WSBU emailed with Italian band VAEVA, fresh off their new single “ETCIÙ,” to talk about their music!
By Conor Amendola
WSBU: How did you get your start as a band?
VAEVA: VAEVA was born in May 2022, with a different name and different members. We met at different times thanks to our drummer Jacopo and after a year we officially started making music. We started as a cover band and we did a lot of busking in the streets of Milan. Over time we felt the need to make our own music and we started writing in the rehearsal room. We are all the same age (18-19 years old), but we come from 5 different schools and even if each of us has a different story, the passion for music keeps us together.
WSBU: Where did the name come from?
VAEVA: We always like to tell the truth and, to be honest, the story of our name is very simple. It’s basically the translation of our old name in a pretty unknown language, Sinhala. Using their alphabet, the name makes a smiley face and we found it so funny that we chose it. The meaning would be “lake” or “lake shore”.
WSBU: What’s your songwriting process like?
VAEVA: Even if it’s not the best method and we know that, we usually start with a guitar riff, the singer begins to search for a melody using “fake english” and we progressively add the other instruments. When the vocal line it’s difficult to find, we start from the instrumental base. The lyrics are written mainly by the singer, but in each part we talk about it together to find the best words.
WSBU: Who are your biggest influences?
VAEVA: Each of us has very different influences. We were initially inspired by 90’s hard rock, but now you can feel the influences of other emerging artists and those of recent decades. We try to take inspiration from modern artists, both Italian and English. Certainly our reference genres are rock, pop and indie. To name a couple artists, we can say Yungblud, Deftones, System of a Down, Wet leg and many others.
WSBU: Do you find yourself writing music for yourself for your audience?
VAEVA: We have always written for ourselves. Our goal is not to please everyone, but to do what we like, hoping that others will like it too. We always accept criticism because it helps us grow, but the messages where people say that our music reaches their hearts, that they understand our words, those are the ones that keep us going.
WSBU: What’re you watching/listening to right now?
VAEVA: At the moment we listen to a lot of emerging music and we go to as many concerts of bands/artists we are friends with as possible. When we don’t have concerts we hang out and we go to other people’s concerts, that’s a way to support each other.
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