Alternative up and coming artist VIKA is a Russian girl from Israel now living in Los Angeles, California. Pursuing a career doing a variety of things, but especially music, being so creative and flowing with capabilities, she can take any genre and make it her own. Having only a few tracks to her name thus far, she has so much more to bring to the masses of the music scene. She herself goes into great details about her life, music, and the plans ahead of her that have yet to unfold....
1. Upon looking at YouTube channel, you have 3 videos, of three different tracks; a cover "In The Air Tonight", along with two other tracks titled "Mama" and then a "live" version of that song as well. Tell me about these songs and their accompanying music videos.
Well, Mama was the first song I wrote when I got to LA. My mom had a birthday and I couldn’t be there (again), so I decided that I want to give her a present that will make her happy. I wrote her a song and made a demo. This year, I decided to make this song an official version, so I improved it and released it as my first single. The live version is what I actually sent her which has me telling her happy birthday, that’s why there are two.
“In The Air Tonight” is a song that I like a lot, and when I decided to cover it I wanted to add a little bit of my own touch, so I rapped on the verses. The creation of the entire song happened in the studio, I was in front of a mic singing what I felt was good and it worked.
2. Will either of these tracks, be coming off an upcoming release such as an EP or album perhaps?
These tracks are staying as singles. But this year I will be releasing my first 5 song EP “Stigma”. I will be releasing the EP as singles, one every two months. I realized that for beginning artists it is a better way to start. So the first one will come out in March.
3. Do you have any new music in the works?
The EP is almost ready, I have 2 music videos in progress, another one to shoot and 2 songs at the last stages of mixing. I am very excited because this EP will be something that no one has ever expected from me. I am a social artist, I talk about women empowerment, equal rights and personal growth - to conclude it all: I’m here to break the Stigma. So this EP will be angry, emotional, honest and unexpected. I’m excited :)
4. Your bio says you're a Russian Israeli Alternative Artist, so does this mean you're from Russia? Whereabouts are you from and what is the music scene like there?I am a Russian Israeli artist. I was born in a small town in Russia and when I was 7 years old, me and my mom moved to Israel. So most of my life I spent in Israel, but I do remember some of my days in Russia as well. The music scene in Israel is very different. I would call it Traditional - Mediteranean. But the mainstream in Israel is not the mainstream we know. In Russia the mainstream would be Russian Pop and Rap music. I do like to take influences from the russian rappers, it helps me to keep the culture in my songs sometimes.
5. How and why did you want to combine a variety of genres within music to do the style of music that you do? Why not stick to just one or two genres?
I don’t believe in “boxing” yourself. I don’t think music should have limits. I don’t think I should have them as well. I am a poet, and the most important thing to me is to pass my message. I like to collaborate with different artists from different genres because that keeps me open minded and creates magic that won’t be there if I will put myself in a box and make myself do only one. On the same page, the music industry is shifting completely, more and more acts now days cannot be defined by a certain genre anymore. Kendrick Lamar is not entirely “Hip-Hop”, Billie Eilish is not entirely “Pop”, Lil Nass is not entirely “Country”.. I can go on and on.
6. Since living in Los Angeles as of currently, what do you find yourself doing everyday?
Living here is a big challenge, there is a lot of competition and so much of everything going on. But I use it to my advantage. I like to meet new people, I like meeting new artists and musicians and make new connections. Most of the day I am working on my music, on my YouTube channel, I’m learning, reading, practicing and whatnot. It’s so easy to lose track and don’t do much when you freelance, but I try to keep myself busy all the time. I am also currently waiting for my work visa, so when it arrives, I’ll be a bit more busy.
7. Are there any hot spots you would recommend us checking out?
All the cool places in LA are very underground. I struggled a lot with that when I just arrived here, but the more people you meet, the more places you find out about. Instead of giving a list of places I would offer to musicians to checkout the “Meetup” app/web - it’s one of the best places to network. I also suggest to join groups on Facebook, go out to networking events and go to live shows. But if you just looking to hang out, there is a cool place called “Bardot” in Hollywood. I found out about it through a friend but if you download an app called “Dice” - everything you need is there :)
8. Can you tell me about the YouTube channel and or program called "Muzz and Music"?
Muzz and Music is a YouTube channel I created for musicians like me, DIY artists that are trying to make it in the music industry. When I was in a music college, I felt like I was the only one having fears, doubts and whatnot, I felt so alone and like no one understands how intimidating this is. But the more people I talk to, I realized we all feel the same and are afraid to admit it, so I decided to create a platform that we all can talk about everything and learn from each other.
9. Have any shows or even tours lined up for the next couple of months or nothing set just yet?I’m currently rehearsing with my band and we should be ready to go soon. Now when the EP is coming out we will definitely start going out there and spreading the message.
All the show dates and updates are always available on my website www.simplyvika.com or my socials as well.
10. What plans do you have in-store for this year 2020?
Oh wow..I have so many plans! But I think my main one is to start growing. I’m starting to be much more active on my digital platform as well as on stage. I believe that hard work pays off. So I will keep working hard and going forward. This year is going to be amazing and I am super excited about it!
Post a Comment