INTERVIEW: Vienna Vienna: On supporting the queens and all of the in-betweens
Following the release of the EP Entertain Me and singles Angel Wings and Grief is for the Living, Out Of Rage had the privilege of sitting down with J of VIENNA VIENNA on the second night of their first UK/EU headline tour to fully grasp his reality of trying to become the most authentic version of yourself, exploring self image, queer identity and what 'Glimmer Rock' means.
J was super excited for this new adventure saying: "I've never left North America so I'm so beyond grateful for the places that pursuing this has taken me. I'm trying to really take as much in as possible" Before his debut show in Barfly, Camden, J was able to take a walk around Camden Market joking that "the average apartment in the UK is like a historical building in the United States. I've just been enjoying the sites, the architecture and the people" and being able to “really connect to being somewhere new”.
Amazon’s ‘Off Campus’ used Make a Man Out of You in the most recent season’s soundtrack and J provided us with inside knowledge into how the track came together, stating “there was another song that didn't come out on the EP and at the last minute, I was listening through the songs and trying to pair it down to the the top six, I swapped in unnamed song for Make a Man Out of You. And as it came out I was like, this is kind of underrated, but fans really like it and I really like it”. He also told us that the live reaction to the song has changed as it seems like “people are a bit more excited for it”.
Other songs, such as Buzz, have also had unexpected reactions “At first, it was sort of angsty and coming from a place of not quite anger, but there was a chip on my shoulder. And the emotion that it's presenting progressed and feels sadder now” and “people dancing to Molly has been really cool and exciting.” After playing in Camden the night before, J also enjoyed an excited reaction to Idle Hands, “Last night I was surprised to see, but people seemed really excited. I felt very connected to the crowd last night in a way that’s new”.
Following the new singles, Grief is for the Living and Angel Wings, J explained a little more about his EP writing process becoming more non-linear and tied to his feelings at the time, “Wonderland was written and then Grief is for the Living and Angel Wings, and then Entertain Me. It's just that as I started writing Entertain Me I got really inspired really fast. I think I try to be conceptual about my life, and then I try to live within that. It's all made of true whole moments and sections of my life. But I have changed a lot over time. ”
On the subject of style, J has developed his own signature brand of "glimmer rock", an authentic exploration into his own self identity. He explains it smartly like "trying to talk about genre and what genre is, when you're not really pursuing one sonic identity. It has become a conduit for self expression and a way that I felt I could describe community building and catharsis that was shimmering and bright, unafraid to be flamboyant and glamorous.”
This flamboyancy is prominent throughout VIENNA VIENNA’s discography so far however, J admits that there is a ongoing feelings of self deprecation, “I have a tendency to tease or make fun of myself for feeling emotions. In Company Hunting, the subject is quite sad, but it could have been sadder. It’s filled with innuendos and things that made me laugh and poking fun at myself for being sad. It has been a bit of a motif within the songs. Right before I would take myself seriously, I'd take one step back, and then I would write that song.”
He has used similar humour in writing God Save The Queens, “ My friend described it as toying with a bigot and I wish I had the courage to do something like that. So I wrote it and I hope that gave people a feeling that they could be bolder. The person that I was when I was writing it, is somebody who really needed to feel a little bolder and less afraid. I had the idea that my queerness made me lesser and that if I wanted to not be lesser, I would have to win in some way, to say, I have the upper hand in a very sarcastic and comedic way and I felt like the character of that, especially in the first verse.”
J shared more about the personal struggles of becoming more openly queer in life and how this project became “Somewhere that I could be free to change and grow into a person that I thought people wouldn't want. So instead of trying to run away, I could run towards it.” He opened up, “I knew that there were people in my life that I would lose. And I did. That was part of the deal. But they weren't really my friends. They were friends with the person that I was projecting.” He also shared that since the project, “My relationship with myself and my self-love has grown. I've got a better understanding of myself and it was 100% worth it. I don't think I could have gotten it running away.”
Ending the interview J talked about wanting to make sure that everyone, including the queens and all of the in-betweens feel safe at a VIENNA VIENNA show. J stated “I will always make a point to make sure that my shows and the community that I build is exactly that. It would defeat the whole point for me. If people were uncomfortable I'd fix that so fast, it should always be a safe space for people to feel like they can be the wildest version of themselves.“
We can’t wait to see where VIENNA VIENNA takes us in their musical journey and hope that J continues taking in more of the world and running toward that bold, open place where life becomes music, humour and Glimmer.
Words: Alexandra Archer
Photos: Nas Bogado
With Thanks To: Halestorm PR & Management
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