Renata Vontobel, a 20 year old singer and songwriter from Porto Alegre, Brazil, grew up in a musical family and her uncle was an essential inspiration for her to pursue a career in music. She began writing her own music at a young age and had released an EP by the age of 13. In 2017, Vontobel moved to Los Angeles, California to begin a new chapter of her life in the USA. She has performed at venues such as The Whisky A Go Go, Pig N’ Whistle, State Social House and Bar 20 to name a few. Currently, she is in the acoustic pop group called “Simple Exchange”.
Renata Vontobel recently released a new single called “Stellar”. This single is quite a pleasant ballad to listen to. If I had to guess, I would guess that this young woman of 20 is actually a fair bit older; the maturity of the songwriting is striking. The song makes use of conventional rock instruments, such as drums, guitars, and a percussive piano that is pervasive throughout the song, giving the overall vibe that of traditional pop/rock music from decades past. The chorus has a great hook and is instantly memorable. The middle of the song is nicely broken up by a bridge that builds until the final soaring chorus enters in such a gratifying way. Her lyrics are passionate and delivered with confidence and sincerity. With “Stellar” as her latest single, we are excited to see what else this young artist is capable of! Bravo, Renata!
Listen to "Stellar" here and get to know Renata Vontobel in our interview below!
Growing up in Brazil, what was the music scene like there? Did you see live shows a lot, or was it mostly your uncle that got you into music?
I never listened much to Brazilian music, but I was very influenced by Brazilian rock, which is not popular there anymore, and that was the genre my uncle’s band used to play. Growing up I didn’t used to go to shows, as very few acts would play in my city, so my main influences would be from what I watched on TV and listened on the radio.
You have a new single out called “Stellar”. Did you have a specific intention or meaning behind the music?
Yes, this song was written about a long distance relationship I had. I used some words like “universe”, “space” and “among the stars” to represent how far apart we were from each other, but in our hearts we would always be together.
Who would you say are your biggest artistic influences?
I grew up in the 2000’s when music was very pop/rock, putting together the sweetness of pop with the edginess of rock. So my biggest influences are Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, Avril Lavigne and Skye Sweetnam.
Would you mind briefly walking us through your writing process?
The instrumentation of this song was written by my uncle, Michel Vontobel, and he sent it to me with the idea of writing a love song with a “space” theme. So with this idea in mind I decided to dedicate it and write the lyrics about this long distance relationship I had.
What can we hope to see from you in the future, Renata?
I am planning on releasing a new EP in the second semester of the year. The new songs I’m working on are very rock oriented and influenced a lot by 80’s and 2000’s pop.
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