto the next record, thinking about the next song, thinking about the next record because you've released another single.

FMM: Since Pieces, do you find it hard to compete with your previous success when it comes to follow-up releases?

VASSY: Oh, totally. Yeah. I mean, now it's like your next move. You always have to be careful and you think, ‘oh God, which song do I put out next?’ when you do really well with a record and you're like, ‘oh, no, the next one is going to do as well, what's going to happen?’ I feel like every artist goes through that pressure when something does really well. It's good on the one hand, but then it's kind of set the bar high. Now you're like, ‘oh, God, my next record has to be just as awesome.’

FMM: Wow, that sounds like a lot of pressure for you as an artist and a creative.

VASSY: It is.

FMM: What do you think it was about Pieces that did so well to make everyone vibe with it and jump on board?

VASSY: I think it's a really beautiful song. It's beautiful lyrics. When I wrote it, I wanted… I don't know, just something really heartfelt and real and passionate. I think the melody is great and I think the production is really cool and it just has that explosive, euphoric chorus and it's a happy song, but not cheesy happy - like a cool, happy, very house-y dance, but still commercial sounding. So, I think it's got all the good elements that a pop-leaning dance record should have. Then, I just got a lot of support. All the program directors at Radio across the US, they're big champions of mine. They've supported a lot of my stuff, so I was really fortunate because it was a combination of… I mean, they all support me and they've been big VASSY fans for a while, but it was also giving them a good record to want to add and be like, ‘oh, I love this record, we're adding this.’ Everything fell into… pieces [laughs].

FMM: [Laughs]. I love the pun, but, yeah, I agree with you. It's got all the right elements, so it deserves all the success it's gotten. Do you recall where you were when you found out about the success of this song and what you were doing?

VASSY: Yeah, I was actually in Darwin, so when it hit number one, I was here. I found out first through a fan because I've got these diehard fans on Instagram and my fan had literally messaged me the chart position, and I wasn't even allowed to announce it for a whole week, I had to wait. I was like, ‘oh my God.’ Then, the next day I found out. Like, the next morning when I was up, I found out from all the team in the US and the label in Europe and actually getting a couple of emails from some of the Radio program directors, saying congrats on another number one and stuff. But, yeah, that's how I found out. So, I found out through a fan first before I even officially found out.

FMM: It sounds hard having to know that, hold onto it for a week and not be able to be like, ‘hey, we just did this!’ How did you feel having to sit on that for a week?

VASSY: I so wanted to share it with the world and post about it, and I wasn't able to. You just kind of want to go, ‘oh my God, this song's number one.’ But yeah, you have to sort of hold back and wait and do it when you're allowed to.

FMM: Yes, of course. And I'm really excited to see you perform at Sydney World Pride. You've been a big Pride ambassador for a long time. What does it mean for you as an artist, but also the community for this performance?

VASSY: I'm so excited to do this. I do so many Prides every year. Like, I just got booked for another two Prides back in the US. Most of my Pride festivals are all back in America and I'm just so happy to finally do a Pride festival in Australia for my Australian fans. And not only that, but for World Pride, which only happens every four years in designated countries, so it's a big deal. I'm just really excited to go and perform for the fans and give them a good time and make history, be part of the World Pride, because I don't know if we'll get another World Pride in Sydney anytime soon. Many years might go by before we get it again and I might not even be around then. Who knows? It's just one of those things, like, it's a real honour to be part of that. You make history just because it only happens every four years in different countries.

FMM: Of course.

VASSY: And also performing Pride for me is special too, by the way, because I've been an advocate for the community for a really long time and I'm all for everyone having rights, equal rights, and being able to express themselves how they want and choose who they want to be with and choose who they want to be. I've just always been a supporter of that, like, from day one, from a long time ago.

FMM: Yeah, it sounds great. I feel like everyone's going to come along, dance to it. I mean, I've been seeing all the events from World Pride at the moment. It looks like everyone's out there having a great time.

VASSY: Yeah, it's wild right now. I've got some friends in Sydney and Sydney's nuts at the moment. It's a lot of energy in the city.

FMM: Absolutely! For people that are watching this interview and are keen to see you perform at World Pride, what can they expect from your performance there?

VASSY: I'm going to do all my big hits, all the big songs that everyone loves dancing to, and I'm going to do Pieces. It's just going to be super high energy and yeah, I feel like just come and have a good time. I mean, you'll know, some of the songs, obviously, and just dance. Put your hands in the air and let yourself go. Lose control and feel free and have a good time. It's short and sweet. I'm up there for like 20 minutes or so and it's a wrap. So, come down this Saturday. I'm on at 06:50 p.m at the Pride Villages Stage on Oxford Street. It's going to be a party. It's going to be a really cool block party.

FMM: I'm almost tempted just to buy a ticket to Sydney so I can come see now as well.

VASSY: I know. It'd be so much fun. You got to come down!

FMM: [Laughs]. It sounds like you've got so much going on between songwriting, your releases, performing at Pride festivals. What does a typical day look like for you?

VASSY: Well, it varies. In Los Angeles, my lifestyle is really different, obviously, to when I'm in Darwin, but it can really vary. Like, if I'm in studio mode, I'll typically get up and my mornings are always a little slow for me. I have to deal with emails and different things like that. Then, I sort of get cracking and I head to the studio. I'm in the studio for most of the day until whatever, it's done. We write the song, we cut the vocals, and then in the afternoon I try to get out and go for a hike or something because I'm a nature girl.

Having grown up in Darwin, that's like a studio day for me. Then, maybe there's dinner with friends, or dinner with my husband, or just depending on what's happening in LA. Like events and things like that. I used to do a lot of that stuff back in the day, and now I just try to play more of a low profile. But, then when you're on the road, it's really different.

Like, when I go back, I'm going to be in Miami performing. Show days are very different. You're on the road, you're traveling, you go to sound check, you show up, you do the performance. And then there's press days, which are different. And then there's photoshoot days, which you wake up, you've got hair and makeup, you go to the studio and you're just doing photoshoot all day. So, it really depends.

And then I have days where I'm not in the studio because I also need days where I can regroup with my team, my manager, and reconnect with other artists and producers and just kind of talk about setting up writing sessions. And then there's days where you're just in front of your laptop just trying to do more of the business side of stuff. So, yeah, there's always something going on.

FMM: It's an incredible variety. It sounds like a bit of everything. And I guess you're passionate about what you do, so I guess that helps with the burnout.

VASSY: Yeah, I love what I do. I was born to be an artist. I mean, I knew I wanted to do this from when I was a kid in Darwin. Growing up, going to St. Mary's, I was kicked out of school choir. I was told, I don't have what it takes. That rejection was a huge redirection in my life because many years later, of course, I blow up.

I have success in Australia, then I have international success. Just goes to show you, when you're an artist, you're an artist. You don't have to be the best at anything. You're really an artist. People are either going to like your art or not. People are going to connect with you, or they're not.

I think you just got to authentically, be yourself and put in the work and believe in yourself and do it because only you can. You're going to get lots of rejections and you just got to take them and you've got to just stick to your plan, because if you compromise it, you won't make it happen, because it's a lot of perseverance to get that level of success that you want. A lot of young artists nowadays are asking me, like, ‘how do I do this now?’ You really got to put in the time and the work. The stuff isn't going to happen, like, in two to three, four years. It's really going to happen, like, in the 8th, 9th year of your career. Like, you really have to dedicate and apply yourself.

FMM: Of course. I think that's great advice and really helpful advice too. So, I was going to ask you, like, because I'm from Darwin myself too, and how does it feel being back in Darwin and seeing the local community scene after you've had all that international experience?

VASSY: I love Darwin, so for me, I think at first it was a bit trippy coming back. I've lived in the biggest cities in the world. I've lived in Sydney and London and bars in New York, and I've really lived the city life and I've seen things and I've done it all. I just really love Darwin. I'm a simple nature girl.

I love my sunset walks, my bike rides, I love my Parap Markets. I love my lasksas, I love playing with my dog, I love being out in the garden. Like, I'm really that type of girl. Over the years, I've had to kind of repress that side, being based in cities and really hustling trying to make it in my career.

And now, because I've had success and I can be a bit more relaxed, I'm obviously more comfortable in my career and I don't have to chase everything. That's kind of what you do when you're young. You're trying to make it so I can pick and choose what I want to do. Now I can sort of embrace life more. So, being in Darwin for me is awesome.

I really love it. I like to do dinners, I just kind of keep it low key here and it's awesome. Actually, I want to live between here in LA and that's kind of what I've been doing. So, I have my time in Darwin and then when I'm in LA, I do what I need to do for work.

FMM: Darwin is beautiful. It's one of those places that I feel like if I were in your position, I'd still come back to Darwin too.

VASSY: Oh, yeah! You can take the girl out of Darwin, but you can't take Darwin out of the girl [laughs]. So that's what I always say.

FMM: Exactly. And it's good to see artists coming back too, because I find the Darwin music scene is great, but it's very local too. As you know, people do national tours and Darwin is always a place that misses out, so it's good to see people like yourself coming back to Darwin where it all started for you.

VASSY: Yeah, thank you. I really appreciate it. It's definitely good to come back. And you're right, I think it's rare, an artist like me, with the success that I've had, being a Darwin girl and to come back. I feel like a lot of music stuff is still very local based. It's interesting to see where music has gone. But, it is hard for people in the music scene up here because it is remote and it's tough for people to get access to those type of relationships where, like in LA, I can be in the studio and I meet so and so, who's produced for all of Jennifer Lopez or something. Or just something. You're just able to run into these people a lot more and then before you know it, you're just around a different caliber of producers and songwriters and artists.

FMM: Yeah, I definitely see that. And I guess, for anyone that is in Darwin, what advice do you have for them, specifically in Darwin? I've heard people talk about going down south to try and start their music career. What do you think?

VASSY: I think that it's possible to create here and do stuff. But, I think that if you really want success in a market, you have to be based there on the ground, because you've got to cultivate those relationships. You really do so much. It's not just about talent. It's also about perseverance and cultivating the relationship and a little bit of luck. But, it's hard to do all that from here. I think you can still be based here, but I think you have to definitely spend time in the big city, Sydney and Melbourne, and I think you have to do that. You have to dedicate your time. And honestly, if you really want to make it, I mean, you might have to pick up and leave for a few years. Not to say that you can't from here, but it's difficult. It's even difficult if you're trying to be an international artist like myself. You have to go and be in America. I mean, really, that's where it's at, but not everyone's capable of doing that.

Not everyone's able to be away from loved ones and sacrifice that time. So, yeah, it depends how ambitious you are, but you don't have to be that ambitious. Like, if you really just want to be known in Australia, then I would suggest spending some time in the bigger cities just so you can make those connections. It's really important.

FMM: Of course. Yeah, I guess connections are a big thing when it comes to the music scene.

VASSY: It really is.

FMM: And what's next for you? It sounds like you've got Pride coming up, which I'm really excited to see you at. Then, are you doing any more releases or what's in the works for you at the moment?

VASSY: Yeah, I'm leaving tomorrow. I'm in Sydney. I'm in the studio this week with some people. I've got meetings. I'm going to see some of the other radio stations, like Nova and iHeart, and then I've got Pride. I'm performing. Then, I come back to Darwin for a couple of days and then I fly out to America.

I'm performing the following week in Palm Beach, in Florida, Miami, and then I'm basically booked to do some more shows in the US. And then in California, and then I'm just back in the studio, like, working on new material.

I do have new releases coming out this year, so everything's just getting scheduled and coordinated and lots of new stuff. I have a new release coming out on Friday, which I'm really excited about. New song that I wrote and yeah, there's lots going on.

FMM: Yeah, it sounds like an exciting time. Tell me more about this release. What can people expect from the release on Friday that's coming out?

VASSY: Yeah, so it's this new song called Supreme. It's part of an EP called Supreme. This is one of the singles. It's just a song about self empowerment, empowering women. It's really about being authentically yourself, believing in yourself. It's cool. It's got cheeky lyrics. It's got more of a pop, electro indie, very quirky, sort of electro dance song. The producer that I worked on it with is Tim Myers who is, originally from One Republic. So, yeah, it's cool.

FMM: I'm excited about it, and just in time for Pride as well. Will you be performing it in Sydney? This one?

VASSY: I won't do this one. No. In Sydney on Saturday night, I've already got my show mix and it's all my big dance songs and it's just basically like, for the dance floor, get everyone up and dancing.

FMM: Yes, of course.

VASSY: Visuals and things like that. Pride is the perfect place to get everyone up dancing. Yes. Oh, yeah. You just need to go, ‘Hey!’ And then everyone… I mean, if people are in a good mood, they're happy, they're celebrating, they're there for the same reason. Everyone's on the same page. So it's a fun time. Prides are always a blast. They're my favourites.

FMM: Exactly. Well, thanks so much for your time. Was there anything else you want to add about the upcoming Pride performance or about, I guess, your upcoming music or anything about you that you want to share?

VASSY: No, I think you covered a lot of it. Yeah, I think I'm okay.

FMM: Thank you. Hopefully now that I know you're in Darwin, hopefully I see you around Darwin sometime. Would be cool to actually see you perform and get out there and dance to your music. It'll be great.

VASSY: I know! That would be great. Yeah, I would love that. I'm yeah, I mean, I will be back next week, just for a few days, but yeah, hopefully I can be back here soon and do a show for everyone. That would be awesome.