Vera Blue Interview - A Bit Extra
We caught up with Aussie electro pop star Vera Blue ahead of her performance at Big Pineapple on Saturday the 25th of May. We previously spoke to Vera Blue about her Lady Powers EP, this time we delved into her two new singles ‘All The Pretty Girls’ and ‘Like I Remember You’, blending music and fashion, and if pineapples belong on pizza.
Futuremag Music: How’re you going, what’s new in the world of Vera Blue?
Vera Blue: I’m good, just in the studio making some more music. I released ‘Like I Remember You’ in conjunction with Greenpeace, and before that ‘All The Pretty Girls.’ I’m now onto the next phase and making songs for you all. It’s a very different sort of feeling, going back to the studio.
Futuremag Music: Last time we interviewed you was just before the Lady Powers EP dropped, so it’s exciting to see ‘All The Pretty Girls’ and ‘Like I Remember You’ flourish. Could you talk us through the writing process for both singles?
Vera Blue: I’ve done a few writing trips overseas. I wrote ‘All The Pretty Girls’ with some friends. I did a couple of writing sessions and the track really resonated out of nowhere which was really cool. I was listening to a lot of Fleetwood Mac, so that track was very influenced by the folk, rock sound. The demo was all acoustic instruments, so when I came back to Australia, my producer and I added electronic aspects to make it a fully blown Vera Blue release. It’s a really fun one to translate live. The audience loves to sing the chorus a few times so that’s pretty cool to see from the stage. It’s a vibrant and happy track to perform.
For ‘Like I Remember You’, that was a session I did with Julia Stone, Andy Mack and Tom Mack. I’ve been friends with Julia for some time, and I really wanted to write a track with her. It also came out of nowhere. The song is very emotional as it explores mental illness and trying to find the person you were before anxiety took hold. When ‘Like I Remember You’ came out it had strong resemblance to Greenpeace’s message of saving the ocean and protecting it from further damage. It was a great collaboration, and a fun one to do live.
It’s been cool to release some new songs and even better to play them live. I’m always experimenting with the Vera Blue team to evolve the project.
Futuremag Music: Your live performances are a spectacle of audio-visual beauty. What are you bringing to Big Pineapple?
Vera Blue: Festival sets are usually on the shorter side, so we like to have the bangers and high energy tracks in the sets. I like to keep everything colourful and bright to reflect the high energy stuff. With the fashion side of things, I go all out and go a bit extra. I usually wear something bright or sparkling on stage to standout to the crowd. Added to that I collaborate with a lot of Australian designers with the help of my stylist Jana Bartolo.
Futuremag Music: Who are some developmental acts you’re keen on seeing grow and flourish?
Vera Blue: That’s a really good question, there’s a few but I’ll focus on two. There’s an artist called Eliott, she has a fantastic voice. There’s another artist called Yorke, she’s just starting out and has great things ahead of her. I can’t wait to see where they go with their careers.
Futuremag Music: A funny one to wrap it up, does Pineapple belong on Pizza?
Vera Blue: I think so! It adds a sweet yet tangy kind of vibe. The texture and weird sensation after eating pineapple is great, I rate it.