From COBRA STARSHIP To Riding Her Own Solo Ship, VICKY T Talks About It All!

Photo Credit- Jimmy Fontaine

As the lines between the various art forms (film, television, music and the visual arts) seem to wobble and blur, we begin to focus our attention to those who can cross those imaginary boundaries with ease – and Vicky-T is clearly one such artist.

Her skills and passions extend over the arts as a whole and some explanation for this can be found in her multi-national and artistically broad background.

Victoria has now proudly announced her first solo music venture. With an EP in the works, she has just released her first single “Protect This Love”, a hyper-catchy blend of danceable synth pop and the skill and emotion of the modern singer-songwriter. There is of course (as one would expect) a highly entertaining and startling self-directed video to accompany the single.

As Victoria throws her energy into not only this new music but into so many other varied creative ventures with her wide circle of friends, we can look forward to more surprises, more hits and a further breaking-down of traditional boundaries.

Vicky-T (born Victoria Asher) grew up in a highly creative environment with her father, multiple-Grammy-winning producer/manager/musician Peter Asher, and mother Wendy Worth, an art collector and curator who is featured in the Oscar-nominated documentary, “Exit Through the Gift Shop”. Half English and half American, growing up steeped in music, books, films and painting Victoria has enjoyed a varied and exciting creative life thus far, defying definition and description.

Learn more Vicky T in the following All Access interview:

Thanks for your time today! How’s 2016 going so far for you? What were some of the highlights of 2015 for you and your music?

It’s my pleasure. Well I’d say 2016 has been really incredible so far. 2015 had a rough ending because of Cobra Starship coming to a close. That was 10 years of my life and I was devastated that chapter had to come to an end. However, shortly after,  I met my new manager Melissa. Her and the rest of the Fullscreen team have been a massive help in launching my solo project. I was scared to do it on my own and finding her was a real blessing. I am so excited to have finally gotten “Protect This Love” out and to have launched my YouTube channel! (YouTube.com/officialvickyt)

It sounds like you grew up in a very creative and musical household. How do you think that influenced you as an artist today?

My father has always worked in music and as a result my parents traveled around a lot and took me with. I think that lifestyle of moving around prepared me for so many years of touring. It felt like second nature once I joined the band. I also grew up in a household where music was constantly playing. I was introduced to incredible films, books and artists and I think that certainly influenced my work. I became fascinated with all art forms and pursued them with particular emphasis on film and music.

Can you talk about your experience singing backup for Miguel, Steve Martin and Edie Brickell? What do you think you learned?

The biggest thing I learned is just how easy and fun it is to work with my father and what a brilliant producer he is. He produced all the tracks I did with them and I loved all the ideas he had. It was amazing to work with Miguel, Steve Martin and Edie Brickell. They are all fascinating, talented people and I was thrilled to play a part in their work. 

What was your experience like playing in Cobra Starship? Do you ever miss that time? How did you first get to be a part of that group?

It was totally life changing. If I could re-live it all again I would. I was always very shy growing up and insecure, joining the band helped me find my voice, break out of my shell and finally have confidence. I was proud every minute of what we were doing and am still amazed at how far we went. I miss being a part of the band every day. I miss the fans, the feeling of being on stage, I miss the close family-like relationship the boys and I had. I am determined to get us back together at some point. 

I was discovered by Gabe Saporta. He was searching for female keyboardists in NYC on MySpace and he came across my music profile. He got in touch, I tried out and was accepted. I joined thinking I’d maybe go on tour for a month, I had no idea it would become 10 years of my life. 

How different do you think is your new music than anything else you’ve worked on in the past?

Hmm. Hard to say. I hold on to a lot of the same philosophies Cobras had: being able to make songs I like that don’t just stick to one genre and always having fun/not taking myself too seriously. This is different in the way it is so personal. I have full control and this is an honest, unfiltered expression of who I am. I’ve always wanted to release my own songs and when the band came to an end, it was the final push I needed to stop being so scared and to just get this part of me out into the world. 

What was it like filming your video for “Protect This Love”? How creatively involved are you with your videos? 

Well, I’d say I’m fully creatively involved. I came up with the idea while I was lying in bed one morning listening to the song. I had this vision of my own demons/past relationships chasing me down the street and a vision of me tied up in a wagon. Bizarre images to start my day with but it resulted in me jumping out of bed, writing a treatment and pulling images that inspire me. From there I got together my film crew and actors. I have wonderful and creative friends, they made this music video possible and I’m so grateful. It was a super fun project to direct. I got stuck on the edit though for months, I probably did about 200 different edits of this video! I finally settled on one. (Laughter)

When will you be releasing your EP? And do you have plans to tour much with that music? 

I wish I had a set date for this EP but I don’t yet. I want this project to be as collaborative as possible so as a result it’s taking longer to complete. I’m working really hard to get all my songs finished though. I have no current tour plans but that’s definitely something I wanna do! 

Who are some of your favorite artists? Who would you love to collaborate with in the future?

I love so many artists and all genres, hard to answer. I am a crazed Weezer fan, have been since the blue album first came out and I am a massive fan of La Roux. If I could work with either, I would die happy. I would also love to collaborate with my friends Ed Sheeran, Patrick Stump and Benny Blanco. Working with any of them would be such an honor. 

Photo Credit- Jimmy Fontaine

At the end of the day, what do you hope is the message of your music? What do you hope listeners take away from your songs?

I hope that they’ll have fun listening to them, that they relate to something I’m saying. At the end of the day … I really just want to make people dance and get them singing along! 

Would you like to share anything else about yourself or your music with our readers? 

I’d just like to say how much I love all the fans that have stuck by my side all these years and have encouraged me to keep going and spread the word about my song. Without them I couldn’t have come as far as I have. I look forward to continuing this journey! Xxxx