Valerie is a twenty-one-year-old independent singer-songwriter from St. Petersburg, Russia. Her debut album First & Foremost (released February 21) is an intriguing collection of warm pop-alt songs about "someone who doesn't have it all figured out." Check out Melody's chat with her below.
Hi Valerie! Thank you so much for taking the time out to answer my questions. How was your week?
Hi! My week has been overwhelming in the best way possible! I never thought I would get so much feedback and interaction with my music in such a short period of time. Putting an album out feels amazing, and now I’m finally on the team of those who've experienced it. So delighted right now!
How did you know you wanted to be a singer/songwriter?
Music has been around me for as long as I can remember: my parents are both violin players. I have a picture of me holding a violin when I was around two. It was a totally staged photo (I wish I could play!), but it really shows what my environment has always been like. Back then, I didn’t know I wanted to be a part of it – I thought it was just something I'd always have right next to me, no matter where I went. But as soon as I realized I could actually sit down and write a song, my life changed. I think I was well into my teens, about fifteen. The combination of music and writing; that’s where it hit me.
Does being from St. Petersburg inspire your music?
Everything that surrounds me inspires me. I’ve lived in a lot of places and sing a lot about cities – I think you can tell - but St. Petersburg, undoubtedly, has inspired me the most over the years. It’s a beautiful, intricate city. My hometown. I think everyone should visit it at least once. Maybe you’ll get the urge to start making music too!
What’s the music scene like in St. Petersburg?
I’m not very involved in the local scene, to be honest with you. The music being played here is not something I resonate with.
What was your creative process like when you were recording and writing First & Foremost?
It was the most fascinating and unique process I could ever imagine. I worked with two producers: Shaddy Salem aka Possessive Music who is London-based, and Nicholas Mark, from Massachusetts. Having never met them in person, I am still amazed by just how well we were able to communicate and understand one another. They’re both incredibly talented, and big things are coming their way. I recorded in a small studio here in St. Petersburg with the help of Vadim Rokitsky, my favorite studio engineer, and everything we recorded and mixed I would send back to the guys for additional production. Sometimes I would have to run back to the studio for little finishing touches. It was a very interesting process, and completely different for each song. Challenging at times, but overall the best experience I could’ve asked for. I enjoyed every minute of it!
You describe your album as being about someone who doesn’t have it all figured out. Does this stem from personal experiences?
That’s certainly true. I often find myself lost in the world, and music is pretty much the only area of my life where feeling lost can grow into something meaningful. It’s the only place where I don’t beat myself up for it. Everyone is so confused these days. We’re all just trying to find our place in the world, and it’s becoming harder each day. Every single person I talk to, they’ve all felt the same at one point or another – things are changing so rapidly. I wanted to capture the chaos I experience sometimes, and I feel like I executed it exactly like I'd wanted to.
You have such a distinctive sound. How did you go about finding it?
Honestly, if you go back to my earlier work, you can tell the difference between me being myself now, and me doing what I felt like was popular at the time. I didn’t have a producer, so I would just purchase instrumentals from whoever was selling them. The goal was to make glossy pop music, and it just wasn’t working, no matter how hard I tried to approach it in that way. I realized I needed something different; something that was precisely me, even if that genre didn’t quite exist. That’s where Shaddy came along. He’s not just a pop producer. He has his own distinct ways of doing things, and I love them all. We use a lot of vocoder (my personal favorite tool in production, a lot of distortion on the voice.) Finding something that worked for me was such a relief. I’m now finally able to be authentic in my songwriting.
One of my favorite songs on the album is “City.” What was the process like for writing that? What was the inspiration behind it?
Thank you for asking this! "City" is a special song: it’s a really old one. All of the other tracks on the album were written in 2019, but "City" has been around since I was in high school. It’s important to me purely because of the sentimental value it carries. It was one of my first songs; when I wrote it, I was very dramatic (still am!) and heartbroken about everything. I only knew about three guitar chords in total, and those were exactly the ones I used. Hence the little guitar solo – I wanted to capture the nostalgic feel it brings, what it was like sitting in my bedroom and writing for the sake of it, not even thinking about potentially recording and producing. I love listening to it now. It’s almost like giving a hug to younger Valerie. I was hesitant about whether to put it on the album or just leave it in the past, where it belongs, but I realized we must honor our younger selves and treat them with the utmost respect. After all, those feelings and experiences are what made us into who we are today.
Who are your musical influences?
Honestly, so many. First and foremost, my parents! My dad was a masterful musician and conductor. I was in awe of everything he did when I was little. He would always tell me that music is something you can’t bring to perfection by practicing, only by feeling it to your core. I’m convinced having Tchaikovsky CDs playing in the house at all times influenced me a lot. My mom is amazing, too. She helped me a lot in the recording process of the album, actually! If we’re talking current artists, Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey are the influences I’ll probably name every single time I’m being asked this question. I grew up with their music and they mean everything to me. Their lyricism and artistry are so encompassing, yet so personal. It’s incredible. I learned a lot from these ladies.
When writing and recording, do you listen to any specific bands or artists for inspiration?
I usually consume music in the form of albums, start to finish, no skipping tracks. I stuck with just a few select bodies of work that inspired me at the time. It helped me concentrate on my own artistic vision! All female artists, too. Women just make me feel empowered; I really admire. their ability to turn indescribable things into something palpable and tangible. While working on First & Foremost, I listened to a lot of Banks, Rosalia, and Mitski. Can you tell?
If you could tour with any band or artist, who would it be?
This artist Mallrat, from Brisbane. I love her so much. We had a little interaction when I featured her song "Charlie" on my top 2019 songs list, and I freaked out. I would love to tour with her whenever she’s in Europe. Unless she wants me to join one of her Australian tours…I’ll gladly do that! Just saying.
What was the hardest song on the album to write and record?
"Underwater." It’s the most personal song I’ve written, and simultaneously my favorite. Surprisingly, it didn’t take long at all. It actually came together so quickly – I wrote it in under an hour, recorded myself singing inaudible words with some piano. Shaddy sent me a rough demo the next day. But it was definitely hard to record – I kept getting emotional. I’m so happy no one but my engineer was in the studio with me that day! It would’ve been so embarrassing. There is nothing I hate more than crying in front of people. But it was important for me to write that one and get out everything I was feeling. I’m proud of it.
Do you feel your lyrics are more about interpersonal relationships or general life experiences?
Love is so fascinating to me, so I think I’ll always write about it. All kinds of love. Having been in love for some time now, I find it freeing to write about. But so is life! Capturing my relationship with the world is just as important to me as capturing personal relationships. I’m very transparent in my lyrics, but they’re still open to interpretation: I want everyone to be able to relate in their own personal way, and attach it to their life however they want to. I would never try to push my own ideas onto anyone. So my lyrics can be whatever you want them to be. It’s all up to the listener. As soon as I put something out, it belongs to the world, not to me. If you read what I write closely, you’ll find a lot of hidden meanings, too. I like to stay a little cryptic, even when I’m pouring my heart out into the song.
How would you describe the music you are creating?
I think it always comes from a place of honesty, uncertainty, and insecurity. I wish I could write about, I don’t know, being a hot girl, or bragging about myself or something. I’m very fascinated by the artists that are able to do that; I can only wish I had a fraction of that in me. I always have to be somewhat angsty in my music. But that’s what works for me, and as long as I’m staying true to myself, I don’t think I need to change that. I just hope it doesn’t annoy anyone!
At Underground, we’re all about discovering new music. Who should we be listening to right now?
Like I said, Mallrat is amazing. If you’re not familiar with her, you’re missing out big time. Charli Adams— I just discovered her song "Backseat" and I love it! Obsessed with Raveena and her song "Headaches", and Christine and the Queens just released an EP, which is stunning work. Rina Sawayama, Caroline Polachek, and The Japanese House – get on them, too. There’s so many artists I want to recommend/ I feel like if I don’t stop now, I will just keep going forever. And of course, my album First & Foremost is something I am urging everyone to listen to!
