After a year
in the making, her blood, sweat and tears have all been worth it as V!OLET gets
her first number 1 with her new album, ColourFlash. She spoke to us in an
exclusive interview about how ‘proud and happy’ she is with the amazing reaction
from her fans to the new album. ‘I’m overwhelmed’ she said, ‘The fact I have
such a fantastic and supporting fan base after only 2 albums, it’s wild’. With
over 1 million records selling in the first week, it’s a personal feat for the
pop rock sensation V!OLET.
She grew up in a small northern town, moving down to London with her original band, The Colour Bandits. They spent 3 years together, taking on small gigs and venues until some success in 2007 when they were invited to be an opening act for a concert at the O2 Arena. From there they slowly got bigger, however the band members were realising their individual personalities and ideas were causing arguments and anguish. And so, in 2011, the band split up, saying ‘It’s been a blast, but we need to develop our own art to keep it real for the fans. We owe everything to them.’
A year later, V!OLET started working on her first album, ‘BrightSkies’ with her new backing band, who she says have been her best friends for the past 3 years, helping her with everything happening in her life: both the ups and downs. ‘I couldn’t wish for more amazing friends’ she told us. ‘It was hard to start out again’ V!OLET reveals, ‘luckily the diehard fans were still there, the fact they were so supportive of my new music was so inspirational for me’. She talks of how even though some were still wanting The Colour Bandits to reform, the sheer amount of love and support she got for her individual career really encouraged her at a time when she was unsure of herself.
Her latest album took a year to make, with hardships and heartbreak as V!OLET’s Grandmother sadly passed away whilst she was recording; meaning the release date was set back a month. However V!OLET carried on and released this brilliant album. ‘It was difficult’ she recalls, as she tried to juggle recording times as well as spending time with her family to grieve. In the time she had as a break, she managed to write another emotional song for the album, which she has dedicated to her Grandmother. The song: ‘White Is The Flag Of Hope’ as her Grandmother’s favourite colour was white. It was a hard time for her, but she is now ‘stronger than ever’, and over the moon about ColourFlash.
When asked about where she got the inspiration for the new album, she paused. ‘I suppose it’s about experiences that life has thrown at me whether I wanted them or not’ she went on slowly to explain, ‘I’ve been through a lot of shit, and I know that the fans can relate to that through my music’. She went on to tell us that a lot of her music tells small stories of events from her life she had pent up emotions about, as she likes to express her views through the lyrics to her songs. ‘Many people underestimate the time and thought put into the creative process of song writing’ V!OLET shared about how long it took her to write the new album. ‘You can think of a possible line for a song anytime, whether you’re in the supermarket or in a meeting, and you can’t force it or it won’t suit the song. The fans know when you’re not putting your heart and soul into the work, and I want to give them the best I can create.’
We asked what it was like, knowing that so many people listen to her music and idolise her. ‘It’s crazy’ she responds, almost in shock ‘Sometimes I kinda stop and just think ‘Holy shit! These people like my music’. I’m not sure if I’m dreaming when I hear one of my songs on the radio but if I am, I really don’t want to wake up’. She talks about how hard it was when the original band was first starting out, and how much had changed since then. Instead of hoping to be a supporting act, she’s now the headliner asking others to be her openers. ‘I know how hard it can be, to be starting out with nothing to your name, so I like to find less well known bands to tour with to give them the chance that I so desperately needed once.’ She also explains how some artists have forgotten their past and put themselves above the rest, but she wants to stay true to her fans. ‘I wouldn’t be where I am today without their support, I owe them so much. I can only hope they can see how thankful I am through my new album.’
She grew up in a small northern town, moving down to London with her original band, The Colour Bandits. They spent 3 years together, taking on small gigs and venues until some success in 2007 when they were invited to be an opening act for a concert at the O2 Arena. From there they slowly got bigger, however the band members were realising their individual personalities and ideas were causing arguments and anguish. And so, in 2011, the band split up, saying ‘It’s been a blast, but we need to develop our own art to keep it real for the fans. We owe everything to them.’
A year later, V!OLET started working on her first album, ‘BrightSkies’ with her new backing band, who she says have been her best friends for the past 3 years, helping her with everything happening in her life: both the ups and downs. ‘I couldn’t wish for more amazing friends’ she told us. ‘It was hard to start out again’ V!OLET reveals, ‘luckily the diehard fans were still there, the fact they were so supportive of my new music was so inspirational for me’. She talks of how even though some were still wanting The Colour Bandits to reform, the sheer amount of love and support she got for her individual career really encouraged her at a time when she was unsure of herself.
Her latest album took a year to make, with hardships and heartbreak as V!OLET’s Grandmother sadly passed away whilst she was recording; meaning the release date was set back a month. However V!OLET carried on and released this brilliant album. ‘It was difficult’ she recalls, as she tried to juggle recording times as well as spending time with her family to grieve. In the time she had as a break, she managed to write another emotional song for the album, which she has dedicated to her Grandmother. The song: ‘White Is The Flag Of Hope’ as her Grandmother’s favourite colour was white. It was a hard time for her, but she is now ‘stronger than ever’, and over the moon about ColourFlash.
When asked about where she got the inspiration for the new album, she paused. ‘I suppose it’s about experiences that life has thrown at me whether I wanted them or not’ she went on slowly to explain, ‘I’ve been through a lot of shit, and I know that the fans can relate to that through my music’. She went on to tell us that a lot of her music tells small stories of events from her life she had pent up emotions about, as she likes to express her views through the lyrics to her songs. ‘Many people underestimate the time and thought put into the creative process of song writing’ V!OLET shared about how long it took her to write the new album. ‘You can think of a possible line for a song anytime, whether you’re in the supermarket or in a meeting, and you can’t force it or it won’t suit the song. The fans know when you’re not putting your heart and soul into the work, and I want to give them the best I can create.’
We asked what it was like, knowing that so many people listen to her music and idolise her. ‘It’s crazy’ she responds, almost in shock ‘Sometimes I kinda stop and just think ‘Holy shit! These people like my music’. I’m not sure if I’m dreaming when I hear one of my songs on the radio but if I am, I really don’t want to wake up’. She talks about how hard it was when the original band was first starting out, and how much had changed since then. Instead of hoping to be a supporting act, she’s now the headliner asking others to be her openers. ‘I know how hard it can be, to be starting out with nothing to your name, so I like to find less well known bands to tour with to give them the chance that I so desperately needed once.’ She also explains how some artists have forgotten their past and put themselves above the rest, but she wants to stay true to her fans. ‘I wouldn’t be where I am today without their support, I owe them so much. I can only hope they can see how thankful I am through my new album.’
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