ayo dj: getting to know VVN
tuesday, february 6th 2024 • boston, massachusetts
more portraits can be found here.
“Even if you don’t consider yourself an artist never feel limited by anything and express yourself to your fullest extent, and if people don’t fuck with it then that’s on them.”
Viv, stage name VVN, is a 20 year old artist originally from Virginia, right outside of D.C. They currently live in Boston and attend Berklee College of Music. The music they make is a combination of electronic, alternative, r&B, jazz and even indie music. Plus, they’re killer at the saxophone. After their schooling they hope to help the world and be able to perform and make music with people that they love. Recently, I got to sit down with them and talk music, media, life and goals. This is what they had to say;
Hunter: Do you think that being from Virginia has influenced or affected your music?
Viv: In certain ways, yes. Virginia wasn’t exactly inspirational musically, but there was a lot of gospel. My parents always played jazz and Marvin Gaye, so I was set into a creative space early on.
H: Do you have any goals for your music in 2024?
V: I want to play a show that is a landmark for me. All shows are important, but like a bigger show. Opening for someone that I love, it’s in NY, or something like that. I want to keep releasing music + get playlisted + start having people that I really fuck with hit me up to work with them. Stuff like that.
H: I guess this ties into your music goals of 2024, but what is one thing you haven’t done in life that you want to experience?
V: This sounds kind of stupid, but I guess my goal right now is to break free spiritually a bit more. I feel like I’ve plateaued in a way. There’s anxiety settling in my spirit and I want to break free of that, which will definitely help me with my creativity and relationships with people. I want to stop thinking too many negative thoughts and spread more love instead of dwell on the stupid shit about life.
H: That is so incredibly valid....do you have anything in particular that helps get you out of artist block?
V: Going to shows, for sure. Especially like jazz shows because I feel like the expression is always just so pure and that really inspires me. It especially gets me to play my saxophone, which I definitely don’t do as mush as I wish I did these days. But also, meditating....I don’t do drugs very often, but I really want to do shrooms to help with my spiritual. I feel like that’s a different type of creative block. Also, finding new music and reading books and going on really long walks with my friends and talking and seeing where the conversation goes.
H: Is your song writing process different each time, or do you have a routine?
V: Since I’m a songwriter and a producer, I always start in Ableton on my computer. There are times like today when I was very in my feelings. I went to the bathroom in class and wrote lyrics in my journal. Sometimes I’ll take that and sit at a piano and play chords or sit at my computer and play around with it. It will just like flow out and I’ll record on top of that usually.
H: What song do you enjoy performing the most?
V: Damn...I feel like...the one I like performing the most...it could be “Guidance.” Maybe because it’s a combination of people knowing it and sing along. I always flop around at the end of it + go crazy on stage, which I don’t do with all of my songs. It goes hard when there’s a beat switch, and it sits well in my vocal range. A lot of my songs I record in a crazy way and then I can’t sing it live and I’m like ‘fuck’ and get self conscious. But, yeah...probably “Guidance.”
H: What are you the most proud of making? Is it the same or something different?
V: Hmm...the song that I’m most proud of...man, I don’t know! Right now...well, probably this song that I made with Nafisa called “Push and Pull” that hopefully I’ll be releasing soon.
H: Out of all of the songs in the world, which song do you wish that you had made + why?
V: The song “I Drive Alone” by Esthero. It’s one of hose songs that as soon as I heard it it gave me the chills, and I feel like I haven’t felt that way about a song in like five years. I can be so upset about life and hormonal and this and that, but every time I put that song on and go on a walk by myself, blasting my earbuds, I immediately feel a rush of excitement that art and creativity exist. I just feel an overwhelming sense of gratefulness and I feel like every song that makes me feel that I wish that I had made. Because I get such a visceral feeling of it.
H: Do you have a specific favorite movie? Do you think that other forms of media like movies and such affect your music at all?
V: There’s so many movies that I love but, uh, I’ll drop La Haine (1995). Like movies like that...the Basquiat documentary (1996). Just movies that show me culture and history at the same time inan artistic perspective. A lot of ‘artist point of view’ movies. I also recently saw Poor Things (2023) + that inspired the fuck out of me! The music. The visuals. The acting. The attitudes of all of the characters. I felt really inspire by the ‘Willy Wonka’ vibe that it had.
H: If you could spend 24 hours with three musicians, dead or alive, who would they be and why?
V: Definitely Liv.e, although I would probably be scared because I would want her to like me so much. [laughs] But I feel like I would get over that and we would fuck with each other...SOPHIE. She would inspire the fuck out of me, plus I feel like we could just kick it. But, yea, she’s just amazing. Um, one more...hmm...who do I even...? If it’s dead or alive then maybe Nina Simone. Oh wait, I need to add one more. Actually, Alice Coltrane. Although I think I wouldn’t...or maybe we would have things to talk about, but I would just love to be in her presence.
H: What’s your ‘desert island’ band or musician? It can change, but right now, if you were stuck on a desert island and could only listen to one artist who would it be + why?
V: I think...I already named both of these people but either Liv.e or Alice Coltrane. Because Liv.e is definitely my biggest inspiration right now; the way that she sings and the producers she works with. Just the whole musical sound is so wonderful to me and makes me feel like a bad bitch and I love signing it. Alice Coltrane would be my other one because her music is extremely grounding and centered in feminine divinity and spirituality and I can always get down to that music as well.
H: Do you have any advice for people who want to get into music and either don’t know how to or just feel stuck?
V: If you feel any inclination to express yourself through music...never compare yourself, especially in the beginning, because that can hold you back so much. Like, you want to start but you’re just intimidated by music itself and how other people make it. But you can express yourself any way that you want and never feel like anything can limit you at all. And...I don’t know. Don’t be lazy, I guess? If you want to do it, just try it out. Also, if you’re friends with musicians definitely ask them because they should support you a hundred and shoutout to Youtube music tutorials.
H: Any last words or statements or anything you would like to drop?
V: My last words or statements are...even if you don’t consider yourself an artist never feel limited by anything and express yourself to your fullest extent, and if people don’t fuck with it then that’s on them. Because, the world needs to break free and the biggest way to change that is freedom of expression and creativity and love comes through art and expression, so...yeah.
