Victoria Anthony

by Anushka Mangal

15-year-old Victoria Anthony is a teenager doing it all. She’s a singer-songwriter from Vancouver, Canada who writes and releases pop music while being a sophomore in High School. Anthony got her big break when pop icon P!nk saw a social media campaign about the girl’s dream to sing with her, and the 14-year-old sang in front of 15,000 people at P!nk’s concert in May 2018 @ Rogers Stadium in Vancouver.

Anthony released her debut album “Real Life” in October of 2020, and her new single “Dirty Lipstick” is set to come out soon. Despite releasing her album during a pandemic, the singer has been able to make a name for herself through her introspective, meaningful and catchy lyrics that you can’t help but sing along to. Read about Anthony and her journey as an artist, her inspirations, and future plans.

Make sure to check out her music on youtube, Spotify, or Apple Music, and listen to the new song dropping June 25th!

I know the Pandemic has been hard on all of us, and I was wondering how you’ve been keeping yourself busy, besides releasing “Real Life” of course?

I’ve been very busy with school and softball. Everything’s starting to open up, but everything is different than it used to be. I’ve also been writing a lot of new music. I first released an album and now I have a song coming out called “Dirty Lipstick.” I’ve got a lot going on - I’m really grateful for it, and I am just having a great time.

What was that like, releasing your debut album during the pandemic?

Honestly, I don’t know any difference since it’s the only real collection of music I’ve released, but I can only assume it was super out of the ordinary because I mean, I couldn't see people and do music videos the way you normally do them. All my performances were “live” but like “online live.” It’s been fun, but I am really excited to perform for people and get the audience's reaction. I released the album then because I wanted to say what I am saying in this album right now so I wanted to get it out and be able to move on with my artistic direction.

Where does the inspiration for your music come from? What do you typically write about?

I am writing about my life. I try to take a lens of vulnerability and find out kind of like “what’s interesting.” I mean we all kind of go through the same thing. If you listen to ten songs, chances are five of them are going to have a very similar meaning, but the special thing about them is each person’s unique perspective.

I don’t get too emotional in real-life situations, but my songs are the opposite. I liked to use my songs as a vessel for my anger and for my sadness and, sometimes, for my happiness.

I like to take the most boring things and write about them. Like my new song is about the most boring thing - it’s like I was kind of mad at my friend one day. I say things in that song I would never say in real life. I took a little friendship quarrel and turned it into a song. I mean, you only get one chance to have all that teenage angst, so I kind of just went for it. Somehow the metaphor of dirty lipstick was formed.

I was thinking of so many lines like “you can take back your dirty lipstick” but I went with “I hope you choke on your dirty lipstick.”

I love the shock factor that comes with it. I love the song because it’s so specific for me, but it’s so universal in the feeling it produces.

You say you write about people you know. Are these people aware that there are songs about them?

I hope not. I genuinely don’t mean a lot of the things I say in my songs. I over-dramatize everything. But no, I don’t think so. I don’t know, I’m very nervous about that. Anyone - if you’re [reading] this - I don’t mean these things. Like one of the lines is, “I hope you choke on your dirty lipstick.” But I don’t, I really don’t hope you choke. I swear.

How do you come up with ideas for your music videos? Are you involved in the directing process?

Well, my last two music videos, which were for “Breathe Underwater” and “Dirty Lipstick,” I co-directed with the amazing Brock Newman. He’s been kind enough to collaborate with me and teach me.

I draw my inspiration for the music videos from anywhere and everywhere, truly. It's funny- for the last music video, I was in a COVID test line-up and saw a car in front of me with red blinking lights, which I thought were so cool, so we got cars for the music video. I have a whole folder in my photos where I just collect pictures of things I think would be cool.

My favorite thing is taking metaphors about the specific situation the song is about and turning them into visual aids. Like in the “Dirty Lipstick” video, I use the metaphor “odd one out” a lot, so there’s this scene in the video where I’m with mannequins wearing a black dress while they are in white dresses. Also, they end up burning in the end which is fun!

So, you mentioned you were excited to perform live. Do you have any performances lined up?

I have some things in the air right now which I am really excited about. I really want to go on tour soon, hopefully in the US. I really want to play these songs live. I can not wait.

Am I allowed to say this? Okay, well this wonderful lady- who makes this very nice, unique, jewelry that I wore in a music video asked me to open up her fashion show in New York Fashion Week. If that goes through, it would be life-changing. I don't even understand fashion, but this sounds really fun and I’m so excited!

What was playing for the Grammy recording studio like?

Honestly, so much fun. They asked me to perform for their “Press Play at Home” event and “Reimagine at Home.” One was my own song, and one was a cover. I was very honored. I chose my song “Breathe Underwater” because I thought it would be really beautiful broken down, and it turned out amazing. I even released the acoustic version on Spotify as a little EP for my fans.

Besides P!nk, who are your role models? Who do you look up to and get inspiration from?

I’m very inspired by Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo. I just love women who write songs. I love hearing why people songwrite. Like Taylor, for example, says she loves the way lyrics come together. I songwrite because I love the challenge and I love the emotional release it gets me.

When performing Blank Space for the Grammy’s editorial site, you mentioned you were a swiftie. So, I’ve got to know, what’s your favorite Taylor Swift song?

This is like the hardest question in the world. Ok, I go through phases, right. Like one day [it’s] “Cruel Summer,” one day it's “Wildest Dreams,” but today, it’s “State of Grace” from “Red.” It’s the best album opener. I love the production on that song so much.

You’re navigating this industry at such a young age. What advice would you give to all the other aspiring teenage musicians out there?

Do it for you. Don’t spend time making music you don’t want to make. I’ve never felt more free as a musician than when I just let it all happen. As much as you want to make music that will make you the most successful, you’re not going to be happy making music you hate. Focus on making music and if it's right for you, it's right for you.