Violet Orlandi
Interview conducted May 3, 2021
By Dan Locke
Brazil-based rock vocalist/instrumentalist Violet Orlandi, who has gained viral recognition with her precocious abilities and edgy renditions of heavy metal/grunge/dark/rock artists like Nirvana, Disturbed, Nine Inch Nails, and more, has garnered over 860k YouTube followers and 100 million views since beginning in 2016. “Violet’s bewitching tones, full of beaucoup nuanced timbers, at once sensuous, edgy, and melancholic.” (Celebmix) Notably, her cover video of The Cranberries “Zombie” has received over 12 million views since it was uploaded back in 2018. Now, Orlandi has written and recorded her original debut, High Priest Daughter (out 5/28/21), an intimate look at the most difficult times in the songwriter’s life, and has released her latest single, “Kill Her.” She has been putting out new videos every Sunday, and most recently her take on “Ain’t No Sunshine,” featuring Melodicka Bros, already has over 100k views since its release on March 7th. Orlandi states, “High Priest Daughter was written over the darkest period of my life. I didn’t even know I was doing it but writing these songs definitely helped me exorcise some of the demons that were taking over my life at the time. I started writing the album a year before my mom passed away and finished it a year after her death. Even though the album doesn’t sound as depressing as it seems, it explores death and coming to terms with it, depression, trauma, and a healthy dose of nihilism.” “With acoustic guitars setting the rhythm, the drums providing the stomp, and especially her towering and strong yet melodious voice, Violet manages to keep up the standard she has set for herself and also amongst the peers in the industry.”
How would you describe your sound?
I’m a fan of everything dark and melancholic, so you can definitely hear that in my music.
Who are some of your musical influences?
I grew up listening to The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, and Michael Jackson. But the older I got, the more I got into rock music. I spent most of my teenage years listening to Velvet Revolver, Richie Kotzen, and Korn. But nowadays my biggest influence is Meg Myers.
Your new song “The Worm” is about a personal tragedy. How do you prepare yourself to get into that headspace?
You don’t. At least I didn’t. Life beat me down and The Worm was the spontaneous regurgitation of everything that I was feeling at the time.
“The Worm” is the first single off your upcoming debut original album, High Priest Daughter, and establishes a melancholic tone. How would you describe the rest of the album?
Most of the songs, if not all of them, have the same melancholic feel, but some of them are still quite upbeat like The Devil Only Walks Backwards. I guess no matter how hard I try to write an upbeat song the lyrics will always be sad.
What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?
After opening up to my followers about my mom’s death I received many messages from people who had gone through something similar. It felt like a precious exchange of tragic personal stories and a sense of comradery. I think the song’s reception is a result of that.
The music video for “The Worm” explores the song’s theme through stop motion, text, and surreal imagery. What made you select these elements to represent the song’s meaning?
The song’s lyrics already have quite a bit of imagery, so it was easy taking direct inspiration from them. Beyond that, I just wanted the video to show 3 distinct levels: above ground, underground, and hell. So, we came up with a few weird collages that could represent hell.
High Priest Daughter is expected to be an intimate look at your life and influences. What song from the album means the most to you?
Blooming is definitely up there. To me, this song feels like exhaling after holding your breath for way too long. Destroy And Recreate is also special to me because it’s one of the few songs I managed to write from a stream of consciousness, which is hard for me.
Many of your covers and original songs are steeped in the moody, darker corners of the genre. Do you find yourself naturally drawn to heavier songs?
Definitely. And that goes for everything. Dark and heavy songs, movies, paintings. Don’t get me wrong, I also enjoy happier, upbeat music, but I don’t seem to connect with it as much as I do with songs that explore darker subjects.
Describe your songwriting process for covers versus original songs. Do you start with musical arrangements before lyrics?
I always start with the music and melody, lyrics come last. For covers, I often listen to the original song as little as possible. I learn the basic structure of the song, but I don’t allow the original to stick to my brain too much, I think that makes it easier for me to add my own flair to it.
You routinely collaborate with other incredible vocalists on your YouTube channel. Do you know what song you want to cover before approaching other artists?
Sometimes. Every time I invite someone for a collaboration, I already have a pretty good sense of their preferred sound, so it’s all about coming up with a song that will be a cool crossover between our styles.
Who would you like to collaborate with in the future?
I would love to play with Shawn James.
What music do you like to listen to? Are there bands or artists that you love that might surprise your fans?
I mostly listen to rock but I’m also a fan of pop. Justin Bieber is great.
You’re active on social media. Do you enjoy the opportunity to get live feedback and interactions with your fans?
Definitely. Although I try to focus on the people who are truly a part of my community instead of drowning in the sea of comments.
What would you like to say to fans and supporters of your work?
Anyway, how’s your sex life? Just kidding. I hope you got that reference. I just wanna say thank you, really. It’s really cool being able to share what I do with you and I’ll do my damn best to give you cool stuff. Always
