retro revival: violet sky’s musical time capsule
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Imagine stumbling upon a vinyl record in a store, its cover with mulleted band members from an era known for its distinctive sound and fashion. Now, imagine that this simple act of curiosity leads to a partnership with one of the musicians from that very album. This is not a work of fiction but the real-life story of this week's guest, Violet Sky.
This connection led her to digitize an album from the obscure band Shy Talk and share it with the world, catching the attention of the band's keyboardist, David Bravo. As they worked together, they unearthed a treasure trove of archived, unreleased '80s pop songs, allowing Violet to lend her voice to these hidden gems and bring them into the present day, untouched by time. Please Enjoy:
Liv: I originally found you through… I think somebody had made an edit. I don't know if you're familiar with what I do, but, like, people make edits, and I follow a bunch of people that do that. And somebody had used your song Show Me through, I think it was like a horror movie edit or something. And I was like, what is a song? I love 80s music. And it literally sounded like it was from the 80s-
Violet: Well it technically is!
Liv: Yeah! So I want to hear about that because I went to Spotify, found you. It's obviously working for you so well, so I'd love to hear everything about it.
Violet: Yeah. So I guess it all started when I was, like, 3. I want to say. I feel like music has always been something that's just spoken to me. Same thing with singing. I've always sung since I was a little kid. I didn't really have lessons, but it was always something that I was just doing. I remember being, like, 3 years old and watching the Peewee Herman Christmas Special, seeing KD Lang dress up in this denim dress, and she was singing Rocking Around The Christmas Tree. No, it was Jingle Bell Rock. There it was. And I remember just seeing her and being like, oh, my gosh, that's what I want to do. And I would just imitate her all the time and try to sing like her. And then as I got older, I started kind of finding my own style and what music I really liked. And then I found the 80s when I was, like, 16, and that came from watching the movie Girls Just Want To Have Fun. And I loved the dance and the fashion and the music. And as that was all happening, I started kind of finding my own vocal sound through listening to 80s music and singing along to those tracks. And then the whole collaboration with my producer had come about back in 2021, and that's kind of when I started making, quote unquote, my own music. even though it was technically me putting my vocals on songs that had been produced 30 years ago and me doing it now. There was this group, this band in the Shy Talk. And back in the start of 2020, I'd gone to the record store and I bought their album, and I just saw it randomly at the record store. I'd never heard of them. And I picked it up and I was like, oh, they all have mullets. They seem m cool, I'll give it a try. So I brought it home, I listened to it, and I was like, what is this music? It's amazing. And, their main single was called Excuse Me. But then they have the song called Dreaming. And Dreaming was co-written by this guy, David Bravo, and he was the keyboard synth player in the band. And so I digitized the whole album. I put it up on YouTube, and I was like, everybody should listen to this.
https://youtu.be/02g8lJtmj9I?si=HtQxqoCRsLxc4lVH
I know it didn't do super big the first time around when it came out in 85, but we should be listening to this song. It's really good. Or, this whole album. And so I made this video of me dancing around to their song dreaming on, I think, Instagram and TikTok. And David was looking up his old band Shy Talk one day on the Internet, and what pops up but my video on Instagram, and he clicks on it and he's like, who is this girl? Why does she know our music?
And so we just started talking after that over Instagram, just about the band, and he had, like, a whole unreleased second album that we're still trying to put out there. and I was like, I really want to help archive your music and the history of this band so other people can learn about you guys because I feel like you deserve so much more credit than what you had gotten, I guess, back in the day. He was like, do you sing? And I was like, oh, yeah, I sing, but I don't have my own stuff. And, he's like, well, we have to get you some originals. This is like the second day after talking to him, and I was like, whoa, okay, I guess. So, I sent him samples of me singing. He goes, I'm going to look through my material from the 80s. I'm going to look through my old material and see if there's anything that you'd want to record. And I was like, yeah, okay, sure. Not expecting anything. 80s or just stuff that he's written recently. So he sends me this Wetransfer file of, like, 10 different tracks, like, demos, that the original singer Nancy Bender had sang on. And she didn't end up releasing them in the 80s because she just went in a different direction with her music as it was going into the 90s because this happened around like, 88, 89. So he sends me this folder, and the first song I click on is A Heartbeat Away. And I find out that all this material that he has that never released were actual 80s pop songs. And I was like, oh, my gosh, I would love to put my voice on these 30 years later and keep them as authentic as possible, because that's just what I do and what I love to do. So it's been a really awesome collaboration, and it's kind of like one of those full circle moments, where just things come together in such a way that it's like, this is crazy, but let's go with it.
Liv: That definitely feels like made to be just the fact that you stumbled across that. That's such a crazy story to me.
Violet: Yeah. Like, if I never picked it up, then who knows?
Liv: You could never have imagined that that's what would have happened when you uploaded their album. That just seems like such a unique story to me. And I love it because the music, it's so good. I love it. It's genuinely, like, I love it so much. So it's hard to imagine that they weren't huge in the 80s, but maybe just because there was so much other music out already, bigger artists, that they just kind of got overlooked, I guess.
Violet: Right? Yeah. I mean, they tried to do these songs, and then she just went in a different direction and was like, yeah, I want to do more rock-based stuff. And then they focused on that, but those are kind of like demos to send out to record labels and stuff. I guess they just kind of got shelved after that while they focused on other projects. And in a way, I'm like, oh, well, they were shelved and 30 years later I got to come along and find them. And I think it was kind of meant to be, but also. But her backing vocals are still on the track. And, everything is pretty much untouched because we had the demos with her vocals on them, and then we had the tv tracks, which were just the instrumentals, but there's still a lot of backing vocals, so it's awesome to be able to keep the full collaboration still while I kind of add my own touch to it as well.
Liv: So you said you got into the 80s when you were 16. Was that something that you just decided to start getting into? Was it like your friends or family that was into 80s as well, or was it just sort of your own thing?
Violet: Yeah. So I grew up always having an appreciation for vintage style and music. My mom grew up in the 60s. She showed me a lot of that stuff when I was a kid. and then when I was, like, 15, I got actually really into Britney Spears the year before that. And then after that, I found the 80s when I started watching that movie, and the soundtrack to that movie was amazing. And the Girls Just Want To Have Fun. Like the 1985 movie, like, not Cindy Lauper, although I do love Cindy Lauper. but, yeah, I listened to that and I was like, this is amazing. I love this. And there was just something about the bright fashion and the bold hair and the colors and all the fun, positive energy that pop culture and media put forward in fashion back then that I just really connected with. And I was like, you know, I love the music, I love the fashion. Why don't I just do this in my own life? And so then I did, and then it's been, I guess, eight years since then, which is crazy for me to think. but yeah, it was just an immediate connection upon seeing that.
Liv: Yeah, I definitely love the Ferris Bueller's day off DVD back here.
Violet: I see Saved By The Bell, too.
Liv: Oh, and Saved By The Bell. I'm very much. I don't know. I love, like you said, the bright colors, the vibe that was brought out back then. It feels very positive and uplifting. And I agree. I was definitely drawn to that as well.
What is performing live like
Liv: What is performing live like?
Violet: I performed around New York City a couple times, and, most recently, my last performance is at the Whiskey A Go Go in LA in California. And that was a really big thing for me, because that's like a venue that so many artists that I look up to have played there, like the Go Go’s and Belinda Carlyle. And so it was like, oh my God, I'm standing on the same stage as so many artists from the 80s had stood on in the past and really made their debut. And so, yeah, I perform locally around and I perform to tracks, so I don't have a live band yet. but I feel like when I play these tracks, it kind of puts in perspective for people, the whole experience of being able to come to the live venue, hear me sing in real-time, but at the same time be able to listen to these songs as they are produced from back then. And I mean, I love freestyle music, which was a big regional thing around New York City in the late 80s, which is where I'm from. And so a lot of those artists kind of did perform along to tracks as well, because it's all electronic music. And so I feel like doing that and making that part of the experience is kind of like staying true to the era, too.
How did you book those venues?
Liv: How did you get to those venues? Was it through Shy Talk or your producer? Or was it just like they found you through social media?
Violet: Yeah, so a couple people, found me through social media, and then I had met, a few booking agents as well, just like people I've met along the way and fellow musicians as well. I have a couple coming up this year too, so that's going to be fun.
Liv: That's so cool. I want to come. Is it New York?
Violet: Yeah, it's going to be New York City. I have one a little bit upstate New York, and then the rest, I think, are in Brooklyn, so.
Liv: Yeah, that's so cool. And I've seen, like, through your social media, there's so many people like you that dress in 80s are very into the 80s. Are those people you met through your music or did you already know them?
Violet: Yeah. So basically, I created my Instagram and my social media, back in 2018 just so I could make friends that liked the same things as me because there were so many people out there and I didn't know anyone who liked the dressed the way I did or felt that connection to the music. So when I made my social media, I started meeting other people that dressed the same way. And so it all kind of started out there. And then through the pandemic, a lot of other people started coming into the 80s community, at least online and showcasing what they do and their fashion and style and everything. And so basically, every single 80s friend that I've ever met has been through social media. and then we just happen to live close, or I've traveled to visit them as well.
Liv: That's so cute. I love how the Internet can bring people together through shared interests, and you think you're so alone in what you love, and then you go online and you find all these other people and you feel like, you have such a community. And it's so interesting that they were local because I feel like New York has always been such a cultural time capsule in a way, because there's so many vintage stores, vintage venues, and things like that. What is it about the city that you love?
Violet: Yeah, I just love how there's so much happening in one place. There's so many different cultures, there's so many different stores, there's so many different people that you can meet every day from all places in the world. You never know what is going to happen when you go into the city, which, of course, can be good or bad. but at the same, like, I couldn't imagine living anywhere else. I was born here. I've been here all my mean, I kind of do want to move to Los Angeles and see what that's like as well. but, yeah, me and my friend, after this interview, are going to some record stores, and then we're going to go to some vintage stores. And so, yeah, there's a lot happening, and definitely it's so great that everything is so close together, too.
Liv: Yeah. Ah. I feel like you can really travel back in time in a way, because you're obviously dressing the part, but I feel like you can also live the part.
Violet: Yeah, definitely. I feel like I've definitely been able to kind of live the part in a way because I guess when you meet people that have similar interests and you make these friends, you find the different clubs to go to that play this music, and you start to host your own events and you collaborate with people. And so everyone's always saying, you have to get with the times and live in this generation. Aren't you missing out? And I'm like, not really, because, I'm finding all these opportunities and all these friends and people and things to do that just align with what we're all into. And so that's how I find myself to be a part of the generation I'm living through.
What is your favorite song to perform?
Liv: My favorite song of yours is A Heartbeat Away, or Show Me. Show Me specifically. I just love Show Me so much. But what is your favorite song of yours?
Violet: Oh, my gosh. This question is so hard because I love them all so individually. I guess my favorite to perform is Show Me just because it's so high energy. I have a little dance break that was choreographed by my friend Neil Schwartz that I threw in there, and also the ending. I technically did write the ending where I'm talking on the phone and being like, you call me back on my answering machine. If you're not going to call me, just tell me that whole thing. So it's really fun to kind of bring the landline phone up on stage and talk on it, and people are like, whoa. Oh, my gosh. It's definitely, like, a fun little thing to throw in my performance, but I really love all of them so much. Like, A Heartbeat Away was, like, my debut single. That was the first one I had ever heard, and I was like, I know this is going to be my first song. What's A Girl To Do? Is fun. Technically, the only song of mine I can actually relate to because I've never actually been in love. So it's funny because I'm, like, singing all these songs about love, and I'm just like, well, What’s A Girl To Do? The song about longing for someone is probably, like, the one I can relate to most. and then we have, if you leave me now, which is such a beautiful ballad with the synth horns and the guitar solo, and then Time Out is that song that you'd feel like, would be in a movie soundtrack, like from 1986. I don't know. It's hard for me to pick, and there's so many other ones that I have unreleased at the moment that we're working on for an album. So I love those two.
Liv: I'm so excited. Are those also archived tracks or recordings?
Violet: Yes, every single one of them is.
Liv: Wow, that is so cool. I've literally never heard of anybody doing that. I mean, maybe, but not like this in such a unique situation because you didn't know these people. It was just such a chance encounter, it seems like. Which is so cool.
Violet: Yeah, definitely. Thanks.
What has been a career highlight for you?
Liv: What has been a career highlight for you? Obviously connecting with Shy Talk, but for you individually?
Violet: It’s hard because, yeah, so obviously the whole Shy Talk collaboration and meeting David and being able to work with a producer that not only produced these songs, but also made music that you love so much from the album that impacted your life so much. I guess my life, I'm talking about third person, but, I guess meeting so many people that have shared musical. What is the word I'm looking for?
Liv: Passion?
Violet: Yeah, passion and goals and their art kind of aligning with yours. I've been able to meet so many people that have similar visions. That's the word. Just being able to perform and play shows with people that have those similar visions and similar music styles. Of course, performing at the Whisky A Go Go was huge for me. Like, being in the dressing room and being on stage and just being like, oh, my gosh, I'm here, my name's on the board outside on the Sunset Strip. This is crazy to me, in the best way possible. Also getting to work with so many songwriters that were so influential in the timeout was co-written by David Bravo, Dina Regine, and Donald Markowitz. And Donald Markowitz co-wrote I've had The Time Of My Life for Dirty Dancing. We have a song that isn't released yet that was David collaborating with Jewel Shearer, who wrote If She Knew What She Wants for The Bangles. And, then A Heartbeat Away was co-written by Alex Forbes, along with David and Nancy Bender. And Alex Forbes wrote don't rush me for Taylor Dane. She wrote Too Turned On and Let Your Heart Make Up Your Mind for Alicia. And Alicia is one of my biggest singing inspirations. And just to know that by chance, one of the songs I get to sing was written by someone who wrote music for so many artists that I love as well, and I've taken influence from in my vocals before. Even knowing or meeting any of these people is just so crazy and awesome to me.
Liv: Yeah, I feel like the industry, it seems daunting, and it's so big, but I feel like at the end of the day, it's very small, and the people that know each other and the people that are so good at what they do. So I feel like that seems like it would be crazy, but also it's not because your music's so good, and it seems like it would be huge in the 80s. I'm so surprised they didn't just release all of it, because I feel like it would be huge.
Violet: Yeah. I mean, it was a lot harder back then to release music in general for anybody because in order to press an album and really put out music, you had to be picked up by a label. And that's kind of how the music industry has changed a bunch now as well, because now anyone can release music. Me and David are technically releasing it pretty independently. He has a small label, and I'm signed to it, but at the same time, to know we could do this from the comfort of his home studio, and that's where we record and mix all this stuff. We send it out to Ted in Nashville, and he has his own studio, and he mixes these songs. And so it's so incredibly different from what it used to be back then. And I guess at the time, without that label support, it just wasn't able to happen.
Liv: That makes a lot of sense. Yeah, I guess I didn't really think about that. It's not so much like who you know, it's more just like how you market yourself. A lot of your stuff is through social media. That's how I found you.
Violet: Well, technically, my social media was, like, a whole different, that blew up separately from my music. Like, my social media had gone viral in 2020 before I had even met David, before I had even started talking to anybody that I knew. And that was mostly because of my fashion. And then it did definitely help a lot when it came to releasing music, because instead of starting from the ground up and having music and trying to build a platform off of that, there already were people there that followed me for my lifestyle and my song covers. But then I guess it all came m together in the end, which was really great.
What is your go-to for 80s attire?
Liv: What is, like, your go-to for 80s attire? What's your favorite thing to wear?
Violet: Definitely acid wash, denim, anything acid wash. Like, I have jeans, skirts, jackets, shirts, like boots. Anything you can think of. So, yeah, definitely my favorite. And, like, neons and pastels as well.
Liv: Where do you source all of this? Is it just, like, passed down from your family or what?
Violet: Well, actually, I am wearing a jacket my mom gave me, but my mom actually didn't dress like this at all in the 80s. Wasn't into any of the stuff I am. I maybe got a couple of pieces from her, but mostly it's come from shows like Saved By The Bell or inspiration from late 80s, early 90s fashion. So I'll thrift a lot of stuff. I go on eBay, Depop a lot of secondhand clothing. Pretty much everything I own is secondhand in some way.
Liv: Do you feel like when you put on the outfit and the hair, do you feel like you're really in that time? Are you able to look in the mirror and just feel like you went back in time?
Violet: In some places, yes. If I go to a mall that's never been updated and still has all their original interior design, I know that paired with my outfit, that will be the closest I'll ever get to experiencing that. Or when I go to one of my friends club nights, like, my friend Andy DJs, and she'll play all the freestyle, and I'm dancing with my friends who also dress like this, that's probably, like, one of those moments where it's like, wow, I'm really experiencing what this probably was like, but for the most part, it just feels normal to me. Same thing with my car. I drive a 1992 Camaro, and so when I'm in my car, it doesn't even feel like an old car. It doesn't really feel like I wear all these old things. It's just kind of like, this is my normal to me, and it's just kind of how I live my life.
Liv: I am obsessed with your car. I saw it, on Instagram. It is so cool.
Violet: Thank you.
Liv: Where, how did you get that?
Violet: Yeah, so, I've always wanted, like, an 80s car for the longest time, and my friend Veronica is a mechanic, and she has, like, an 87 trans am. So that's why we became friends and we started talking about that. But she helped me look for it, and I would be on Facebook marketplace, like, saving all these car listings. And the car I have now, her name is Cecile. she was listed for an entire year, and nobody was buying it. And so I messaged the guy when I was still in college, I was, like, a month out from graduating, 2 months. And I was like, hey, I just want to ask some more questions about this car. And he was like, yeah, no problem. And he answered them, and then I said, I can't come look at it anytime soon because I graduate college in 2 months. He's like, no problem. I'm not in a rush to sell it. So he basically held that car for me for 2 months until I graduated college, came home, and the week after, me and Veronica went up to go look at it, and we bought it.
Liv: Do people take pictures of you or just see it and want to take a picture of it?
Violet: Yeah. I actually was driving to the thrift store yesterday, and there was, like, a group of high school kids, I guess, recognized me, and they were like, Violet Sky, like, screaming from across the street. They're like, “We love your car!” I'm like, oh, my God. Thank you! So, yeah, definitely. People do take photos, especially because it doesn't help that it's a convertible. So if I have the top down, you could just see me with my perm, and it's like a whole spectacle. but I always appreciate it. I never mind.
Liv: That's so cool, getting noticed in public. Is that weird or cool or scary?
Violet: I think it's cool. I always appreciate it if anyone comes up to me or says hello, or just even people that don't know me that always say, oh, I like your style. It's always so nice to hear. And just meeting people that follow you on the Internet or listen to your music in person, you kind of realize how big of, an outreach that the Internet has for people. And so it's just always kind of nice to hear, like, oh, my. Like, this is reality as well. It's not just like, yeah, A Heartbeat Away music video.
Your latest music video was shot entirely on digital cameras
Liv: A Heartbeat Away, what was that like filming?
Violet: Yeah, that was really fun. It was me and my friend Lila Kessler, and we went to. Well, I flew out to Arizona to visit her, and we had taken a road trip up to Las Vegas in Nevada. And it was early 2022, so there were still people that weren't going out because of the pandemic. and so we just ran around on a Monday night, like, super late in Las Vegas, filmed this on. Half of it was filmed on my phone camera. The other half was on, like, a little digital camcorder. so that one was not an analog music video, because I just didn't have the means to do that at the time. But it was shot really fun. We just went around to all different casinos. Like, it was filmed in Caesar's Palace, the Flamingo, Circus Circus, up and down the strip. And so that was just a really fun music video, because it was also my first time filming anything that was for music that I've done. Personally. I've made fun little fan lip sync videos over the years of growing up, and so it was like, oh, my God, this is, like, my song. So it was really fun. Yeah. A lot of people weren't around, and it was also Monday night, and so I've gotten comments from people saying, how did you get Las Vegas to get so empty to film that? And I was like, just by chance. It was just the timing and the time of day that we did it, and what was going on. And it was also good, because it's hard when you film in a public place, because then the people in the background or the cars will really throw off the 80s vibe that you're trying to go for, because it's all modern and people dressed in modern clothes. And so having nothing in the background and being able to avoid those certain details has been really helpful in keeping the authentic aesthetic.
Liv: Yeah, it definitely sells it. All of your videos look like they're literally archived from the 80s. The Time Out music video, I read in the description that you used a camera that belonged to a tv station from the 80s. Is that true?
Violet: Yeah, it was SVHS. I bought it on eBay. I did a bunch of research, because Tiffany's music video for I Think We’re Alone Now is filmed on video instead of film. And so I was looking into what kind of camera could replicate that feel, and so I found. It's a Panasonic AG 450. I don't know, but it's an SVHS, which is like the step above a regular VHS camera that local TV stations used to use, like weddings. Like, if you were to film a wedding back in the early 90s, that's probably the camera they'd use. And so I bought that camera. I dragged it all across on a plane all the way to LA from New York. I had to ship the battery because it's like lead acid, and they won't allow it on a plane because it's so big. And so I just dragged this camera around the entire time I was in LA. We filmed at the Koreatown Plaza mall, which is this amazing mall in LA. That's, like, interior wise, stuck in the pastel pink. They had a fountain. We rented a 1991 Corvette, which I got to drive up and down the Pacific Coast highway. We filmed, the beach. It was just such a fun experience. And it was all really authentic in that way, too, because it was actually, like, a format that the 80s would have used.
Liv: Yeah. And you had all your friends there with their just such a cool video. I'm obsessed with it.
Violet: Yeah. And everybody who was in the video, all of my friends, they all dress that way. Like, it's also like a lifestyle for them, too.
Liv: That is so cool. And are those people New York people or were they LA people?
Violet: All LA people, yeah. So all my LA friends, when I go out to LA, we plan a group meetup when I'm visiting. So I was like, why don't you guys be in my music video? That'd be so fun. And so they got to and it was cool.
Liv: That is awesome. I love that so much. This is probably a broad question, but what is it about the 80s you love the most?
Violet: Oh, gosh, I just love how, I guess, let's see how creative it was. Like, nothing you wore was too much. Music videos weren't deemed as cheesy or cringy. People were just having fun. They were having fun with life and with fashion and style and music and using all these new resources and technology that they had just found. Like synthesizers and computers were really coming up and nothing was too much. I feel like in this generation, we go for such minimalism. There's such a trend of interior design being gray or beige or plain or hairstyles being just kind of, like, minimalistic and whatever. And I'm such, like a maximalist. I feel like, in a way, and there was so much color and just expression, like self-expression was, I feel like, at its height, in a way, and I feel like in this generation, we just don't really get that. So that's something that draws me to the era as a whole. of course, underneath that umbrella, there's so many niches of things that I'm interested in, but that's probably, like, the overall as to why I really got into it.
Liv: Yeah, that's a good explanation, because I feel like people now are so afraid to express themselves for being cringe or for being over the top. But why is that embarrassing? I don't even understand why people, I mean, I get minimalism, but I also don't because I feel like people are just going with what they think is popular now. Whereas back then, there wasn't really social media or anything for people to follow trends. It was just everybody doing what they wanted. And I think that's something that's really lost today, because people want to do what's popular or whatever they see online.
Violet: Yeah, I think so, too. Definitely.
What is your favorite 80s item that you own?
Liv: What is your favorite 80s item that you own? Out of everything that you have.
Violet: Oh, my gosh. there's, like, a few. So, obviously, there's my car, which. Okay, I know it's a 1992, but I definitely classify it as an 80s car because the third-gen Camaro, the style that it is, was from 1982 to 1992, so it's technically the 80s Camaro. So I’m definitely my car. That is my whole world. Then I have a Sharp QT5 Boombox, which is like the little green one with the triangles on it that I love to death. and then I guess, like, the demo tapes that I have of Shy Talk’s material when they were still called motivation, that stuff is really important to me. Or, like, the CD that I have, that's all the original songs from the Malibu Bikini Shop soundtrack, which was produced by Don Perry, who produced the Girls Just Want To Have Fun soundtrack. So I actually got to work with him years later, which was kind of crazy. also full circle moment to release, like, a soundtrack that hasn't been out since the movie came out. So probably those items are what I hold closest to me.
Liv: Was there any 80s person that had seen your stuff and reached out to you because they loved that you were sort of bringing it back?
Violet: Definitely. Artists like, I've had 80s artists follow my instagram, like Debbie Gibson and Tiffany, who are also big inspirations for me. That's always awesome. Just being able to befriend and speak to singers that I've taken so much inspiration from as well, has been really cool. yeah. It's crazy how far your media that you put out on the Internet. If you put yourself out there, who is it going to reach? You don't really know.
Liv: Does it feel surreal to know that your passion is connecting with all these people online and you're bringing all these people together over your shared interest, that it wasn't even your goal starting out, but it just sort of happened. How does that feel like to you?
Violet: It's, like, awesome. Definitely really great feeling. Because there was a time where I was growing up, I was in high school, I was in middle school, and I liked all these things that nobody else did, and I had friends, but all the media I was consuming or music I was listening to, I didn't have anyone to share that with. And so knowing now that there's such an online community or my fashion or music reaches so many people and they can connect over it. It's all I really could have hoped for, because I know what it's like to have felt so alone growing up, and I wouldn't want anyone else to feel that way.
Liv: Yeah, art is so beautiful and the way it can bring people together, definitely unlike anything else in this world, like music, fashion, movies, I feel like, really can connect with people in a way that you can't even really describe. It's just like a feeling, and when you have a feeling with other people, it just amplifies it. Do you feel like your obsession with the 80s has grown a lot stronger since you started?
Violet: Yeah, definitely. And also, there's so much stuff to discover that I don't even know yet. There's always music to discover by smaller artists that you've never even may have heard of. So many movies that flew under the radar, that aren't, like the John Hughes films that got really big. So there's so much media that I still haven't even found. There's always lost media, the movie soundtracks that have never been released. And that's always a fun project to contact producers and see whatever happened to these songs and if they still have them, if they want to share them with the world. So, yeah, there's so much stuff that you can still discover. So I feel like that's why it just hasn't gotten boring to me or anything. But I also feel like it's just something that I genuinely, really love and want to archive and kind of part of my life's purpose to keep that whole history going.
Liv: I would say so, for sure. Because just the fact that you stumbled across that album and it led to all this, it just feels like, a divine intervention moment. You are going to bring the 80s back.
Violet: Right? I think so, too.
Liv: Honestly, this is the coolest origin story I've ever heard, to be honest. Because it's not like you were reaching out to all these people. Like, I want to rerecord this music. It found you, and that is such, like, a crazy thing that you don't really hear about.
Violet: I know I wake up some mornings and I'm like, is this my life now? But, yeah, no, definitely.
Liv: I think that's just, like, a testament to following your passion consistently. I think that's what adds to this and what makes it feel so natural.
Violet: Yeah, definitely. I mean, we only get one life to live. and if you're not spending it being your own, absolute, authentic self, find what brings you joy. Don't worry about what other people want you to do, what you should be doing, what society says you should be doing. You have to find what's right for you. If you wake up in the morning, you look in the mirror and you say, I love the way I look today. I love the jeans I'm wearing, the hat that I'm wearing. I love the music I listen to. And that's really the most important thing. And I say that a lot. As somebody who, growing up, a lot of kids in school didn't get it and you get made fun of or bullying is a big thing. And I get a lot of kids, who are still in middle school and high school that follow me and be like, I'm trying to dress 80s or dress in my own style. So many people at school are telling me I shouldn't do it. And it's a hard time, but you just got to push through and just be yourself. Because in this world, you can't live with regrets.
Liv: I feel like that's what 16 year old you would want to hear. And now you're able to give that advice to 16 year olds now!
Violet: 100% like, it's okay to be who you are, no matter what in life. It will get better. One of those things. Like, it will get better. so, yeah, I think that this whole experience definitely is part of healing my inner child or my inner teen. And obviously I've done a lot of work outside of the do that, but it's definitely a big part of it.
Liv: Yeah, I think self-expression is something that is so healing eternally that you don't even really realize, like, dressing how you want is such a big part of self-expression.
Violet: This is sort of definitely.
Liv: And I definitely would always dress different in high school and stuff. And I remember, I mean, nobody really said anything, but I remember being like, this is different. What I like is not very popular, but I also felt my most honest self when I would wear what I wanted. So I think that's really good advice to just not listen to what other people think or feel and to always just do what you want. Because nobody else knows you better than you.
Violet: Exactly.
how do you navigate boredom?
Liv: This podcast is called Bored FM. I started it because I find myself going through creative blocks or periods of time where I don't really know exactly where to go next creatively. But I love asking people. I'm inspired by how they navigate their own boredom because I feel like everybody has a different answer. So I'd love to hear what you do in moments where you feel, like, uninspired or maybe disconnected from what you're doing.
Violet: Definitely. In my life, I've been going through probably a very transitional period at the moment of just kind of not knowing where my career is going to go, not knowing exactly what I want to do with what I'm doing. All these opportunities, how do I start projects on my own? So it's been kind of stressful. Like, I just graduated college. I just got done with an, internship that was really cool. And so now I'm just kind of like, thank you. Yeah, now I'm like, what do I do now? And so I journal a lot. I write a lot. In times of stress, I'm always writing about my feelings and what I'm going through. therapy helps, too, of course. definitely recommend that if you have the means. it's just great to learn more about yourself and who you are. but, yeah, no, I definitely write a lot. I listen to a lot of music. I'll go for a drive. I'll just try to create content on Instagram. I'll do live streams. I just talk to people, and then sometimes people will ask me questions, and that sparks an interest. I try to reach out to my friends, too, and just talk to them about how I feel and also kind of like what their creative projects are and see if we can collaborate on something together. And that always kind of jump-starts something within me.
Liv: Do these people that you've connected with also make music, or is it just. They've just found the 80s because they like it?
Violet: The people that I'm friends with that dress 80s don't necessarily always make music, but I do have friends that make very 80s-inspired music that don't dress the fashion and everything as well. But I have kind of, like a mix of both. It's cool because within a whole community, people have different talents. I have a friend who is more into acting. I have a friend who's more into social media. I have my music friends as well. So our community spans many talents.
Liv: That's so cool. I love that, and then last question, sad, because I love talking to you. This is such a good conversation. But do you think, like, moments of downtime where you feel uninspired, do you think that is sort of necessary to then have that motivation to create something?
Violet: Yeah, definitely. I think it's just in life in general, you can't have the highs without the lows type of thing. You can't see the beautiful parts of life unless you go through something that is less than desirable to go through. so, yeah, definitely when I'm just having a period of not creatively feeling, it allows me time to kind of step back, focus on other parts of my life, and then kind of regain that inspiration. And usually, an idea will come to me.
Liv: Then I just thought of one last question.
Violet: Yeah.
Liv: For your music, are the lyrics from the 80s?
Violet: Yeah, all the lyrics were actually from the 80s. We didn't change anything about them. So everything you're listening to was written and produced by someone else. I don't really consider myself a songwriter, at least at this point in time in my life, but I am a singer and I am an archivist. And I feel like this project was, like, the perfect way for me to collaborate on music in a way I've always wanted to. So, yeah, everything was written by other people who were very talented. And now I just get to do the job of singing it and performing it for people so it can be heard.
writing your own music?
Liv: Would you ever think about writing your own music, or no?
Violet: Yeah, I mean, I've definitely tried. I don't feel like it flows very well. It's something I'd probably have to practice doing. It's not something that comes to me very naturally. but me and David, my producer, definitely have talked about writing our own second album and material after this and seeing if we can get it dead on to the synthesizer programs and all the plugins of original synths from back then. So we'll see what happens. Definitely.
Liv: I would love to hear that, like, your own modern, yet vintage 80s song. If you were to write your own, I feel like that would be really interesting. Obviously, do what you want, but I would love to hear that at some point, if you ever would be open to doing that, I feel like people would really be interested.
Violet: I'll see if I can do it, definitely at some point.
Liv: Okay, well, that was all my questions. Thank you so much for coming on.
Violet: Yeah, thanks so much for inviting me. It was, fun.
Liv: I can't wait to see what you do with your music. Everything. Music videos. I will be listening and watching, and I literally tell everybody about you. Like, I force everybody in my life to listen to you. I showed everybody, Show Me. Like, I am rooting for you. So I can't wait to see what else you do.
This conversation is as much about the music as it is about staying true to oneself in a world that often pushes for conformity. A story of how one singer's love for the '80s led her to a career she never imagined. Learn how her passion led her into the arms of an '80s band member, resulting in a revival of authentic, unreleased pop anthems.
Listen to our full conversation on Spotify here or watch on YouTube here.
