Five Questions With VAN

We had a chat with Quebec based pop artist Vanessa Piunno, aka VAN for our newest segment of Five Questions With. VAN recently released a single, “Lock My Love Down”  with accompanying lyric video that you can see below. We hope you enjoy finding more out about VAN, we sure did!

Care to introduce yourself to our readers?

Of course! Hi! My full name is Vanessa Maria Piunno, but I like to go by Van. My friends made that nickname up for me and it really just stuck with me. I am an 18-year-old major recording artist from Montreal, Canada and have been singing since I was seven years old. I play a little bit of piano and I’m currently learning the guitar.

When I was just a little girl, I was always singing. Whether it was around the house, in the pool, walking my dog… ALWAYS! I would even jam out with my dad who plays guitar. Before I knew I wanted to sing, my mom had put me into a talent agency for acting and modelling. She had put my brothers and I in the same agency, but I was the only one who had a passion for being in front of a camera.

One day while I was still modelling, I went up to my dad and told him how badly I wanted to take singing lessons, and he seemed so excited about it since he loves music so much himself. I still to this day remember that the next morning (literally) he put me into private singing lessons at this little music store where he bought his guitar strings. Since then, I’ve never stopped singing. I started performing at shows within the same year of starting my singing lessons and even at that age, I knew how much I loved singing and just being on stage. I was always a shy girl, but once I get on stage I turn into a completely different person. It’s like my shyness just vanishes.

At 13 years old, I was discovered by my manager, Whammo Music’s President Paolo Galati while performing in Star Fest, an annual talent show north of Montreal.

Just this year, I recorded my single “Lock My Love Down” in Montreal, with Tino Izzo who produced my single. Since it has been released,  I have received amazing feedback from everyone and it has been incredible. I was blessed to win the iHeart Radio Future Star for the month of September and because of this, in just two weeks I was able to travel across Canada on a radio promo tour and meet so many amazing people. I am so happy to see that all the hard work that my team and I have put in is starting to pay off on radio and Canadian Billboard Charts. I’ve been able to start living my dream of becoming a true artist and I would not change it for the world. This is all I have ever wanted.

Other than my music, I love animals, especially dogs. I am a huge shopaholic (it’s becoming really bad) and I looove shoes. When I’m not singing, I’m always with either my friends or, my friends (haha). They have been with me since day one and they are dear to me. Having support from the ones you love matters more than anything.

Tell us a bit about your music and writing style.

First of all, I love trying new sounds and genres and overall, being different. My favourite thing ever is being in the studio. I always say this to everyone around me, that if I could be in the studio every single day of my life, I would be. It’s like a little therapy session every time! It’s so relaxing yet so much fun for me. Tino Izzo has been writing songs for my upcoming album, but I am very involved with picking what I want to sing and what I want my album to be. I am writing and love to collaborate. I would never sing something that I don’t like or that doesn’t mean something to me. “Lock My Love Down” has a very personal message that means so much to me for many different reasons. The lyrics speak for themselves; it’s about somebody who is playing with your heart and your mind. I think we’ve all been there at least once in our lives and I hope listeners are able to connect with my single.

Do you have any upcoming shows? For someone who has yet to see you live, how would you explain your live performance?

My shows are currently in the works since I’m focusing on my album and touring for my single. I’m so excited to perform my new songs live on stage and for people to hear my new material. Stay tuned for upcoming show dates. As for how I perform live, as I said before, I’m a completely different person once I step on stage. It’s like I belong there. My favourite part of performing live is changing up the songs and doing something a little different and fun every time.

If you were asked to suggest only one of your songs for someone to hear, which would it be?

Like I said before, “Lock My Love Down” is so so close to my heart, I would definitely suggest for people to listen to my single first. If ever anyone wants to listen to a stripped down version, feel free to go onto my website at www.vanpiunno.com and check out the Youtube link. It’s a little different than the original, but it still has a cool vibe to it. It also features my guitarist Max, who is on the road with me touring across Canada.

Canadian Beats is all about Canadian music, so who are your current favourite Canadian bands/ artists?

Yes! I love Canadian artists and music. My ALL TIME favourite Canadian singer has to be Justin Bieber. I’ve always loved him and his music since he started singing. I dream about performing with him one day! That would be crazy. I also love Drake. I remember watching the TV show Degrassi with Drake as an actor and to see how far he has come is just so inspiring. Also, cannot forget about The Weeknd! These Canadian artists really push me to work harder to achieve my dream. Can’t wait to see you all soon!!!

Connect with VAN:
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram