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Interview with LawSinger Vi: Music, Identity, and Growing Up in Two Worlds

Let’s start off easy. Why do you have all girls in your band?

From the beginning it was my personal preference, I felt more comfortable with girls, especially Róza Malinska. First I worked with producer Jirka Burian, then he let me out into the world and I suddenly had a free choice of who I would invite. Róza came into it naturally, together we were looking for a way to shape the band.

So it wasn’t a political statement?

No. I think they took us everywhere because of that, because we fit their concept as a female band, but it was more natural for us.

Some foreign festivals have introduced mandatory quotas, at least fifty percent of women must perform at them. What do you think about it?

It seems to me that now is a beautiful time for music. When I look at the Czech Republic, there are more and more young singers and female projects. Over time it will become natural and less pressured by having to meet quotas.

I think sometimes they invite us also because we fulfill some ethnic quotas. When it’s pushed like that, I’m not sure if it’s entirely for the good.

Photo: Petr Horník, Law

Singer Vi

But you were born in Prague. Do you even have a Vietnamese identity?

We made a show about this with a friend, she is an actress, I’m more of an author. It was called And Where Are You Really From?. We have dealt with this question a lot. We are the first generation to be born here. Our cultural values ​​are more Czech. Some are handed down from parents but not fully experienced.

My parents are liberal, they are not conservative Vietnamese, they do not live with their heads in Vietnam. They always gave me a lot of freedom. They have a lot of authentic Vietnamese values, but they didn’t instill in me, for example I didn’t have to observe Buddhist rituals. I then asked myself this, I was interested in their personal spirituality and the meaning of altars. They are beautiful things.

Did you also have a Czech “grandmother” to babysit?

Yes, we had a Czech aunt Alenka. I remember that she looked after her younger sister. My parents wanted to enjoy the first years with me. Growing up, I spent time with my aunt in Prague-Šeberov. I learned to bake, for example, which my mother does not do. We watched TV, went for walks, parents don’t do that either. My mom only started going for walks now.

I discover both worlds and choose. I would like to go on a proper hike in Vietnam with my sister. The Vietnamese have it differently, for them a hike means driving somewhere and taking a picture.

How do your relatives perceive your music career?

My mother must have sensed that I wanted to create, so she enrolled me in circles – art, singing, piano, drama. Otherwise, ours have a lot of practical needs and values, so when I chose the artistic path, it was challenging for them. But the sister works in a bank, they are very happy with that.

Before the interview, you mentioned that you are currently rehearsing in the theater. What will it be?

I act in several things. In the Municipal Theaters of Prague I play in Lazarovi, a musical written by David Bowie. A beautiful thing. This year I am also doing a lot of movement theater, I have a premiere in the Švandov theater in the fall.

Photo: Petr Horník, Law

Singer Vi

Your last record Crash Report is a strong charge of melancholy. Is this your basic personal mood?

In my opinion, it naturally arose from the most extreme part of the pandemic. It was the first record we made with the girls.

It’s hard for you to know what the songs are about…

We also have songs with a lot of plot, such as Samurai. There I knew exactly what I was describing. Then the songs are more abstract. Probably also thanks to the fact that I deal with movement theater, abstraction attracts me.

You sing in English, so you have foreign ambitions, right?

Yes, we have been singing in English since the beginning and we have been abroad many times. It’s always a nice group trip. I would say that we played a third of the concerts abroad.

What to go with the band to Vietnam?

I played in Vietnam in 2019. I was there on tour for a wedding and on that occasion I approached Hanoi clubs with an offer to perform. I played in one that was quite underground. A lot of young people did it. They arranged bands for me as support, which was great.

It was interesting for them to know how the young generation is forming here. In Vietnam, music has developed in a completely different direction, it is close to Korean and Japanese pop. Sometimes I would like to bring girls there, but for now it is not very realistic financially.

2023-06-05 03:15:23
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