LA-based artist Valeree is greater than only a singer-songwriter. Her music is a strong reflection of her life, marked by each triumphs and challenges. With a sound that blends R&B, Jazz, and pop right into a catchy, but introspective combine, Valeree delivers daring lyrics that resonate deeply. Her journey from Pittsburgh to the LA highlight has been a tumultuous one, marked by struggles with substance abuse, homelessness, and incarceration. But, via all of it, she has emerged as a resilient and passionate advocate for ladies and psychological well being.
In an unique interview with LADYGUNN, Valeree opens up about her deeply private and introspective idea album, “Interrupted.” This evocative assortment of songs traces her tumultuous journey via trauma, PTSD, habit, and finally, therapeutic. Valeree’s candid reflections provide a uncooked and genuine glimpse into her experiences, inviting listeners to affix her on a path from ache to vulnerability and progress.
With influences starting from Fiona Apple to retro-funk and pop vibes, “Interrupted” is extra than simply an album—it’s a testomony to resilience and the transformative energy of music.
“Interrupted” is described as an idea album. Are you able to stroll us via the storyline that connects all of the completely different songs and tells the story of your private journey?
Oh boy! The place to start? So, in essence, the primary 5 songs are from my perspective after I was in a spot in my life the place I couldn’t be susceptible and I used to be residing in a continuing trauma-response mode. I’ve since been recognized with PTSD and accomplished a lot of work in direction of therapeutic it, however I used to be residing within the thick of PTSD for years and years with no clue what was occurring inside me. I discovered it practically not possible to attach with folks, I used to be pushing folks additional and additional away as time went on, I used to be fully disconnected from my feelings, by no means cried or yelled or felt something excessive – I might go on and on. I now know that just about each a part of that was symptomatic of my PTSD, which I’ve because of residing via a number of traumas, however on the time I assumed they had been simply my little character quirks! It was so extreme and long-lasting that I typically thought of that I could be a sociopath, which I even joke about on “Remedy Classes (Get Higher)”.
The primary 5 songs contact on varied facets of my life throughout that part, so “Simply One Evening” and “Be Alone” contact on how that affected my romantic and common social life, “Value Remembering” and “Bottle of Whiskey” contact on the alcoholism and habit points that I now know are very tied to the PTSD, and “Don’t Wanna Develop Up” touches on my common avoidant frame of mind at the moment – type of all-encompassing.
Then the center 4 songs of the album are a breaking/turning level – the place I lastly crack the armor and begin to really feel some emotions, perceive myself a bit, and unpack some trauma. “The Key” is me lastly admitting to myself that I do really need connection, in some methods the entire album might boil down to simply that music. “Numb” is the true breaking level of the album and the purpose the place I notice that I’ve to take care of my previous trauma in an effort to discover ways to be open and emotional. “Flowers” is me lastly confronting one of many pivotal traumas that brought on all of this, and “Remedy Classes (Get Higher)” is consultant of the expansion achieved through remedy and customarily leaning on others for assist. You then get the latter piece of the album, the final 3 songs, which come from me at my most healed place on the time of writing – the place I’d lastly began to cry after I was unhappy, for instance, and let folks in on my emotional state. Frankly, I’d simply began to acknowledge that I used to be even having a sense, as a substitute of instantly burying them on intuition. “The Desk” represents that in my romantic life, in addition to lastly respecting and upholding my very own value. “No Sleep” additionally touches on that a part of life; I consider it as a direct distinction with “Simply One Evening”. Each are extra topical songs about intercourse, however one is totally avoidant and indifferent, whereas the opposite approaches it from a spot of wanting ardour and connection.
You then’ve obtained the nearer, “Good Days”, which represents the hopeful perspective I had about persevering with this journey and all the good it had introduced into my life to this point. Once more, type of a contrasting music with the opener. That was fairly thorough, however there you could have it!
You talked about that the album initially centered on trauma, however ultimately shifted in direction of vulnerability. How did this variation in theme come about through the inventive course of?
The shift happened as naturally as doable as a result of actually, I didn’t do it on objective, and I didn’t even discover that the theme had shifted till I used to be wanting again on the album’s writing retrospectively. As I used to be writing these songs, I used to be additionally doing a whole lot of therapeutic work to attempt to course of my trauma, so I used to be type of inherently processing the very issues I’d been writing about and having my uncooked response to that, which included getting extra susceptible basically.
One of many darkest factors of this album focuses on a sexual assault, which is clearly primarily based on an actual expertise, and it was one thing I’d just about by no means spoken about in my life by the purpose that I wrote “Flowers”. When the precise assault occurred, I cried about it the following day for the little time that I had earlier than work, after which I packed the emotions and expertise away and tried to go on with my life as if nothing had occurred.
Writing “Flowers” actually blew the floodgates open on that previous wound, after which on prime of that I’m doing, like, EMDR remedy on the time and studying about attachment types and all this different stuff that each one mainly boils right down to studying to be susceptible. So I type of unwittingly wrote the previous couple of songs of the album from that place of slowly studying an increasing number of about find out how to be susceptible after my trauma had fully closed me off from vulnerability for years. Once more although, I didn’t really notice that that’s what I used to be writing about till I used to be wanting again on the album and attempting to determine the precise frequent thread, figuring out trauma wasn’t fairly it. I ultimately landed on vulnerability, and that feels probably the most correct and sincere if I needed to sum it up in a single phrase.
“Interrupted” delves into some heavy stuff like PTSD, habit, and psychological well being. How did revisiting these experiences have an effect on your inventive course of whereas writing and recording the album?
Sometimes, after I’m writing songs, I’m doing so as a result of I’ve to make sense of an expertise not directly. Typically I have to get a sense out, generally I’m simply attempting to know one thing that’s occurred, nevertheless it’s virtually all the time one thing I’m doing out of emotional necessity somewhat than an intention to document, launch, or capitalize in any manner. Due to that, I don’t suppose my inventive course of was affected an excessive amount of whereas writing, it was principally simply cathartic. It’s good too as a result of writing a music offers experiences a brand new and completely different objective. I can really feel like this shitty factor didn’t simply occur for no motive, it occurred so I might write this music about it, after which possibly that music can grow to be one thing else and imply one thing to another person, and many others and many others.
The one exception is “Flowers”; that was a very, actually troublesome music to write down. I stayed up till 4 am one evening through the album recording course of figuring out I wanted to write down it – the album simply wouldn’t be full with out it – and I simply pressured myself to not fall asleep till I’d completed a music about that have. I’d been wanting to write down it for five years and simply been placing it off, seemingly for concern of getting to essentially take into consideration the expertise and the emotions that got here with it. Avoidance was my bread and butter for these 5 years. Fortunately, “Flowers” was my first draft, and I appreciated it sufficient to not must spend any additional time delving into one thing so painful to deal with.
Whereas I used to be recording the album, I used to be nonetheless early in my remedy course of with PTSD, so I used to be nonetheless actually good at compartmentalizing. I believe general that was dangerous for my psychological well being, however within the case of recording, it was really very useful. I might document songs that I’d written about extremely troublesome experiences and emotions, and I used to be capable of separate these emotions from the recording course of. My producer Adam can be somebody I really feel extremely protected and cozy with, and he was such an expert all through the method, so that actually helped. I by no means might’ve made this with out him, he’s one in all my favourite folks on the planet. I’ll have probably the most love for him ceaselessly as a result of he shared the expertise of constructing my very first album with me. He has been a giant a part of each single music I’ve ever recorded, however this album is unquestionably probably the most particular to me.
This album delves into a few of your darkest moments. What made you resolve to share these experiences so brazenly and actually together with your viewers?
I’ve all the time approached songwriting from a really diaristic place. I consider this as each a blessing and a curse, however after I’m writing one thing, my mind simply completely is not going to contact any considered releasing it or what folks would suppose. It’s nice as a result of my writing is all the time very genuine and sincere, however it could actually grow to be a bit difficult to market songs the place I wasn’t writing to be marketable in any respect. So, after I was writing most of those, I actually wasn’t contemplating the viewers in any respect – I used to be simply being open and sincere for the sake of getting my turmoil out of my physique and into one thing else, which is nearly all the time music in my case. A few of these songs I wrote as many as 8 years in the past, so I had completely no clue they’d find yourself on an album. As soon as it was all recorded although, I positively hesitated to share this album due to its vulnerability; I really recorded this complete album in the summertime of 2021 and held onto the completed recordings for about 3 years earlier than being keen to launch them. This yr I lastly simply felt that it was time to let this all go. It’s very scary to share a mission that’s so open and so sincere about such darkish moments, however I believe it’s what I have to do to essentially transfer ahead.
I’m simply hoping this mission may help anybody else going via comparable experiences. I additionally actually poured my coronary heart, soul, time, cash, and life into this mission, to not point out the blood, sweat, and tears of my 3 unimaginable collaborators (Adam Allison, Max Berlin, and Devin Pruden), so it might simply be felony at this level to not launch it.
You talked about Fiona Apple and a retro-funk/pop vibe as inspirations for various tracks. Are you able to inform us extra about how these numerous influences formed the general sound of the album?
Certain! Fiona Apple is a big inspiration of mine basically, and I believe that may be heard all throughout my music. Her songwriting is unnervingly sincere, which I hope to realize as nicely in my very own writing. I believe stylistically you possibly can hear the musical affect in a whole lot of my extra piano-forward tracks, equivalent to “The Key”. I additionally suppose the best way we convey emotion vocally can be fairly comparable now that I’m desirous about it. Nonetheless, I’m additionally tremendous influenced by funkier, poppier music, which you hear in songs like “Value Remembering” and “Good Days”. “Good Days” jogs my memory a little bit of a Bruno Mars music circa 24k Magic period in some sense, with the synth sounds and common melodic really feel. My songs that sound extra like which might be positively influenced by legends like Stevie Marvel as nicely, I believe there’s an apparent retro theme to a whole lot of my music. You then’ve obtained a standalone monitor like “Numb”, which seems like nothing I’ve ever accomplished earlier than, and I’d must say the largest affect for me could be Paramore for that music. I’ve by no means actually listened to a lot pop/punk, my producer Adam got here up with the guitar lick that impressed that music, and he’s very into pop/punk. I simply had a melody pop into my head as soon as he performed the lick, and I made a music out of it. So I assume Paramore and Adam had been my musical influences in that case. Possibly probably the most surprising one is “Flowers”, I really deliberately modeled the music construction after Olivia Rodrigo’s “Driver’s License”. I used to be struck by how a lot emotion comes via in that music, and I felt like a giant think about that was the construction of the music and the best way it builds. I had this concept that utilizing that very same constructing construction a few a lot heavier topic may very well be actually emotionally efficient, and thus, “Flowers” was born. This album has influences from all throughout the spectrum, with some clear R&B affect in songs like “Be Alone” as nicely, however I’m simply so grateful to my collaborators for serving to me tie a musical thread between all of them to make it sound like a cohesive mission. I significantly doubt I might’ve accomplished that on my own.
“Interrupted” tackles heavy themes with a whole lot of vulnerability. What message of hope or empowerment do you hope listeners will take away from the album?
I hope greater than something, folks listening who’re combating something touched on on this album can take away the message to ask for assist and open up. Remedy is your pal! And your pals are your pals! I shouldered a lot on my own for therefore lengthy and it did insurmountable harm. My greatest remorse in life is letting a lot time go by simply residing with the signs of PTSD working rampant, and it’s not my fault as a result of I had no concept that that was what was occurring, however I want I’d gotten assist. I want I’d reached out to somebody and stated hey, these horrible issues occurred and I don’t know find out how to take care of it. I believe if I’d accomplished that, it might’ve resulted in a PTSD prognosis a lot sooner, and I might’ve spent a lot extra of my younger life therapeutic and connecting and feeling. Feeling once more has been my best blessing. I hope somebody who hears this album who’s combating dissociation can hear that message and get some assist. Additionally, I hope each single lady and nonbinary one who hears The Desk feels empowered to by no means date one other loser once more! We’re accomplished settling in 2024. We simply must be.
Psychological well being and habit are sometimes topics that folks don’t speak about brazenly. How do you see “Interrupted” contributing to the dialog and breaking the silence surrounding these points?
I hope that a number of the extra apparent songs about these issues can encourage folks to share their very own tales. That is the primary time I’ve opened up in my music about my habit story, which is type of loopy as a result of it’s been such a major issue all through my whole life. I first went to rehab at 16 years previous, and the issue clearly began earlier than that. So, I actually haven’t been all that open about it till now, however I do know that generally after I’ve heard somebody open up about one thing troublesome, it’s given me the bravery to do the identical. I actually hope that this album can have that impact on some folks, whether or not that’s about habit, psychological well being, trauma, or anything they’re impressed to share. One of many greatest takeaways I need folks to get from the album is to ask for assist and speak to folks, so it’d be actually cool to encourage folks to speak about their struggles. It’s actually laborious for me to fathom the impression of this album past the person impression it might have on listeners, but when it does have a bigger impression on the conversations surrounding psychological well being and habit, I’ll be extremely honored. I’d love to assist destigmatize all the aforementioned. Disgrace is such a ineffective, terrible toxin.
Your music typically incorporates feminist themes. How does your id as a lady affect your songwriting and the narrative of “Interrupted”?
It’s humorous as a result of I do know that that’s true, it’s grow to be a giant a part of my “model” at this level – however my music solely incorporates feminist themes as a result of I’m a feminist to my core, so after I’m writing songs, I’m writing them from a feminist standpoint just because that’s my real standpoint. I don’t suppose I’ve ever in my life written a “girls’s empowerment” music on objective, I simply really really feel that manner so generally my writing comes throughout that manner. And I’m so glad that it does! Nothing brings me extra pleasure or makes me really feel extra fulfilled than empowering girls, however I can’t say I’ve ever accomplished it on objective with my songwriting. That can be kind of precisely the reply to the second half of the query – I believe my id as a lady is a big affect on my songwriting in addition to the narrative of “Interrupted” as a result of it’s a large affect alone private lens and experiences. Nearly all the trauma I’ve skilled is immediately linked to my being a lady (or lady, tragically), so this album simply wouldn’t even exist in any other case. I’m additionally aware of the aspects of my life which might be affected by my being a lady. I’m very conscious of sexist slights and patriarchy as an establishment and every part in between, so my worldview could be very a lot formed by that. I write what I believe and really feel, and I believe and really feel issues solely a lady might.
This album explores experiences that many younger girls can relate to. What sort of response or connection are you hoping to have with listeners who join with the themes of “Interrupted”?
I’m hoping listeners really feel seen, heard, and understood. I’m hoping they really feel like there’s another person on the market who will get it. So most of the years I spent residing with PTSD and never figuring out it had been crammed with emotions of loneliness and otherness. I felt like the one particular person on the planet incapable of connection or deep emotion. I additionally believed that to be everlasting, which is extremely lonely, and fortunately was false. I hope that this could open anybody’s eyes who’s in the same place and in addition feeling that manner – you’re not alone, and also you’re not caught that manner! I hope folks, particularly girls, will really feel emboldened to share their very own tales if that can assist them to heal. This album is about therapeutic for me as a lot because it’s about anything, so I hope to cross that alongside to listeners who join with it.
Is there anything you’d like listeners to learn about “Interrupted” or the journey it represents for you?
When speaking about it in this sort of setting, all of it appears so heavy – however “Interrupted” can be filled with pleasure and enjoyable! “Value Remembering” is stuffed with little jokes, “Good Days” is enjoyable and hopeful – there are many different factors on this document meant to reprieve the heavier moments. There are even common album decisions I made as a result of I assumed they had been humorous, like placing “Bottle of Whiskey” immediately after “Value Remembering” within the tracklist. That simply makes me chortle, and I believe anybody else who’s struggled with habit will immediately get the humor in it. Generally, I need this album to be cathartic for different folks, because it has been cathartic for me. It’s additionally been disturbing and painful and emotional and all types of different issues, nevertheless it’s undoubtedly been cathartic.
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