In this interview spotlight, I chat with Starring Vanya about the latest music, technology, adapting during a pandemic and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and how do You describe your style of music?
I am a singer and songwriter from Mumbai, India but consider myself a ‘citizen of the world’ as I have been fortunate to travel the world, and live and study in various countries like the UAE, Seychelles, and USA, thus imbibing their cultures and way of living. My style of music is feel-good, dance, rap, and pop, and is influenced by the cultures and experiences I have had during my travels.
How did you get here? As in, what inspired or motivated you to take on this journey through music and the music biz?
It may sound a little cliché, but the first singer I ever heard was my mom. She would sing me to sleep every night as a premature new-born, and then, in nursery, my older siblings would blast 80’s rock bands like Guns ‘n’ Roses, Aerosmith, and Poison, to name a few, so I learned G ‘n’ R song lyrics instead of nursery rhymes. Somewhere in the mix, I discovered my love for Queen and was inspired by Freddie Mercury’s stage performance skills. Since the age of five, I was thrown into the world of music, performing at international singing competitions, school musicals, and of course, family gatherings. I wrote my first song at the age of 10 – a sloppy break-up song about my school crush whom I had an imaginary relationship with! Come 2016, and I was ready to storm the music industry. I composed and produced three pop rock songs “Love or Let Me Die”, Danza All Night”, and “Over You”, which amassed more than a million views each on YouTube. Since then, I’ve continued to write and produce music, and it gives me great joy to follow my passion.
How does your latest project compare/contrast with your previous release(s)? Were you setting out to accomplish anything specific, follow a specific theme, or explore different styles of creation?
My latest project is my first pop-rock/hip-hop album. I previously released a debut Christmas holiday album in 2021, which received a double-mention from Rolling Stone Magazine. Each song from this album has a piece of my heart in it, but not every song is based on a boy I like or may have liked. Sometimes I like to live vicariously through my friends’ relationships. 😉 My new music is influenced by the music styles of chart-toppers like Dua Lipa, Doja cat, Ed Sheeran, Charlie Puth, and an array of others.
Name the biggest challenge you faced as a creative during these unprecedented? How did you adapt? How have you kept the creative fires burning during all this?
The pandemic stopped musicians and artists around the world from performing live. Performing our music in front of our fans and other creative enthusiasts is something every artist thrives on. Receiving my fans’ reactions of love, unity and awe is what encourages a musician like me to keep moving forward in this extremely difficult industry. While I couldn’t perform live during the pandemic, I used the downtime as an opportunity to write over 40 songs, as, music fills a composer’s mind even more in the hardest of times. As a musician, my best work comes from the extreme troughs and peaks of emotion – sadness, happiness, anger, frustration – every emotion Is a stimulus for my art.
What was the last song you listened to?
I was just completing the last verse of my new single dedicated to my late grandmother, ‘Dear Grandma’, so that would literally be the last song I listened to. However, among other artists, I’ve most recently had ‘Bam Bam’ by Camila Cabello and Ed Sheeran at the top of my Spotify playlist. It’s an upbeat, Spanish-English song with subtle emotional undertones that inspires you to keep moving on despite the changes that come your way.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? 8-tracks? Cassettes? CDs? MP3s? Streaming platforms?
Growing up in India, I had exposure to the whole spectrum of music platforms. My dad used to play Elvis, The Beatles and Beach boys on vinyl, while my mum used to listen to Englebert and Tom Jones on cassette tapes. My older siblings would blast rock music on CDs, from Guns ‘N’ Roses to Avril Lavigne. Before streaming services were popular, ‘Unwritten’ by Natalie Bedingfield was the first mp3 i downloaded. As a music aficionado, I like having all my music easily accessible to me, which is why I love Spotify and iTunes. We have indeed come a long way from the limited number of tracks on a CD to having a whole world of music at the touch of a button.
Where is the best place to connect with you and follow your journey?
I am most active on Instagram as @starringvanya and my other socials are facebook /starringvanya, twitter @VCreado and youtube as StarringVanyaOfficial
I really appreciate your time. Anything else before we sign off?
The worldwide release of my new single “Enjoy the ride” is scheduled for the 20th of April – stay tuned! I am also currently engaged in producing a talk show podcast “Be my Guesst!?” which I started in collaboration with the India Film Project and Anchor. It’s available on all podcast streaming platforms like Apple and Google podcasts, Anchor, Spotify and more. Each episode is a tête-à-tête with a mythical character, asking for real world advice that would apply to youth today. Some of the guests include Cinderella’s fairy godmother, Ariel from the little mermaid, and Mrs. Santa Claus.
