In this interview spotlight, I chat with Danish singer and performer Victoriah Bech about motivations, challenges, the latest release and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?
As a dancer I’m attracted to all kinds of music. But growing up pop was always my favorite. As I got older it got an edgier twist. I especially like dark edgy pop and I love surprising people. People often assume that I like happy pop which is the complete opposite. The darker and grungier the beat and a heavy bass the more I like it. I like not being predictable and I think the combination is really cool.
What led you into this journey with music? And further, what drives you to push it out to the public?
I started dancing very young at age 2 and turned professional when I was 8 doing shows and competitions every weekend and rehearsals 20 hours a week. When I was 12 I was on a TV show about my life as dancer – I did the last season when I was 19. I got a choreographer from London and as I progressed in life I naturally started to sing more seriously. Music, dancing and entertainment is the only life I know. I truly love inspiring people to follow their dreams and believing in themselves. And I think my story and music is all about that. I can see it when I on a weekly basis volunteer and hang out with the kids at the shelter in Skidrow in Los Angeles. There is nothing better than giving them hope, encouraging them to become something great in life and simply helping them to feel like they are worth something.
Who or what influences your creativity? Have your tastes in music changed over time?
Life! My song Lost and my upcoming EP is especially inspired by my move to Los Angeles from Denmark when I was 18 years old. I gave up everything I know back home in Denmark and moved to Los Angeles by myself to pursue my dream of becoming an international artist. I was 18 straight out of high school, knew nobody out here and had to build my adult life in a new country. Those years was definitely challenging and following your dreams comes with some very dark and lonely moments. For a long time I was very confused and didn’t understand the speed of my process as an artist. I was getting very impatient and frustrated and really wanting to give up. Going through that naturally made my music a lot darker and also gave me an opportunity to write about something very relatable to many people.
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific with this new single? Creatively or otherwise?
I really wanted to describe a time in my life where I felt so defeated and confused. A time where I didn’t know what direction to go “Should I go left where nothing is right or to the right where nothing is left”. I wanted to show the dark side of following your dreams but also show that you are stronger than you think and you can get yourself through hard times. I think it’s very important to remind yourself that it is very normal to feel lost and frustrated in life sometimes.
What was the last song you listened to?
Was actually my own song “lost” because I was going through the last edit of the music video for it ha ha. Besides that it was a “Loyal” by 6lack – he is so good.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
CD’s because they remind me of my days as die hard Spice Girl fan lol.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
I love Spotify. I just love the feeling of having access to all music and I feel like it’s so easy to use Spotify. Also their playlists and “daily mixes for you” is something I like a lot. Oh and I have a premium account so no commercials 😉
Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what is the biggest challenge you face when trying to connect with or find new fans?
Again, moving to an entire different country alone trying to navigate through a cut throat industry is a challenge. So many people assume I’m just this blonde foreign dumb girl which means so many industry people have tried to take advantage of my situation. An-other challenge is also being a female in an industry where so many females sell them-selves short. It really takes away from the females who’s craft is build on talent, long hours in the studio, tears and hard work for years instead of the girls who suddenly got success on Instagram and the suddenly decide they want to do music.
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more music?
My music is out on all online platforms (Spotify, apple tidal etc) I highly recommend you checking out my music videos on Youtube. I co-direct, color correct, edit and style basically all my videos. Also follow my every day life on my Instagram @Victoriahbech – leave a comment and I’ll definitely comment back.
Anything else you’d like to add before signing off?
Stay tuned for the video for LOST!
