In conversation with VeeAlwaysHere

VeeAlwaysHere - «but you can just call me Vee» - can do it all. He is a producer, songwriter, and recording artist, completely self-taught and self-sufficient, who strongly refuses to be pigeonholed into one type of genre. «Many people in the industry told me to just pick one type of sound and stick with it, but as a music consumer myself, I generally do not gravitate towards those types of artists. I want to challenge the industry standards and have fun with every record I create».

An ambitious goal that he has been successfully pursuing with the release of a string of digital singles that tap into different genres and emotions. From the upbeat party anthem, I Don’t Dance (featuring Ted Park), to Harry Styles and The Weeknd’s inspired other side.

Getting to know Vee through a Zoom call (he lives in Los Angeles), his smile is contagious, and his eyes light up every time he talks about music. «The first moment I realized I wanted to make music, I was 8 years old. I was home, and I just turned on the tv. I was probably looking for a cartoon or something, but I ended up watching MTV. At that time, the programming was just an endless string of music videos, one after the other, and I got hypnotized by it. And I remember thinking, “I wanna be just like them”. I don’t know why, I just got captivated».

When asked to introduce himself to the Panorama readers, he simply says he «likes to make sounds that make people feel something».

Such a simple way to describe things, right? It just takes a listen to his last single, joker, to understand that Vee has a great story to tell. One that will be revealed soon in Broken: playlist II, his second EP. «I don’t like the world album, that’s why I’m using the word playlist. This is a follow up project to ego: playlist I, which was the first time I kind of experimented with genre hopping. broken: playlist II is gonna be released in August and, just like my personal playlist, holds a mix of very different tracks».
One of the songs is called IRL, and it’s described as a hopeless romantic anthem for the new digital age. This song’s upbeat, positive vibe, along with «I don’t need you to text me, I want you in real life,» really makes dating a bad texter sound like an exciting adventure.

«I am a really bad texter,» Vee says while laughing. «The way the song came to be is really interesting. I had the instrumental first, I basically had produced it with no lyrics. But since I was inspired to put texting sounds through the track, I knew it had to be something about messaging or phone comunication».

«I get in trouble a lot for not texting back often or not replying for a really long time. That’s how the idea came about to explore being bad at texting but from a romantic point of you,» Vee continues. «I even flipped the narrative, trying to see it from the other person's perspective. The idea behind is basically, “Even if you don’t text me back right away, it’s not a problem. I just want you in real life».
A groundbreaking message in our tech-obsessed times. «Different things matter to different people, but for me, even if we don’t text at all, even if you don’t send me memes or TikToks, as long as I have you in real life, I’m good».

When asked about his inspirations, his perspective it’s also quite unique. «The way I listed to music, even if I don’t like the song I get inspired from it. There is always something that I can learn form it, or take from it. Everyone is an inspiration to me because I have so much respect for the artistry. If I had to give a few examples, I would mention The Weeknd and also Charlie Puth, he is such an inspiration when it comes to being a self made artist. I am really inspired by what Jake is doing right now, he is incredible. There is just so many people».

Vee always mentions Kpop as a great source of inspiration. «OMG by New Jeans, that song, I can’t get it out of my head. Sometimes I even dance to it when nobody is watching». For his dream collaboration, he mentions BTS. «That would be crazy,» he says after a short beat. But not impossible. During our conversation, it really seems like to VeeAlwaysHere, the sky is the limit.
«My fans don’t really know what to expect when I announce I am gonna release a new song. And I like that. I wanna be known as a music artist, not as something specific. I like to express my love for music in different ways. That’s exciting. It’s a fun adventure, like “What song am I gonna make next?”».