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Credit: Universal Music Australia
Vera Blue knows what’s up. Playing on the universal theme of wanting somebody you can’t have, The Voice alum who has transformed into one of the most exciting musicians in the indie space has released Private, a song about just that and the inside workings of a person lusting. “It’s basically about wanting someone you can’t have, whether they’re a best friend or a celebrity,” she says. “You’re basically falling for someone you can’t go for. It’s the fantasy of wishing you could be with someone but you can’t.”
It’s a different sound for the singer-songwriter. “With Private we weren’t afraid to take it to the next level, adding heavier synths or just whatever suits the mood of what the song was telling us,” she continued. “There is definitely much more confidence, mainly because I went through a bit of heartbreak and things like that can make you a stronger person.”
Take a listen top Private here.
Credit: Universal Music Australia
WHERE IS ALL BEGAN
Let us cast our minds back to 2013. Miley Cyrus was dominating headlines, the word “selfie” was declared word of the year by Oxford Dictionaries and we all tuned in to The Voice, the year’s most-watched television series in Australia. It was on this show that we first fell in love with Vera Blue, who we got to know as Celia Pavey, the 19-year-old folk singer and acoustic guitarist from Forbes, New South Wales.
Four years later, Pavey is making waves in a different way, under the name Vera Blue. Rather than taking the commercial route followed by many The Voice discoveries, Pavey has joined the exclusive club of reality TV alumni who have successfully transitioned into Australia’s more alternative music scene, including Australian Idol’s Matt Corby, Lisa Mitchell and Owl Eyes (Brooke Addamo). Since finishing in third place on The Voice, Pavey has found a new sound, mixing the folk music she’s always loved with a heavier electronica sound. Whether Pavey’s songs are gentle or commanding, they are always powerful with her vocals at the helm. To Right Hand Management, Pavey said she feels like she is “unleashing”.
Pavey revelled in an incredibly successful 2016, where she enjoyed multiple sell-out national tours and accompanied the likes of Conrad Sewell, Broods and Matt Corby on their Australian tours. She received wide acclaim for her EP ‘Fingertips’, which peaked at No. 3 on the iTunes Album Chart and garnered three Top 100 ARIA Chart Singles. The lead track Hold peaked at No. 1 on the Spotify Australia Viral Chart, and made the Top 5 in the U.K., U.S. and Global Spotify Viral Charts. The Fingertips EP has been streamed over 21 million times worldwide. Pavey also broke into Triple J’s Hottest 100 with her song Settle coming in at No. 78, while her collaboration with rapper Illy ‘Papercuts’ soared into the No. 7 spot. Flume’s smash hit ‘Never Be Like You’ topped the list, a song which Vera Blue sang the vocals for at the 2016 Splendour in the Grass festival. Over the past year Pavey has certainly proved herself to be a truly impressive performer. At least for us at GRAZIA, her performance of Papercuts at the 2016 ARIA Awards still remains fresh in our memory.
Pavey is showing all signs of shooting for the stars in 2017. She has kicked off the year by signing a contract with record label Deep Well/Capitol Records as well as a deal with New York’s Paradigm Agency, home to stars such as Ed Sheeran and Coldplay. Deep Well’s CEO Adam Anders said that he was convinced he had to be involved “from the first time [he] heard her sing”, and Mike Flynn of Capitol Records “can’t wait” for her to continue building upon her growing momentum. She has hinted that she will be dropping a new track from her forthcoming debut album on Friday, with a teaser video on social media. Pavey also features on Slumberjack’s new single ‘Fracture’, and has already been added to upcoming festival line-ups around the world, including South by Southwest (SXSW) in the U.S. and Big Pineapple festival in Queensland. We cannot wait to see where this rising Australian star will be in a year from now.
TOUR DATES:
USA TOUR DATES
13 – 19 March SXSW, Austin TX
Wed 22 March Bootleg Theatre, Los Angeles CA
Fri 24 March Rickshaw Stop, San Francisco CA (supporting Maggie Rogers)
Sat 25 March Schubas Tavern, Chicago IL
Tue 28 March Baby’s All Right, Brooklyn NY
Wed 29 March Mercury Lounge, New York NY
Fri 31 March The Drake Hotel, Toronto ON Canada
AUS PRIVATE TOUR DATES
TICKETS ON SALE NOW FROM WWW.VERABLUE.COM
Thurs 20 April Factory Theatre, Sydney
Fri 21 April Fat Controller, Adelaide
Sat 22 April Capitol, Perth
Mon 24 April Corner Hotel, Melbourne
Sat 29 April The Zoo, Brisbane
