‘Why Do I Want You’? is the second release from Valeria, marking her journey into cementing a brand and sound as an artist. Taking on a synth pop production to make the listener feel as if they are in a dream like state, with an airy energy to it. I listen and feel almost encapsulated in that state as her voice echos, harmonizing at ease with the vocals. As a songwriter herself, as it lends to be often with new artists, there is a level of honesty spoken about the idea of still thinking of someone in a romantic sense and how it can be both filled with shame but also shameless, with that questioning in the title. I see this and her previous track to coincide with a style that is becoming more popular as a genre through listeners, this almost ethereal pop. Having self-produced and self-written this single, I see her growing a lot in her future. Amplify sat down to discuss Valeria’s journey into being an artist and the creative process of the song.

Starting out, Valeria was unsure of pursuing music and was more into filmmaking, having a twin sister who always sung. This quickly changed for her about 2 years ago where she “had the guts to start music”; “I saw MJ the musical and was infatuated by his story”, Valeria says, recounting the moment she had the creative switch and found the guts to start making her music. “At the time, I was in a situaitonship and didn’t know how to process it…after seeing the musical, I went on bandlab and wrote the song and produced it which ended up being her first single.” That creative energy lends itself well when artists learn from other art forms and get inspired. For Valeria, a big inspiration behind this current single was the artist DJO. “I love DJO, and the synths…I wanted to channel that production”, which I definitely start to see coming through in her latest single.

Whilst challenging that production, she wanted for this track to be “something less upbeat and more in the middle” versus what she had previously put out. In terms of this creative process, Valeria explained that,”the song is based on the same person I wrote about in the first single.” In terms of how it came about she had explained she wanted to start a ‘writing a song a day’ challenge but then it became tricky to manage and this “happened to be one of the only songs to come out of it”. Although one that definitely formed naturally as she “made the production first and the lyrics came super quickly after that.” I believe the best songs come from that place of honesty and needing to let that feeling or situation get out there to the world, which is exactly what she did here. Her authentic songwriting definitely lends itself well and one of Valeria’s favourite lyrics from the release is,”…shameless, pretending, I want you but I want what I couldn’t have.” She later explained the meaning behind that lyric, “There is a lot of shame when it comes to somebody that you feel is not good for you but at the same time, you are also very shameless because you are doing it. I see it translated well of her encapsulating the shame and the pursuit within the track, which lends well to the overall authenticity and what listeners can relate to.

As for what she hopes new listeners take away from the new record and her work thus far is for it to be “a space to be very vulnerable because with a lot of feelings, we shame ourselves, and hopefully feel understood and seen.” As an artist, allowing herself to be vulnerable to therefore, share that with others so they can maybe relate and feel heard. It definitely drives itself well to having a strong community of listeners as she continues to grow, because of that relatability in her lyrics and themes, that often feels like a comfort when listening and I definitely see that warm and comforting energy from her production already. In her future, you can expect her to ‘do more of a ballad and pop in the future’, as she explains her goals, taking inspiration from songs such as ‘Favourite Crime’, and to expect new projects soon. If that is your type of music, then definitely check out Valeria.

As for artists that she suggests for people to listen to that are smaller (as we love to support smaller artists around here!), she has currently been loving the band Girlish, as they “also have that synth pop” energy, working with the same producer as DJO on a recent EP, and Abby Jean, who is more on the folk side of the music genres. You can listen to her latest single, “Why Do I Want You?”, below, and make sure to give Valeria love on social media, which will be linked on our Instagram post, so you are always up to date with what is coming for her.

Valeria