Vikki Gilmore
There is one word that comes to mind when describing Vikki Gilmore’s music; authentic. Her acoustic melodies give off a distinct vibe, one that could seemingly be enjoyed by any age group. Her voice--hauntingly beautiful and rich with feeling--hits all the notes of an indie classic. 2018’s “Someone” was the first notable example of this. It was not only the artist’s first release following the Where You’re From EP, but is also her most streamed song to date. Gilmore has since ventured into different avenues, even releasing an EDM-based song with Spectrum. However, she has done well with sticking to her roots. Her recent release, “Doubt of My Mind”, is just another great example of her talent and evolving sound. We couldn’t be more excited for what's in store. We spoke to Vikki about a dream collab, her songwriting process, and more!
How did you start making music?
I started writing songs secretly when I was really young because I wanted to be like Hannah Montana, but at the time I didn’t play any instruments so I would only write the words and come up with a melody. This was before I had voice memos on my phone so I’d spend hours memorizing the words and melody. Fortunately none of my songs from when I was 8 ever made it to the studio but I’m sure I would still remember them if I went through my old songbooks. In high school I taught myself guitar, started playing around with GarageBand, and started saving my pennies to record some songs properly!
You have the day off. Where are you going?
I have a hard time giving myself a break because whenever I have free time I’ll often spend it planning new releases, send emails pitching my songs, editing music videos, or anything else I can do to keep hustling. It’s probably not the healthiest habit but otherwise you can find me outdoors. I’m a big fan of hiking and (socially-distant) picnics as of late!
Your single “Doubt of My Mind” is set to release on August 28th. What message do you want fans to take away when listening to the song?
I wrote “Doubt of My Mind” at the beginning of the COVID-19-related lockdown back in March because writing has always been an outlet for me to vent and I was definitely doing a lot of that. I noticed a big trend from talking to my friends and reading tweets from strangers: we were all essentially gaslighting ourselves about our anxieties and minimizing our worries and doubts. With that, I realized that we do this more often than we should when it comes to life changes, personal trauma, relationships, etc. I wanted listeners to understand that their feelings are always valid and worthy. Sometimes people need a reminder to advocate for themselves in situations that are hurting them and I wanted DOMM to be the anthem for that.
What’s your favorite part about the songwriting process?
My favourite part of the songwriting process is when I write a chorus and everything else magically falls into place. It’s a really nice feeling because those songs often end up writing themselves in 20 minutes or less. I also really enjoy listening to the produced version of the song for the very first time because that’s when I get to hear it really come to life.
What’s some advice that you wish you could give to your younger self?
Don’t take everything so seriously and let yourself have fun. You’ll get over your hurdles and eventually your failures will end up opening doors for you so might as well enjoy the ride! (*insert Paul Rudd “who would’ve thought” meme*).
Who’s your partner in your dream collab?
Justin Vernon, Gregory Alan Isakov or Patrick Watson. Any of those three would be an absolute dream to write with. Biggest dream would be to write with Taylor Swift (especially after folklore). She’s the one who actually inspired me to pick up a guitar in high school!
Any plans for the future?
COVID-19 has definitely changed the world of music and even more so for indie unsigned artists. For now, I’m continuing to write and getting songs done remotely. I’ve been working with some incredibly talented artists and I’ll definitely have some new singles and visual projects in the near future!
