A few days ago, on Friday, Vina Rose dropped her debut single, titled “Breathe Again“. The track is an unforgettable pop banger that deserves to be heard by tonnes of people. Upon the release of the track, we were given the opportunity to interview her, and how could we say no?
Vina Rose has just started out on her music career but what a way to begin it with her addicting debut track! She’s from Sicily, Italy and recently moved to London to focus on a career in music, working in some of the best studios including Abbey Road. Not only that, but she’s also performed alongside the likes of Andrea Bocelli, Alexia and Giorgia; performed at a number of festivals; and, appeared in a few shows for the BBC and ITV. She’s certainly starting to make her name known and her first step in the music industry with “Breathe Again” is certainly one that deserves to make an impact.
A lyric video for her debut single “Breathe Again” is exclusively available to watch below. Full of cute smokey icon animations in front of easy-to-read lyrics with a faded neon purple background. It definitely goes well with the song and worth watching over and over again.
It was great to chat with Vina Rose about the release of her debut single “Breathe Again“, the upcoming music video, her acting roles, and her future music plans.
Hi Vina Rose, how are you today? What have you been up to lately?
Hi, I’m very well, thank you. I’ve been very busy working towards the release of my single, organizing meetings with new people, meanwhile, I’ve been on set doing shootings as well as live performances around London.
Sounds busy. So for our readers who are just discovering you, please introduce yourself.
I’m Vina Rose, I am a singer-songwriter and performer. I was born in Catania, a Sicilian town in south Italy, and growing up within a family of musicians meant to me, a deep connection to the art form (I remember my first time on stage I was four years old singing “Per Noi” by the Italian artist Fiordaliso).
Your new single is titled “Breathe Again”, can you tell us more about the track?
The song explores the ability to handle any given situation, moving from a place of pain, paralysis and fear, to one of power, energy and excitement.
“Breathe Again” describes the desire to get out from an emotional cage and to transform fears and insecurities in strength and confidence.
What five words would you use to describe the song?
Volcanic, Emotional, Authentic, Obstinate, Powerful.
What was it like to record your debut single?
It was an extraordinary experience.
I remember the night before the recording, I was feeling a bit nervous thinking ‘this is finally happening’, and I drank ginger beer to relax myself (I’m not a massive drinker lol).
Ironically two months later I recorded the vocal again in a different studio, ‘cause me and the producer thought that with the new arrangement the vocal needed to feel more like a big punch in the face (I’m a perfectionist so I didn’t mind to do that again, I was actually excited by then and less nervous and we did the recording in two hours).
The producer of the song was Gavin Holligan from Hollerzz Productions. What was he like to work with?
I started to work with Gavin a few years ago, he’s also a co-writer in this track, working with him felt great, his incredible talent, sensitivity and music knowledge makes the song standing up by itself.
How does it feel to be releasing “Breathe Again”? Are you nervous?
I’m so excited and slightly agitated at the same time.
This is a moment I was waiting for so long, “Breathe Again” comes from a very vulnerable and challenging season in my life and not knowing what the outcome will be, makes me feel a bit nervous, but the journey has been extraordinary so far, I met incredible people that supported me and helped me to turn, into reality, my artistic vision and personality at the same time, and I hope that is what people are going to see and love.
Will there be a music video for the song? If so, what can we expect from it?
Oh yes, the music video will be out on the 31st of May, and it was shot in an ex-factory in East London.
You can expect all the passion and energy I’m capable of, plus you’re going to see me dancing as well (I have a background also as a dancer by the way).
Sounds good to us, we can’t wait to see it. How have your family and friends reacted to the song?
Family and friends have been very supportive, they loved it and some of my friends were also surprised about this particular song, but generally, everyone liked it and said that “Breathe Again” is really radio friendly.
What’s next after this single release? Hopefully more music, right?
Absolutely, I’m planning to release more music later on this year: the last two years of my life have been very intense for me on multiple levels, I have so many emotions I want to express through my music and I can’t wait to share those feelings with the audience, and hopefully people will resonate with me and my experiences.
You’ve also done some acting, in the past, for the BBC and ITV. Can you tell us more about that?
Last year, I did this incredible shooting for BBC broadcasted in the UK and America, where I was playing the Duchess of Sutherland in a documentary about Victoria and Albert; that was an outstanding experience, and I was feeling great in dressing up as a Duchess with Victorian costumes.
TV is not new for me though, I’ve been part of a big and popular comedy show in Italy for 10 years named “Crozza nel paese delle meraviglie” where I was singing, vocal coaching, dancing and acting, so I guess that is part of my background that I enjoy very much and I feel very comfortable in doing that.
How does acting differ from singing?
When you act you have to impersonate a character and that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be similar to your own personality.
In my singing I strive to be always authentic and honest, I’m not trying to copy anyone else, I’m just trying to be the best me that I can be and celebrate myself for my strengths and my weaknesses.
Do you feel just as passionate about both, or does one prevail over the other, and why?
Yes, I feel very passionate about everything I do, ’cause I feel that that gives me the opportunity to express different sides of my character, although I believe music is and always will be my first love, ’cause I was born surrounded by music and that’s the place where I feel most comfortable in life.
You’ve also performed alongside Andrea Bocelli, Alexia and Georgia. Can you tell us what those experiences were like?
Being a backing vocalist for big names taught me a lot, ’cause watching all those people at that level of their career at that time, prepared me to be an Artist and gave me the confidence to go up on stage and express who I really am and what I want to say or be known for.
On top of that, you’ve also done some original theme tunes for radio stations, can you explain how that came about and which ones you’ve done?
Yes I worked in Italy with different national radio stations like Radio 105 or Radio 2: that came through colleagues and friends I met during my journey, it was an incredible opportunity and I remember that that taught me another skill when it comes to my singing, because when you record jingles you had to be as much neutral as you can with your voice, no vibrato, no accent, just singing a linear melody.
In 2016, you moved to London. What’s it like living in the capital, and how did it feel to move there?
I had my ups and downs with London, when I first moved here, I remember I was feeling lost, all of a sudden I found myself struggling in a place where people didn’t know anything about me, especially after leaving Milan in Italy, where people recognized me from working on a big TV show.
I worked very hard starting to sing at any open mic in the city and trying to connect with people in the music business over here.
Eventually, after one year, I started to feel like I was going to the right direction, I stopped to think that my accent could have been a problem for English people, kept believing in myself and working even harder to show people where I was going.
Today, I’m grateful for the choice I made, London can give you so many opportunities, I don’t intend to give up despite the rocky path and I’ll continue to pursue my dream as a music artist.
Back to your music, what can we expect from you next?
You can expect different singles coming out in the near future, in preparation of an EP that I’ll hopefully release next year.
Meanwhile, I will go back to the studio to write new material, because I feel like it’s that time now to open the door to new collaborations.
What’s the big dream when it comes to your music?
I’d like to be an artist that will go touring the world with my music, and connect with fans all over the world to share with them, life experiences and to give them a voice through my songs.
Who do you look up to in the music world, and why?
I miss artists like Michael Jackson or Amy Winehouse, their music was real and their artistry was incredible, not just a result of an artificial out of tune in the studio.
I also like to watch artists like Lady Gaga or Sia or Adele, because those are people that feel authentic to me and that are not afraid to show who they really are, as supposed as just being a product of a fake show business, where you just need to look right and glamorous all the time.
And, finally, do you have any words for your fans?
Accept who you are and believe in yourself before anyone else does, and don’t be afraid to be considered different.
And love, love before anything else…
Thank you, Vina Rose, for taking the time out to answer our questions. We are currently obsessed with “Breathe Again” and certainly cannot wait for the music video and the upcoming releases that you have in store for us.
“Breathe Again” is available to download and stream right now.