Vitalia Continues Her Disco Era With “Maybe”
As an artist who thrives under stage lights and in front of a microphone, Ukrainian-Canadian singer-songwriter Vitalia pursues music as something that is equal parts artistic expression and therapeutic healing. Beginning her musical journey at just 6 years old, Vitalia has since experimented with a variety of genres including disco, pop, and alt-rock. To define is to limit, and Vitalia has proven her artistry is just that – limitless.
Now, the singer is adamant in moving towards a grungier route with her musicality. Along with the release of her newest disco-infused single “Maybe,” Vitalia admits she is yearning for something grittier.
“Though I’ve released a few singles already, the sound I’m going for with my upcoming singles in comparison to ‘Maybe’, is going to be more vulnerable and rawer,” Vitalia says. “I wanted to change into a rock era because any grungy song has been the perfect thing for me to listen to when I wanted to release some anger or sadness of my own. Doesn’t it help you knowing you’re not the only one going through a hard time?”
After traveling to Los Angeles at 16, Vitalia was inspired to pursue music after she saw her friends pursuing their own artistic ambitions and turning them into careers. Once she returned home, Vitalia knew she wanted to stay connected to her friends – and songwriting. The “My Way” singer began to hone in on her craft until she released her debut songs towards the end of 2022.
“Writing is such a vulnerable process in itself that I think that’s why I had put off showing my art to the world for so long,” she says. “I needed to build up the courage and the confidence to believe that the music I write will reach the right people who will need to hear it. I find that listening to music that speaks to you becomes a safe space for you to be vulnerable and subconsciously lift some weight off your shoulders.”
Her latest single “Maybe” tells a flirtatious story of two individuals dancing with one another. During the dance, one of them realizes that the time and energy they’ve invested in the relationship hasn’t been worth it – especially since the other person is still not over their ex.
“I’ve always loved disco and my song ‘Maybe’is a modern disco dance song which I wanted to make people dance their worries away to…The song is a reflection of the ‘what ifs’ and of what could have happened differently.”
Although heavily inspired by artists like ABBA and Dua Lipa, Vitalia is now moving toward more alternative influences with her new artistic era – think groups like Paramore, The Neighborhood, and Måneskin.
Her upcoming single “what a shame,” slated for an August 16 release, digs into the rougher, grittier side of Vitalia. An indie pop rock anthem, “what a shame” is about reconnecting with an old flame and realizing the fire might no longer burn the same as it once did.
Regarding the upcoming single, Vitalia says, “Overall, these lyrics tell a story of revisiting a past relationship, recognizing the unchanged flaws, and ultimately choosing self-respect and distance over repeating old mistakes. It’s a poignant reflection on the pain of seeing someone stuck in their ways and the strength it takes to move on.”
“I knew I wanted ‘Maybe’ to be a more “Dua Lipa synthy disco pop” vibe and what a shame to be a classic alt pop tune with guitars taking a bit more space in it, transforming into the next genre I’ll be focusing more on in my upcoming releases,” Vitalia says.
Hi, Vitalia! Good to meet you! Care to introduce yourself to the readers?
Hello hello! I’m Vitalia, a Ukrainian-Canadian singer-songwriter and actress that’s currently based in Montreal. I’m mainly a jazz-trained vocalist, but I went into pop, disco, and rock for my original music releases and I’m super excited to dive deeper into my craft by exploring even more genres in time and understanding how to perform in each of them.
Your latest single, “Maybe,” has a disco-infused pop vibe, while your upcoming release “what a shame” shifts towards a grittier alt-rock sound. What inspired this transition in your musical style?
Honestly, it depends on what style of music I write it in or imagine it in! I feel like nowadays, anyone’s playlists will be filled with miscellaneous genres that might not make sense together. But that’s part of the fun: having a variety of different songs to listen to brings excitement to the listener and helps them choose what they feel like listening to in a given moment. I’m definitely one of those people who has playlists all over the place.
I think up-and-coming artists have the luxury of experimenting with different genres while the world isn’t as involved and focused on what they’re doing. And that’s what I’m doing! I wrote a whole batch of songs that I felt lent themselves better to dance pop/disco pop productions and another batch of songs that I knew would fit better with grittier guitar sounds and arrangements that are more rock-oriented. The basis of what I’m doing though, is pop.
Experimenting with genres might be considered a risk, but for me, it’s a risk worth taking to find the sound that represents me most. But human nature is very transitory, and we change often; as do our tastes in music. I know that depending on how I change as a person, my writing style and thus my song genres might change over time. Only time will tell!
Your upcoming releases are moving more towards a rock era, influenced by bands like Paramore and Måneskin. What is it about these alternative artists that resonates with you?
Paramore has been around for 20 years now and although everyone knows their big hits like Misery Business and Decode, their latest album release blew me away. Every single song on the album had a well-thought-out arrangement and their lyrics were incredibly honest, raw, and specific. Sometimes we stumble upon pieces of music that resonate with us more than others because of what we’re going through in a given moment of our lives. In this case, Paramore’s This Is Why album had very politically charged songs and others that were very relatable and detail-oriented; I felt like some of the songs on that album were written specifically for me to listen to because it felt like they wrote about someone in my own entourage.
And that’s what I love about music: whatever art we put out there, audiences might resonate with and interpret in their own way. They can purge their own emotions and relate their experiences to the stories of the song, even if it’s not the same story the songwriter intended.
You’ve spoken about how music acts as a therapeutic outlet for you. Can you tell us more about how writing and performing help you process emotions like anger or sadness?
As much as I can schedule writing sessions for myself, I’ve found that the best material usually comes out after a long and hard day where I
process my feelings without thinking while improvising at the piano.
The key for me in writing is being present to witness my emotions. It’s as if I’m watching myself feel these emotions and letting the storyteller in me take the lead in expressing that story.
Every time I improvise, I record a voice memo in case any of it can be useful. But part of the fun in improvising is losing myself in what I’m feeling and venting to myself through music. I don’t know if something worth releasing is going to come out when I write, but that’s never the point.
As a performer, I focus my performances on the audience’s experience. I love what I’m doing so I’m always going to have a good time, but the people who pay to come see one of my shows? They might not know what to expect. And me? I wouldn’t be there if they hadn’t paid their tickets to be there!
I believe that EVERYONE loves singing and dancing (even if it’s secretly doing so in your shower!). That’s why I incorporate sections in my songs where I can communicate with the audience through music. They might not know my songs really well before attending my show, but they’re guaranteed to have a little section of my songs stuck in their head since they’ll have sung it so much.
I want to make the audience part of my music. And seeing the joy on their face when they’re a part of it is so rewarding. You can tell they sometimes need a little encouragement at first, but once they let themselves loose, they’re out there having an absolute blast and that makes it an amazing show.
After traveling to Los Angeles at 16, you were inspired by your friends pursuing their artistic careers. How did that experience shape your determination to pursue music professionally?
I’ve always had a certain fire in me that knew I would accomplish anything I set my mind to. What I didn’t have until then, was the confidence to pursue it. I knew that I loved singing and performing, but I didn’t think I could be a skilled singer and performer until I started actively working towards being those things and practicing.
Let’s be real: performing is extremely vulnerable. You open yourself up to people seeing you, judging you, criticizing you for your skills and lack thereof. In LA, I witnessed artists my age being brave and putting themselves in those vulnerable positions and I thought: “Why not me? Why am I so scared of failing?”
I started writing songs after travelling to LA and looking back at those first songs, they honestly weren’t all that great. But the way that I improved my craft really came from the determination I’ve always had in how I do things and from not giving up. We can’t expect to start something new and immediately be good at it. I’ve been writing for 7 years now and the way that I write will keep changing, evolving, and improving. The same goes for my vocal skills.