Ones To Watch In 2009: VV Brown

Her influences range from Ella Fitzgerald to The B52s to Disney Movies, she's written hits for Sugababes and Pussycat Dolls, and her debut single, 'Crying Blood', is a brilliant contradiction. It may sound like a giddy pop romp - in fact, it sounds a bit like sixties novelty 'Monster Mash' - but its lyrics are all about the "emotional hell" of a really painful break-up. Intrigued, we called VV Brown to find out more.

What does VV stand for?
"VV was a nickname my friends used to call me. It was a hip-hop thing - they'd say, 'Hey, what's up VV?' I wanted to use it for my music because it's what my mates call me, rather than Vanessa Brown, which sounds like I'm at school again and my teachers are about to tell me off."

How would you describe the VV Brown sound?
"I have one sort of definition, which is 'doo-wop indie', but I'd say there's a bit of synth madness in there too. My music is very autobiographical - I try to translate my life experiences into my music. I wrote my album in a week and I was literally puking out how I felt about this relationship that had just ended. Practically every song is about the guy I'd just split up with."

Going on the 'Crying Blood' lyrics, it sounds like a pretty horrendous break-up.
"It was really, really s**t. When you love someone so much, especially if you're a very passionate person, you love blindly and you love with everything. If you're blind and you're giving yourself to someone fully, you're bound to fall if they're not going to be there to catch you. I pretty much fell, landed on a rock, split my head open and nearly died from the emotional hell."

Is it true you were so wrapped up in writing 'Crying Blood' that your parents thought you'd gone missing?
"Yes, chaos follows me! I was living in this attic at the time and I'd lost my phone. Nobody could get in contact with me for three days. As I was playing and writing 'Crying Blood', I heard this big bang on the door at 2am, so I went downstairs and there was my mum, my dad, my best friend, my ex-boyfriend - the one I was writing 'Crying Blood' about - and two policemen. They all thought I'd gone missing! I literally cried of laughter."

When's the album coming out?
"It's out in the summer, but we're going to release it when the time's right. We're not really following any industry format with this campaign. I think it's important for people to discover artists properly and to get to know them without it being this regimented, force-fed way of putting a record out. There could be two singles before then, there could be nine... well, I doubt it will be nine! I can almost hear the record company talking to me now telepathically: 'Two singles! It's going to be two singles...'"

Is the album finished?
"Not completely. I'm actually in the studio now working on two new songs that will hopefully make the album. I don't think the album will ever be finished until we actually release it because I'm always writing. You never know when you're going to write that song that will change your life."

You had a record deal before but it didn't work out. What happened?
"I was signed to Polydor and I was very young, very impressionable and I didn't know myself musically. When you're an artist and you don't know your musical identity, but you love music and you love singing, there's a tendency for a major label to impress what they think you are on you. You end up making a record that isn't honest and doesn't reflect your personality."

What's your unreleased record like?
"I find it quite uncomfortable to listen to, but there's one song I might come back to and re-record with different production. Generally I kind of associate that album with a lot of plastic memories. I mean, it's actually a really good album, but it was an album that was written for someone else. It wasn't me."

You've also written songs for other artists - including Sugababes. How did that come about?
"I wrote the song 'Denial' and it got into the hands of their management. They heard it, really liked it and ended up recording it. I was really happy because I didn't have a deal at the time and it was a real boost to my self-esteem. I specifically wrote the song with them in mind - I really tried to get into their mindsets and even did all their dance moves in my living room! I also wrote 'No Can Do' on their current album."

Did you expect the 'No Can Do' video to be as racy as it is?
"No. Being very honest, I didn't see in that way. I saw the song as more fun and cheeky, rather than sassy and glossy like that. They're all beautiful girls though and it's a really good video. And hey, what do I know?"

More information on VV Brown is at www.myspace.com/vvbrown.