Australian/German singer songwriter Christa Vi calls on the lovelorn melancholy of her adopted home of London to inspire her latest EP Makeshift Happiness.
The release shows off Vi’s ability to craft an ace pop song, where gleaming melodies and synthesisers dream, float and move as one.
Andrew McDonnell, a Dalston-based multi-instrumentalist whose CV includes work with Petite Noir and Crystal Fighters, helped Christa turn her take on indie pop into something as weirdly refined as the work of her heroes Roisin Murphy or Sia.
Get to know an ace songwriting talent and title track from her new EP below…
I first started writing music because…
I've always had a need to express myself creatively and I think the combination of words and music works best for me. Writing helps me work through feelings and capture those small observations about life that otherwise would be a fleeting thought or moment. I started writing poetry when I was a teenager. Being also obsessed with pop music, the progression to writing songs was natural.
I have been making music since…
I started out playing in original bands since my late teens when I lived in Adelaide, Australia. Once I had the chance to record my own songs with a band, play them live and eventually hear them on local radio, the whole process became addictive and I haven't stopped since. Albeit with varying degrees of success!
My music is…
Eclectic, lyric-driven, synth-centric, optimistic indie-pop.
You'll like my music if you listen to...
Roisin Murphy, Sia, Little Boots, HAIM.
My favourite venue is…
Brixton Academy because the painted ceiling always makes me feel like I'm outside under the stars.
Music is important because…
It gives us a way of processing emotions subconsciously, bringing people together who normally wouldn't associate with each other. Music gives us shared experiences which I think is so important in this digital age where we are all sat alone in front of our computers most of the time.
My biggest inspiration is…
Creatively it would have to be Bjork, she is simply a powerhouse of ideas in music and all the other visual art forms that surround and support it. I would have loved her to be my music teacher with her iPad Apps and all that amazing sound technology she's working with.
I also really admire Sia as I've followed her career since I used to watch her perform with an acid-jazz band in Adelaide known as Crisp. I think the way she's challenged people's perceptions of female artists by not showing her face but still creating quality pop music that's become insanely popular is really ground-breaking.
My dream collaboration would be…
I'd love to have a track produced by Blood Orange, I love his work with Solange and Sky Ferreira.
To try me out, listen to my song…
Makeshift Happiness.
If I wasn’t making music, I’d be…
A photographer or an origami artist.
In 10 years’ time, I want to be...
Still singing and writing songs that excite and challenge me creatively.
Makeshift Happiness is out now. Watch the video for the song below.
christavi.com
The release shows off Vi’s ability to craft an ace pop song, where gleaming melodies and synthesisers dream, float and move as one.
Andrew McDonnell, a Dalston-based multi-instrumentalist whose CV includes work with Petite Noir and Crystal Fighters, helped Christa turn her take on indie pop into something as weirdly refined as the work of her heroes Roisin Murphy or Sia.
Get to know an ace songwriting talent and title track from her new EP below…
I first started writing music because…
I've always had a need to express myself creatively and I think the combination of words and music works best for me. Writing helps me work through feelings and capture those small observations about life that otherwise would be a fleeting thought or moment. I started writing poetry when I was a teenager. Being also obsessed with pop music, the progression to writing songs was natural.
I have been making music since…
I started out playing in original bands since my late teens when I lived in Adelaide, Australia. Once I had the chance to record my own songs with a band, play them live and eventually hear them on local radio, the whole process became addictive and I haven't stopped since. Albeit with varying degrees of success!
My music is…
Eclectic, lyric-driven, synth-centric, optimistic indie-pop.
You'll like my music if you listen to...
Roisin Murphy, Sia, Little Boots, HAIM.
My favourite venue is…
Brixton Academy because the painted ceiling always makes me feel like I'm outside under the stars.
Music is important because…
It gives us a way of processing emotions subconsciously, bringing people together who normally wouldn't associate with each other. Music gives us shared experiences which I think is so important in this digital age where we are all sat alone in front of our computers most of the time.
My biggest inspiration is…
Creatively it would have to be Bjork, she is simply a powerhouse of ideas in music and all the other visual art forms that surround and support it. I would have loved her to be my music teacher with her iPad Apps and all that amazing sound technology she's working with.
I also really admire Sia as I've followed her career since I used to watch her perform with an acid-jazz band in Adelaide known as Crisp. I think the way she's challenged people's perceptions of female artists by not showing her face but still creating quality pop music that's become insanely popular is really ground-breaking.
My dream collaboration would be…
I'd love to have a track produced by Blood Orange, I love his work with Solange and Sky Ferreira.
To try me out, listen to my song…
Makeshift Happiness.
If I wasn’t making music, I’d be…
A photographer or an origami artist.
In 10 years’ time, I want to be...
Still singing and writing songs that excite and challenge me creatively.
Makeshift Happiness is out now. Watch the video for the song below.
christavi.com
