I love how “I Thought I Knew You Better” can be interpreted in different ways. For me, it conveys either how an individual’s mask can slip, or perhaps the advantage of time and distance allowing you to see things with greater clarity. Either way, an illusion has been shattered. What meaning does the song hold for you?
V?k: This song is quite important to me because it marked the end of a long period of heavy feelings. I had been carrying them around for so long even after my breakup and kept living in this fake reality that was supposed to be hopeful but then just resulted in only being very self-hurtful. So, this track reminds me of how I got my focus back on what really matters.
How has being born and raised in Italy influenced you and your music and has relocating to the UK provided you with any different perspectives?
V?k: Living in Italy was great, I love my country. I love the energy and emotional rawness that comes from my family, I wouldn’t be the same without it, and I like to believe that that comes through in my music too. Moving to the UK was most definitely a perspective shift: growing up, being independent, and taking care of your own mental health. It certainly made me realise how much goes into living a “healthy and balanced life”. My recent EP “Saffron Fields” completely focuses on this key journey I started since coming here.
The name you’ve chosen for yourself, V?k, is quite unique – what inspired the inclusion of the question mark?
V?k: I thought about my artist name a lot to be fair. I was so indecisive when I was about to release my first single Shadows in 2019, but after thinking of so many overly-complicated ideas to make my name sound interesting I just came back to my name, how everyone calls me “Vik”. I then decided to add a question mark because I felt like, aesthetically, it added a sense of mystery and felt more “pop” to me.
Amongst many meanings, it represents how flexible, multicoloured, and maybe also unpredictable I want my music to be in my career.
When did you know you wanted to be an artist, and what do you enjoy the most about it?
V?k: When I was 14 years old I started watching many interviews of artists I was obsessed with on YouTube and I got inspired by how they were explaining the meaning and creation of their own songs, talking about it freely and showing how they were actually humans going through motions like everyone else, like me. I was so fascinated by them explaining it so effortlessly, that I decided I wanted to do that too, to be able to wield that mystic power they were using to evoke those emotions in me. My favourite bit of being an upcoming artist is probably the bond you create with the people who love your music, relate to it, and support it. It’s an energy exchange that’s almost magical I would say, knowing that you mutually relate to the same exact feeling sounds so simple yet is so powerful to me.
Of your live performance experiences, which has been the most memorable, and what is your favorite moment from it?
V?k: This year has been my first proper gigging year, so I had a lot of first-time moments and core memories that were all special to me. But I must say that being asked to perform on both stages, community and also the main stage, at this year's Pride In Surrey has been unbelievable. Stepping on that stage at a festival with about 5000 people around the park was insane and the response was crazy. Many people came up to me with the biggest smiles on their faces telling me how much they liked the show and I felt like I really belonged.
If you weren’t pursuing music, what would you be doing instead?
V?k: I don’t really know but I really love entertainment, so maybe having something to do with TV shows, video games, or event management. Or probably just a school teacher! I would love to teach my native language to kids around the world, moving to new countries and still keeping it interesting.
Interviewed By Vanessa Siebrass
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