Interview: Venice Qin on her stunning debut EP, ALIEN
By Sheldon Ang
Birth names can prophetically shape one’s destiny.
Hailing from Aotearoa, Venice Qin (pronounced as Quin, and that’s her real name) – is your next obsession through Sony Music Australia, thanks to her crisp vocals over the eclectic infusion of 80’s nostalgia, K pop flavour and head bobbing music. Sipping through the musical trenches are the occasional hints of classical expulsion, showcasing her classically trained repertoire in voice and piano, later endorsed with a Masters Degree in Guitar and Bassoon (yep!), elevating the singer songwriter a distinctive edge on the airwaves.
With song titles such as ASSHOLE and TROPHY WIFE, one would’ve been forgiven to assume the satirical impulsion throughout her debut EP ALIEN, but the tracks express the social dilemma of acceptance, belonging and insecurity – with a happy ending. More of that later.
The EP cast a chapter in Venice Qin’s life, a moment in time when the Sydney based resident had just arrived from New Zealand. “I had just moved from another country and was living by myself, and went through so many live experiences. It was insane.”
It feels like I got to know you after listening to the ALIEN EP, I said, half jokingly.
“Haha!” Venice laughs with sprinkle of elation. “I’m glad you said that, because that’s the whole point of it…and I’m so glad that you’ve seen me!” Venice continues to ooze the cheery, bubbly vibe while eliciting a smile throughout
Each track on the EP underlines a character-in-charge. Take the sassy single ALIEN, for example; the casual wariness of the body percussion (finger clicking) and her vocal acquiescence resonate the story for many immigrants of colour. Although not specifically mentioned in the single, her emotion is raw as a woman of Chinese heritage in a western society, making this single as the “most vulnerable song” in the ALIEN EP.
“We love our culture, but we really struggle to find a sense of belonging. It impacts our lives in the most micro ways. And they do come together and one day when we realised how isolated that we sometimes feel.”
As for many “westernised” immigrants, it can also be catch-22 amongst their traditional culture; for example, toning down the adopted accent which can otherwise be perceived as too imperious for the old country.
“Yes, I feel a little bit isolated, like I don’t feel I’m Chinese enough. My Mandarin is fluent; it’s more about keeping up with the lingo, it’s my understanding of the culture…the food…makes me kinda embarrassed and ashamed because at the end of the day, I looked Asian,” Venice chuckles.
So that’s ALIEN the single. As for this interviewer, NOT CRYING is his favourite track. I told Venice, “The track mirrors that X-Factor winning song, with the imagery, And the winner of the 2023 X-Factor is…Venice Qin…followed by the confetti raining from the ceiling, with cheers and hugs, culminating with you singing NOT CRYING for first time as the winner.”
“Oh my god!” Venice Qin reminiscences, “It’s really special to me. I remember writing NOT CRYING literally; I was in the study room of my family home when I was living there, and I didn’t have a keyboard set at that time, and I put the keyboard on the ironing board…I was jamming away, and I heard a sample and it was da da da da da and that section, I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m fine which is what I used to say, and my friend would say it’s very toxic, very unhealthy….as I was totally not fine…but I was pretending I was. So I would say, I’m fine, I’m fine, I’m fine and that very last moment during recording – I cried for an hour afterwards…”
The track is catchy, crisp and despite the grim title, the duality with the upbeat tempo makes this track radio friendly and relevant for the present demographics. The catchiness of this tune is compounded by the powerful vocals that ooze strength, frustration and condescension at the right moments – which is why it was an honour when Venice expelled a line or two, lyrically – live – to this interviewer!
So I asked a rhetorical question – to be a great singer, one would need to manifest from the inner feelings?
“Definitely! All of these emotions of the ALIEN EP came from my real feelings, except for trophy wife that came from my imagination because I’m cheeky, I’m fun, but for others they came from an honest place from myself.”
Cheeky and fun with a constant smile have been the staple of this interview, which reflect Qin’s current mental space – not a bravado for our wonderful chat; Venice is back to her usual self again since the launch of this EP.
The ALIEN EP represent a chapter in Qin’s life, and it’s not all thematically lugubrious. The Track VILLAIN is an outcome of the darker episodes. The hook, Would you love me as a Villain is the final coordinate; accept me or go away.
Venice Qin explains the mind matrix about meeting people for the first time. “It’s always a fear that I had, that people don’t like me of who I am. Although I think that I’m a very confident person, and will be confident to the very end, people can assume that I don’t have these insecurities – I think is because the production of VILLAIN is really strong, it has that boom boom boom boom element. I love the vocals…you can hear a very strong but very vulnerable vocals, but not crying out.”
No artists want to remain incognito at the launch of their careers, and whether they like it or not, success requires a platform. So scoring a recording contract would be the dream, let alone with one of the world’s most recognisable brand in Sony. Venice’s career will bloom from here; not only is she a great talent, but is genuinely humble and thankful for the opportunities given.
“It’s so surreal that everyone at Sony is so kind to me…I was telling my mum, ‘Everyone in my team is so nice, so great and so cool.’ The good thing about working with Sony is that when you put your work out there, you feel like you’re not the only one that cares about it. Everyone wanting you to do well. When you build the fan base along the way, I felt less and less alone and is wonderful.”
We spoke about the likes of K Pop sensations BTS and Blackpink who have been reigning the global airwaves, breaking stereotypes and integrating racial demographics. And no, we didn’t talk about the Gangnam Style fella.
“I was fearful being Asian through western media and not singing Chinese music…I thought people won’t take the time to hear my voice of what I am about or who I am as an artist…and the fact Sony as a label are willing to do that for me…says a lot, ‘oh you have a future in this, we can pave the way for more people like you for more voices to be heard with this platform.’ So it means more than I could’ve ever imagined.
Yesss…go Sony Music Australia!
“Thank you so much, it is such an honour to talk to you, like I really appreciate everything, and everything that you’ve listened and liking them means so much…” She tells this interviewer.
No, the honour is mine, Venice!
Venice Qin, you’re a star.
Thank you for the great chat! Keep smiling. See you soon.
ALIEN EP is available on streaming platforms
Follow Venice Qin
Watch the interview here, Uncut
EP Tracklist
1. ASSHOLE
2. SOMEBODY NEW
3. ALIEN
4. TROPHY WIFE
5. NOT CRYING
6. VILLIAN
About the Interviewer: Sheldon has interviewed more than 50 artists including members of KISS (Ace Frehley), Guns N Roses, Bon Jovi, INXS, Europe, Cold Chisel, Nightwish and The Animals. Since launching Sheldon Ang Media in May 2022, he has also photographed and reviewed most of the arena and stadium performances in Perth including Coldplay, KISS, RHCP and Rod Stewart.
