In Conversation With #218 - Victoria Canal
Rising talent Victoria Canal has just released her new EP ‘Elegy’ via Parlophone Records.
Comprising of recent single ‘swan song’, hailed by Coldplay’s Chris Martin as “one of the best songs ever written”, ‘own me’ and ‘pity season’, the EP’s final track ‘driving your car’ is out today to listen to, along with the project in full. Following the EP’s consecutive storytelling tracks, ‘driving your car’ is a contemplative and cathartic ending, seeing the project’s fictional son living on with the memory of his father, trying his best to preserve him by continuing to walk through life in his shoes.
She took a moment to talk to us about how the EP came together.
Hey there Victoria- how are you? So your EP is out now - how does it feel to have it out there in the world?
I feel relieved and patient and nervous and exposed all at once! I never really focus on what’s trendy, so to put out music that really doesn’t follow the code of whatever’s popular right now feels both liberating and nerve racking.
It is called ‘Elegy’ - what is the meaning behind that?
The word “elegy” means a poem of serious reflection for someone who’s passed. All four songs chronologically connect in the process of anticipatory grief - from finding out someone you love is ill, to having to fill their shoes after they’re gone. It’s a deeply personal story that brought me great relief to create while going through this very experience with a close loved ones.
Where was it recorded? Any behind the scenes stories from the creative process you are happy to share with us?
I recorded it in my parents’ basement when I moved home during the pandemic. I was watching way, way too much TV, every single day, I don’t think I’ve ever watched that much TV in my life - namely This Is Us and Parenthood, and they both carried me through the year as I navigated this huge anticipatory loss of someone close to me. It was in between episodes that I would have some huge revelation about how I could put the experience into song.
What are the key themes and influences on the EP?
Key themes on Elegy are family, loss, love, and generally the passage of time and what it teaches us about life. Influences include the tv shows mentioned prior as well as authors like Isabel Allende, Elena Ferrante, and Min Jin Lee, all of whom write about family and the passage of time in a historical fiction context.
If the EP could be the soundtrack to any film - which one would it be and why?
I feel like the movie that comes to mind is Soul - I’m obsessed with animated films and feel like that one touches on so many deep topics that I’m so fascinated by and wanted to touch on with Elegy. Faith, purpose, making amends with those we love, appreciating what we have while we have it… it’s a damn deep kids movie! Haha.
Do you have a favorite lyric on the EP - if so, which one and why?
My favorite lyric on Elegy is “If I were you I would visit your mother. If I were you I would ask about her life. Maybe you’ll find that being noticed for so long will make her cry.”
Now the EP is out there - what next?
I’m currently gearing up for my first ever headline tour - so excited. In the meantime I’m just making music every day, we’ll see what project I put together next but I’m seeing it take shape already, and it’s looking pretty good :)
