VeeAlwaysHere

VeeAlwaysHere’s story is impressive — a native of Siberian Russian, he’s a self-taught producer/mixer who picked up English thanks in part to American pop music — and so is his ability to create genre pastiches like “Ego,” the best track from his eight-song release of the same name. “Ego” gallops, hoisting up pop-punk, alt-rock, hip-hop and bubblegum influences into a sleek two minutes about romantic frustration. – J. Lipshutz - Jason Lipshutz

With the release of his latest EP, ego: playlist I, pop artist VeeAlwaysHere sat down for a virtual zoom interview with EnVi to give the exclusive scoop on his new music.

Being Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable
On September 30, Vee dropped his latest EP, ego: playlist I, and he did not hold back when discussing it with EnVi. “This is the first time ever that I’m really, you know, letting go of the comfortable and making uncomfortable music,” started Vee. He then elaborated that there is no specific genre for the EP. “I really wanted to go and explore all of those different worlds and see how I can bring all of those different genres into my world for this project.” As he challenged himself to explore such a vast range of genres, Vee fittingly titled the EP ego: playlist I “because I really thought I could explore all these different genres and get away with it.” But more than just exploring different sounds, Vee explained that a part of the inspiration for the EP came from the idea of letting go of one’s ego. “In relationships and love and life, […] it just goes back to what I‘ve learned in my music career that, you know, let go of your ego, let go of your pride, and just have fun with it. So that’s kind of like the message here.”
There is no set genre for the album. The tracks “we are (feat. Kimono Pat),” “other side,” “right now (feat. jujuland),” “omw,” “get away,” “afraid / keep it up,” “maybe,” and “ego (feat. Ian360)” all embody a different sound. “I really tried to show that I made this project as a consumer of music first and an artist second. So all of the songs are really different. I have a throwback song. I have kind of a pop-punk song. I have a drum and bass song.” Though there is such a variety of songs on the EP, Vee summed up the album (after a lot of contemplation) to be different, revolutionary, chill, versatile, and risky.

Delving deeper into the EP and proving inspiration can come from anywhere, Vee revealed that “we are” came from a conversation he overheard in a grocery store. “I overheard these two people talking in the grocery store. And this lady was like, ‘Yeah, they just really like each other and they want to be together, but they’re just so prideful and I wish they would come clean and confess their feelings. But that’s just not who they are, that’s just not who they are,’ And I was like, ‘oh shit, I’ve got to go gotta go home now.’” Tying it back to the overall theme of the EP, Vee elaborated, “It’s really a skill you have to work on to find things that inspire you. […] It’s definitely something I’ve been working on in my personal life, you know, finding the good and the exciting in the ugliest things.”

When asked what song in the EP he felt the strongest connection with, Vee smiled and pushed his hair back before answering. “I will give you an exclusive ‘cause no one knows yet, I’ve never talked about it before. It’s song number three on the project, “right now.” In this track, Vee sings in Korean for the first time. Though Vee is Korean, he explained that he did not grow up hearing the language so this is a new challenge he took on himself for the EP. He proves that he is “letting go of the comfortable and making uncomfortable music,” a sentiment he expressed earlier in the interview, by continuously challenging himself. Despite the obstacle, Vee expressed being excited about the release. “I’m very nervous to see the feedback […] but I’m also very excited. I definitely did something that was very uncomfortable for me. […] No one knows about it, I’m keeping it on the low. I really wanted it to stay a secret until it comes out.”

“other side,” a track previously released, is also featured on the new EP. The track itself signifies the beginning of a new era as an artist and as a person for Vee. “With this one specifically, I really wanted to try something new and really do something I’ve never done before musically, and in terms of how I produce music and write it [to] really get outside of my comfort zone.” The track explores the feelings of being an outsider and experiencing the world in a completely different way than another person would experience it. Though he went outside of his comfort zone, the song came effortlessly to Vee. He laughed as he made a surprising confession. “I would never usually admit something like this, but it was definitely inspired by a couple of anime that I’ve watched. The main one that inspired the story of the song was My Dress Up Darling.”

Overcoming Barriers for Music
Though he grew up in Russia, VeeAlwaysHere was heavily influenced by American pop music which inspired him to pursue music professionally. He did not understand English at the time, but music motivated him to learn the language. While reminiscing about watching music videos on MTV, Vee said, “I couldn’t understand anything, but the visuals and the sounds and the way they were delivering these words that I had no idea about; it was just so captivating to me and I was just like, ‘wow, I would love to learn English at some point and to be able to make music in English as well.’”

The young artist was determined to explore his musical talent and a language barrier was just a minuscule hindrance at the time. “I didn’t even understand English at all so I kind of started writing little songs using gibberish that kind of resembled English and that was making me happy.” Though learning a language is no easy feat, Vee made it look easy by mastering the English language in just two and a half years.

As a young artist, Vee admits that music was a hobby he was very protective of. Due to this, he took it upon himself to learn all of the different aspects of music. “I really had to go out there and really learn how to do [make music] myself – how to record myself, produce music, and all of that stuff. So I’m very grateful for that part of my life because I have the skills that I have now that allow me to pursue this […] and to be self-sufficient in terms of my art.”

With the release of the new EP, Vee continues to grow as an artist and shows the world that he is always willing to take creative risks to continue showing his authentic artistry.

Check out Vee’s music on Spotify, Apple Music, and SoundCloud, and be sure to follow him on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok to keep up with his latest updates! - KHADIJA HAQUE

Today we’d like to introduce you to Vee.

Vee, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?

I was born in cold Siberian Russia, and ever since I can remember, always had a great passion for music. Growing up listening to CD’s of American music, I was always moved by music in English, despite the heavy language barrier. As a child, I was always writing songs, but because I couldn’t speak English – they were just gibberish, resembling the sound of English. I spent my teenage years discovering my sound and figuring out where my place in music was. I realized that if I can’t make music in English, I don’t want to make music at all. Driven by my dreams of moving to LA and pursuing music, I mastered American English all by myself in only 2.5 years still living in Russia, attending a public school there. Finally, I moved to LA at the age of 17 to go to college, trying to devote all my free time to music. I’ll be honest, I would often skip meals to save up for a studio setup, and deepen my music production knowledge. I always believed that music chose me, and hard work and dedication lead me to find my sound and a passionate army of fans all over the world.

Has it been a smooth road?

The journey was not easy. Learning English was very difficult because I didn’t want to just learn it – I wanted to perfect it, be comfortable and get rid of my accent. I did not want to sound any different from a native speaker, so it took me a lot of time trying to figure out the best approach. Also, I did not have an opportunity to practice, because nobody around me spoke English… so, it was definitely a challenging path.

We’d love to hear more about your business.

I take pride in writing, producing, recording and mixing my music all by myself. In a way, one could say that I’m a one-man-band. I never waited for anybody, I always acquired the necessary skills myself, and it definitely paid off.

Living in the US and speaking English every day, I also found a great way to not forget my mother-tongue. I started a YouTube Channel in Russian and quickly amassed over 800K followers.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?

LA is a place of great opportunities, but also heartbreak. You have to always believe in yourself, be persistent, but also keep growing and working on your craft. - Voyage LA

Our latest exclusive interview is with Los Angeles based RnB/Pop singer-songwriter Vee who literally just dropped his new single “Young & Ballin” today. Vee is originally from Siberia, Russia so during our Q&A we asked about how he learned English, as well as who were some artists that he listened to back in Russia that made the language easier to pick up. We also picked Vee’s brain about his musical goals for 2019 and how he’s grown as an artist.

After reading our interview with Vee, be sure to watch the lyric video to “Young & Ballin” and connect with him on IG.

Major salute to you for the release of your new single "Young & Ballin"; it's very dope. Who produced the track and do you have a video for it coming next?

Thank you so much! The track is produced by an amazing Canadian producer Syndrome. I do have a lyric video, as far as a music video, I guess we’ll see! The song definitely has a vibe, and as soon as I come up with a way to transfer that energy into a video, it’s only a matter of time!

You're originally from Siberia and moved to the US when you were 17. How hard was it to learn English and who were some artists that you listened to back in Russia that made the language easier to pick up?

It’s a definitely difficult answer to give. It wasn’t easy at all, but I wanted it so bad! I couldn’t imagine my life without making music in English, it was everything I listened to growing up! The process was insane: I stayed up late, spent all my free time with books and exercises, trying to get to where I wanted to be as fast as I could. I’m so grateful for this amazing journey, it allowed me to really appreciate the power of the language, and really mean every word I say in my lyrics.

My music influences were always in rap music, so picking up some of that vocabulary was my number one priority. I remember trying to get my hands on 2Pac, N.W.A., Eminem CDs - it wasn’t the easiest thing to find in Russia back then.

You're releasing "Young & Ballin" almost six months after your EP "Reasons". How is this new track different than those on "Reasons"?

I love “Reasons”! I put a lot of heart and sweat into it, but the new music that’s coming out is a little different. I just gave myself that freedom to really say what’s on my mind, and just be free to create what I like. The process of making “Young & Ballin” was fun and exciting, it felt like making my first song all over again. Searching for your sound as an artist is a very difficult process; you have all these things that you wanna say, but you always doubt yourself and try to put yourself in a box. This new era of my music is one hundred percent free, and most importantly - one hundred percent ME!

When/how did you learn that you could sing and since then, how have you grown as a singer and writer?

I started my music journey rapping in Russian. I was about 12-13 years old, listening to a lot of Hip-Hop, which definitely influenced the direction I chose to go in. I never thought I would even attempt to sing or anything; but then, my flow started getting more melodic, and I just had to explore that further!

When I started writing songs in English, I decided to switch it up and went with a more pop sound, which helped me a lot as a singer. However, I feel like I’ve grown the most when I decided to major in Music Theater in college. It was insanely challenging, but it made me a better singer and writer for sure!

Finish this sentence for us - "When people listen to my music, I..."

When people listen to my music, I want them to be inspired to change their lives for the better: work harder, strive for greatness, love themselves and offer their love to other people!

With 2018 winding down, what are your goals musically for 2019?

2019 is going to be my year, I can feel it. I have a lot of great music coming out, that I absolutely love and cannot wait to share with the world! As far as the goals go, I just wanna put out bomb music that people connect with! - Carlton Boyd

Vee, a Russian native, had the goal to move to LA and become a great American singer. With a language barrier as an obstacle, he took it on full force. Moving to LA and conquering the English language in 2.5 years, he was bound for greatness. And what next on his mission trip? Music. Vee teamed up with multi talented artist, Reek Ivan to create the featured song, “Get High”. Reek Ivan, a Philly native, is a rapper,songwriter and model. This artist has experienced a lot of negatives coming up. Negatives that could have ruined his life. But instead, Ivan was able to ultimately turn those negatives into positives with music.
This collab, “Get High”, comes in strong with a wavy production. A track that is will get everyone up and dancing to the beat. The message is relatable in this track. We have all had a night like this. Vee’s smooth lyrics paired with the beat has you rocking in sync. Easily a track you can catch in a club or on your way to an event. Then Reek Ivan comes in with the bulletproof rap game. You can’t help but to head nod to every word he’s spitting. This duo made a banger that definitely goes on the pre-game playlist. - Buzz Music

Now, Vee is a force to be reckoned with in the world of music and is more than ready to release his debut EP. He has amassed a substantial American fan base while being completely independent in his creative process allowing him to put his heart and soul into his craft and find out where he fits in the industry as an artist. - The Hype Magazine