SPOTLIGHT: Daydreaming in a Puddle of Creativity, Vessna Scheff Looks Forward to the Future With “Butter”
1990S BABIES — where you at? A lover of swooning vocal harmonies and an aspiring smooth roller skater, Vessna Scheff draws inspiration from R&B acts such as Destiny’s Child, Beyoncé, and Alicia Keys. A project that has helped the artist cultivate her own joy, her latest single, “Butter,” was born out of a desire to feel fun, playful, sensual, and free while caregiving for a loved one.
Alongside writing and recording music, Scheff is also a visual artist and educator. Currently hosting a show at Machines with Magnets through November 16 in Pawtucket, RI, she’s also taken part in artist residencies at Mass MoCA, Haystack, and Pratt>FORWARD.
Growing up, Scheff would sing and make up melodies virtually all the time. “Any chance I could get, I’d have my headphones in listening to music or would be immersed in sound in my head, even if there was no music playing,” she shares. “It is the most energizing yet grounding experience to be engaged in making music for me.”
Fascinated by intervals, Scheff finds it amazing how two notes can convey such a strong mood. While singing, she always strives to come up with an unexpected interval, a curiosity that originates from her self-taught approach.
A few years ago, the artist began intensely caring for a loved one, which got her to rethink the role of joy in her life and helped her understand the deep power this strong emotion can play, especially in the smallest moments.
Referring to it as a low frequency or vibration, one that hums in the background of your thoughts but influences how you respond to things that come up, Scheff realized that she needed to be mindful in order to tune that low frequency toward love, understanding, laughter, and play.
“I used to think my music had to be heart-wrenching or serious to be ‘good,’” she reveals. “It was hard for me to envision creating an upbeat song.”
She wrote her previous single, “Nodding,” during the 45-minute drive home from an open mic in Philly. She came up with the melody by riffing off inspiration from the night, which she describes as a magical moment.
“I remember singing it quietly in the kitchen when I got home while everyone was asleep,” she says. “I was so excited about it (laughs). The new music of this album has given me that same feeling for every song.”
Her most recent project, “Butter,” reinvents the pop genre by adding intervals and a quick delivery. The track’s inspiration mostly derives from two things: Questlove’s documentary Summer of Soul about the Harlem Cultural Festival in 1969, and her newfound passion for roller skating as an adult.
“‘Butter’ was born last year after the sun went down… [I was] sitting on the floor singing into my vocal effects processor, listening to a demo beat I had made in Ableton, in a puddle of creativity,” the artist describes.
Produced by Lee Clarke, whom she describes as “an amazing human, producer, sound engineer, artist, friend and collaborator,” the track was born thinking about the sounds you’d hear and feels you’d have under a disco ball at the roller skating rink, a passion the artist shares with her producer.
“The process of Lee and I connecting in the studio flows between playing music, roller skating, cooking, taking walks, and talking,” Scheff says. “Lee is down to earth and himself while being an incredibly talented and skilled artist and producer, which makes for the best recording sessions and hangouts.”
Along with making transcendental music, showing visual works, and creating immersive installations, the artist teaches visual art at Brown University. A self-taught artist — her favorite medium is watercolor — she enjoys creating exploratory learning environments for students.
With all these endeavors going on at the same time, Scheff organizes her time by teaching two days a week and leaving the rest of her time for writing, practicing, recording, and performing. Summers and breaks during the school year are reserved for spending time in the studio with Clarke and touring.
After embarking on her first tour via Amtrak on the West Coast from San Francisco to LA, Scheff is currently planning to do mini tours for no more than two weeks at a time, mostly for mental health reasons.
“Touring is taxing on the mind and body: it’s a lot,” she explains. “I love it for connecting with people, meeting artists, traveling to new places, and hearing live music, but I enjoy it most when it is in balance with being able to do the things that help me feel healthy.”
The album she’s currently working on with Clarke will be released in a year’s time, she hopes.
“There are so many songs I can’t wait for people to hear,” she says, with the same daydreaming feel of “Butter.” “This new music is an introduction to who I am as an artist and will set the stage for where I want to go, artists I’d love to perform with, and venues I’d love to play at.”
