Vera Blue just dropped her new album Perennial today. The fourteen track record has the Vera Blue alternative/electronic pop sound but it is clear this is a heartbreak album with incredibly raw and vulnerable lyrics. Glimpses of her folk roots shine through in tracks Fools and First Week, and songs Regular Touch and Lady Powers bring a punch and preach feeling empowered and independent. She even has a few explicit tracks on the album, expressing feelings of resentment and anger like in the song We Used To

“Now I have to get used to not doing the things that I used to. You have to get used to all the shit that you’ve done.” – Vera Blue.

The album in its entirety is a storyline of a break-up from admitting when two lovers grow apart; to saying goodbye, grieving and then Mended wraps the record up beautifully with lyrics

“It’s been a little while since we have ended. We haven’t mended, we haven’t mended.” – Vera Blue

.

.

Vera Blue is touring the album across the country this August, buy Perennial now via iTunes here. She took the time to talk to AMNplify about her growth as an artist, her upcoming tour and the inspiration behind her new album Perennial. 

.

Hey, Vera!

Hi, sorry I’m just going to find a quiet spot it’s really loud. Cool, found a spot.

You’ve come a long way since coming third on The Voice, looking back how do you think that experience has shaped your career?

Absolutely, it’s been such a great journey. Being on The Voice was a really positive experience for me and it was a massive stepping stone to where I am now. So, coming off The Voice I had the experience of performing in front of lots of people, it was a bit of a whirlwind but it was very positive and I learnt a lot. I got a record deal and met so many amazing people in the [music] industry. It was a really great starting point.

It was only 2015 that you announced the Vera Blue project and released your first EP under that name Fingertips. You took your music in a new direction and found your own sound, where did the inspiration come for the project?

Before the Vera Blue stuff, I saw myself as a folk artist. All the songs I was writing before were very folky and it was all very stripped back and organic. I was a little late when I discovered electronic music and I totally fell in love with it. I started listening to alt-j and BANKS and FKA TWIGS and artists like that, but a lot of artists I’m really inspired by are artists like Angus and Julia Stone and Simon & Garfunkel so there is always going to be that music that I am really influenced by as well. And I went through a phase where I was doing lots of writing sessions and meeting producers and writers, and I was put into this writing session with Andy Mac who is my producer now and also singer/songwriter Gossling and that was like a really exciting day for me. I was at a writing camp, and on this particular day, we wrote the song Fingertips so that was where the Vera Blue stuff was born. We realised we were onto something so we continued working.

.

.

You sold out the Fingertips tour, how does it feel knowing people are resonating with your music?

Yeah, that was super exciting. We weren’t expecting it at all, but there was something about the change in the music in my direction and the blend of the folk with the electronic. It was a real exciting time for me. It was something we had so much fun creating and we were very proud of it. I love that people are connecting with it and that it’s resonating with them in a special way.

You do like to blend genres, collaborate with artist’s like ILLY and pop up during sets with Flume. Does collaborating with other artists help you grow as a musician?

Definitely, yeah. I’ve had so many special moments. This time last year I got up on stage with Flume at Splendour In The Grass and it was a massive highlight for me, and unforgettable moment. I’ve had a song with ILLY and SLUMBERJACK who I am going to perform with this year at Splendour. It’s really fun, I love collaborating with other like-minded artists that I connect with.

You’ve just released your new album Perennial and will be performing the songs for the first time during your Splendour set. Are you excited?

It’s really exciting. I’m looking forward to how the crowd responds. It’s gonna be sick.

The album sounds like a storyline of a tragic breakup but you can hear that you’ve grown as an artist. How would you describe the sound of your new album?

It is quite diverse, but in a way, the songs definitely blend well together. Over the writing process of the record it was about everything I was going through at the time and it all kind of fell into place. We went into it with no fear and just going for it with production, every production moment is in there for a reason. We just kept experimenting until it felt real until it felt right.

You’ll be touring Perennial around the country. How will this tour be different from your previous shows?

We’re going to be doing some of my favourite songs from the record, and some that I think are performed well live. We have a few songs on the record that are so fun to do live, they have such an upbeat energy and all my friends have connected with them so we’re going to be performing those which I am really excited about. We’ve got a new lights show and everything too, so lots of new movements since the last tour so I’m excited to bring people new visuals as well.

So lots of interesting aesthetics to enhance the atmosphere?

Yeah. And I think that works well for the album, it’s about completely different stuff to the EP [Fingertips]. As soon as we’d finished writing the EP we started writing this album and I’d just come out of a relationship so this album was inspired by so many things. So I’m just ready for people to hear it and feel it.

Sadly we are running out of time but one last question, do you have any artists in mind you want to work with in the near future?

There are a few people I can think of and things just keep popping up and I keep getting the opportunity to work with people. I guess I’d love to do a session with Flume one day. I’d like to see what happens, I have lots of dreams.

.

Catch Vera Blue perform her new album Perennial around the country. The details and tickets for her tour are here.

AMNplify – BD