VV Brown
VV Brown makes pop music from another planet—a world that resembles ours but is a lot more fun and unpredictable. “I’m a messenger from the future, but I’m getting love and memories from the past,” the 25-year-old British chanteuse explains. “I’m bringing the two together to create a new kind of energy.” Energy, indeed: If Brown displayed any more exuberance, she might just burst into flames. Her debut album, Travelling Like the Light (Capitol), due out in January, is dazzlingly diverse—a rocket ride through doo-wop, glam, alt-rock, electronica, ’50s rock, and even video-game noises. After growing up “a tall black girl nerd loner” in Northampton, England, Brown bolted for Los Angeles following high school to pursue a singing career but returned to the U.K. when the pressure to become Beyoncé 2.0 proved too great. “I wish I had more balls,” she says. “But sometimes it takes a journey to find who you are and say, ‘I’m going to do it my way.’ ” If songs like “Crying Blood”—its dark lyrics belying a joyously unhinged performance—are any indication, then Brown’s way is decidedly idiosyncratic. “This is the year of the eccentric,” she says. “People are looking for fantasy—they want to be liberated. That’s why the public is embracing individuals, people who aren’t afraid to create something different.”
Check out music and tour dates at VV Brown’s MySpace page.
Photo: VV Brown in London, August 2009. Dress: Christian Dior. Headpiece: Vivienne Westwood Gold Label. Earrings and bracelet: Artist’s own. Hair Products: Bumble and Bumble, including bb.shine. Fragrance: Miss Dior Chérieby Christian Dior. Styling: Karen Clarkson. Hair: Lyndell Mansfield/CLM. Makeup: Annabel Callum/NakedArtists.com. Special Thanks: Snap Studios.
