Sometimes the best way to understand what an artist really thinks and feels is to sit them down with another artist. Someone else who relates to the pressure, the process, the constant balancing act between self-expression and outside expectations. When two creative minds come together, there’s a chance for honesty that doesn’t always come out in a regular interview. That was the hope when we got A.Girl to put some questions to VV Ace.
VV Ace has spent the last five-plus years slowly building his profile from Melbourne’s north, with a string of lively singles and standout features that have only seen his stock rise. With more music on the way, he shows no signs of slowing down.
A.Girl is a bonafide star of the Australian rap scene. Since her debut in 2019, the West-Sydney native has made her name with a refreshing blend of Hip-hop and R&B. Now the presenter of Triple J’s Hip-Hop show, she is one of the biggest names in Australian rap.
New Balance brought the artists together to celebrate the release of the ABZORB 2000, a classic running-inspired design with a 3D-printed upper, futuristic details and a new look at visible tech. At the time of writing, the New Balance ABZORB 2000 is sold out in store and online, but make sure to keep your eyes peeled as more colourways are set to drop before the end of the year.
Thanks to New Balance and the new silhouette, VV Ace and A.Girl sat down to talk about music, haters and what exactly VV stands for. This is an excerpt of their conversation, with the full video interview dropping soon, so keep your eyes out for that one.
A.Girl: How are you feeling?
VV Ace: I feel great. I appreciate you for having me out here. It’s amazing.
A.Girl: I appreciate you, being here in your city.
VV Ace: Of course, welcome to Melbourne.
Who is VV Ace? What is VV Ace?
I’d say VV Ace is unpredictable. You never know what you’re gonna get. I feel like with my music I kind of run in phases, you know? So I’ll go through a phase where it’s really like sentimental and it’s really like close to home and then I’ll go through a phase where it’s just hype, like, ‘Let’s get it – we outside.’ But you can always expect vibes and energy.
And aside from being an artist, Who are you?
I’m just a young boy from Melbourne, you feel me? Born and raised. Just trying to pave a way out here, you know? Create and establish something to build from.
Being relatively new to the music scene and stuff, what would you say has been your biggest obstacle to face as of late?
I’m not really a newcomer though, you know? (laughing)
I knew that was coming (laughing)
But no, I feel like when I first started up, it was the hate.
Oh really? You copped hate?
Yeah, people saying ‘I sound like this guy, I sound like that guy, you rap like…’ Yeah, so I was getting hate. It was demoralising, you know? When you’re not really known as an artist and you start to put your music out there and you try to be different, people are gonna hate you for what you’re doing, you know what I’m saying? So it was kind of like, just trying to work around that.
Do you feel like there’s a difference in the music scene in particular between Melbourne and Sydney?
Even though I don’t be out there, I can kind of see it through social media, you know. I feel like from an outside point of view it’s the love that Sydney artists show each other – compared to Melbourne, I feel like Melbourne is a little bit too cliquey.
That’s interesting, the amount of Sydney artists that I have conversations with who say the same thing but opposite about Melbourne. Yeah, they say Melbourne shows love to each other and Sydney’s cliquey
What does the VV in VV Ace stand for?
Oh, what does VV stand for? There’s many meanings: versatile, veteran, valid, verified. You know, it’s a whole bunch of Vs.
Did you think about the fact that, like, if you put them together, it’s a dub?
Yeah, I say it in ‘Neglected’. ‘Ah, yeah. Two Vs next to each other, you know, that’s a dub.’
Are there any features that you don’t already have in the vault that you would love to just collab? Australia, international – if you could reach for the stars.
Rod Wave, 100%.
Really?! What a different one.
Nah, Rod, that’s like comfort music to me. Maybe G Herbo too. Actually, definitely G Herbo.
Anyone in Australia?
There’s a young cat out in Sydney – his name’s Driz. Yeah, he’s cold. So, I definitely want to work with him. Definitely. Oh, Lee as well. Lee from Sydney – he’s cold too. Shout out Lee.
Do you get nervous before performing?
I used to. I used to always go on with glasses, so you couldn’t see my eyes. Now it’s like, I can perform without glasses. I can survive, I’m interacting with the crowd, and it’s just natural, you know? Once I get on the stage, I’m good. Once the first 808 hits, I’m chilling.
How would you say you handle the pressure when it comes to performing, writing, dealing with haters, whatever it may be?
When it comes to pressure, everyone’s heard the saying ‘diamonds form under pressure’, right? So I kind of like pressure; it’s not always a bad thing. Personally the way I handle it is if I need to I’ll step back and then I’ll recoup, you know. I’ll step back and do something else.
How would you say you balance life and music?
I think it’s fairly balanced. I think I ‘life’ enough so I can ‘music’ enough, you know what I’m saying? I’ll experience something and I’ll write about it. Though you don’t hear it in my songs, unreleased, I’m always writing about something.
When would you say you feel you’re most confident like in terms of music?
I think I’m most confident when I get that nod of approval from family. ’Cuz they don’t beat around the bush; they’re gonna tell me how it is, like hundred percent. ‘Yo, this song was trash. Yo, that last song you did, do more like that.’ So I feel like once I get that I’m like, ‘Yeah I’m good.’ Like, you can’t tell me – nobody else can tell me anything.
