As an emerging indie artist, based in Vancouver, Canada, Victoria Groff releases her debut single after writing music for herself privately over the last ten years.
After practicing a variety of acoustic covers and originals in late 2019, Victoria had the opportunity to collaborate and produce with other successful artists which catapulted her career forward and has been making music ever since.
Her debut single “Sun and Moon” is an ode to dealing with a difficult relationship and the beauty within personal growth and hope. The process of struggle and change having the ability to move forward is a very important chapter within her life that she was brave enough to share with the world in this piece.
The natural, light vocal tones complement and glide to interlock within the various instrumentals to create a smooth, flowing track. “Sun and Moon” has a relaxing nature that soothes listeners' minds and souls with every in-depth verse and brings a sense of joy to the struggles that many relate to.
This connection within her personal life, her music, and her listeners are truly what sets Victoria Groff’s music apart. Every warm and honest vocal dives deep into an indie beat that will soothe your soul.
Your debut single “Sun and Moon” is such a beautiful piece. Can you take us through what the process was like when writing and producing this single?
Thank you for the warm welcome and words! I wrote Sun and Moon six years ago when I was struggling with the aftermath of a bad relationship. I took a trip to see my extended family, and one night was inspired by the beautiful and strong relationships I was surrounded by. I felt the inkling of the belief that maybe I could have something that special in my future. The words came quickly to me that night, and Sun and Moon were created. I brought this song to my producers, Sal and Pete from Sound of Kalima, as just a voice recording of me and my guitar. Originally we had a difficult time trying to figure out what sort of vibe we wanted, and they challenged me to listen to my current favorite artists for the week and listen to the production of the music and come back with some suggestions. This was difficult for me, as I always listen to the songwriting in songs first, not the production. I came back to them the next week with ‘It’s OK If You Forget Me’ By Astrid S, loving the combination of a single vocal and guitar at the beginning, followed by a more chill-hop upbeat vibe in the middle and end of the song. Pete and Sal loved it, and they worked their magic and created the amazing instrumentation that is Sun and Moon.
What has it been like building your music repertoire during the difficult year of 2020 and how do you think this has shaped you as an artist?
I’ve been writing music for about 10 years now, and this past year was my most productive songwriting year yet for me. Part of this is because I started dating my partner at the beginning of 2020, and the love songs just poured out of me like a leaky faucet. Just song after song filled with hope and love and excitement about a potential love, and then an official one. The other reason sadly isn’t as uplifting. 2020 was difficult for me, as it was for most. My mom became really sick and for a second there I thought I would lose her. My aunt’s cancer came back with a vengeance and she passed away in August. Then, just as I felt like life was getting back to normal, I tore a bunch of ligaments in my knee and was unable to walk, and had to get surgery in December. Since songwriting is the way I cope with my emotions, I wrote a lot about these situations last year, as a means to grieve, process my feelings, and move on. While the latter is saddening and I wouldn’t wish to go through it again, I am so grateful that I was at a point in my songwriting that I felt brave enough to show my partner and my producers the songs I wrote about these situations. I think if 2020 taught me anything as an artist, it’s to never stop writing and never stop talking about the things that try to drown us. Writing to cope helps a lot, but being able to talk about it, and bring about some beauty from devastation, helped even more. It also reinforced that I have amazing people in my corner rooting for my music.
Would you say that you have any artists that you gain inspiration from when writing your music, and how have they impacted your sound?
In the last 3 years, I’ve been really inspired by Luca Fogale’s music. His songwriting and production are fantastic and have evoked something in me since the first time I saw him perform when he opened for Serena Ryder. When I start to get an idea for a song but just can’t get there on an emotional level, his music helps transport me somewhere else in my mind where all the deep thoughtful feelings live, if that makes sense. Julia Michaels and JP Saxe are also two artists I love because of their personal lyrics that at times feel like diary entries or letters to people who have impacted their lives; I find a lot of my music is like that. Like in JP’s latest song with Maren Morris, ‘there are things that I sing, that I’d never had the confidence to say’. Their music reminds me that I’m not alone and encourages me to continue making songs that are personal and close to my heart. Some other artists I’m inspired by are Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves, Astrid S, Taylor Swift, and Lennon Stella. Last but not least, I’ve been so very influenced by my partner, Chris Clute. He’s the first person I show my songs to, and the first person that really made me believe I could release my own music. He loves music just as much as I do (maybe more) and has such a brilliant mind when it comes to harmonies and production. A lot of times, all I have at the beginning is a vocal, simple guitar chord, and maybe a song that inspired me. With his passion, work ethic, and experience, he’s able to imagine something bigger and broader than I can. He’s taught me to be proud of my music, and at my most vulnerable when all I want to do is file a brilliant song away because of fear, he encourages me to dive a little deeper and to take a chance on myself. How can that not inspire you as an artist?
You mentioned that each song is a distinct chapter in your life that you are sharing with the world. Do you think that your upcoming singles will sound similar to “Sun and Moon” or will they examine extremely different experiences and feelings?
I think most of my music will always have a singer-songwriter vibe mixed into them; but future singles are going to experiment with lots of different genres, vibes, and experiences I’ve had in my life. The songs we have in the works right now range from songs I wrote in college, to a song I wrote last week which span across the last 7 years of my life. Each of the upcoming singles we have on deck capture a different moment; being wrapped up in anxiety, feeling grief and loss, the first sparks of love. To make a long story short, there’s going to be a whole lot of emotions and a whole lot of moments that my listeners will get a window to see into.
What would you like new listeners to know about you and the music you create?
I think the most important thing I want my listeners to know, is that although my music is initially written from my personal experience and the emotions I’m processing at the time, the reason I want to share my songs is so that other people who have been through similar moments know they’re not alone. A lot of the music I write is about times in my life that I struggled and couldn’t comprehend or fully understand why what was happening was happening to me, and songwriting helped me piece it all together. If my music can help at least one other person feel a little more understood, then I’ll take that as a success.