Photos by Gemma Hall

You probably remember VV Brown for her freshfaced, youthful take on vintage chic and her retro-pop hits like Crying Blood and Shark in the Water. But the woman I interviewed yesterday ahead of a secret gig in Shoreditch to launch her new material has obviously done a lot of growing up- gone is the trademark, rolled fringe, gone are the teen break-up inspired lyrics. VV Brown's look and sound has evolved into something more mature, more ambitious and I can't help feeling, more authentic. Fans may have been disappointed when VV decided not to release Lollipops and Politics, the follow up to her hugely successful Travelling Like the Light, but I think in the long run they'll be as satisfied as she is that she took the time to find her new sound. Listening to her soundcheck with her band, I'm blown away by her new vocal style; she's gone from sounding like a pop-singer to sounding like she was classically trained. She's been locked away in the studio for the past two years working with producers who have worked with Bjork, The Invisibles and Jessie Ware, and is about to release the first single 'Samson' from her new album (Samson and Delilah) in July. In the meantime, you can hear her on All About She's new track, Bullett, out on 28th April.

But it's not just her sound and style that have evolved- VV's been busy learning how to run her own businesses- from VV Vintage to her own record label, YOY Records. What else would you expect from someone brave enough to turn down an offer from Oxford university in her teens, and to walk away from a huge record deal because she wasn't happy with the results. Being true to herself as a singer is obviously hugely important to VV, and in the X-factor era, that's pretty refreshing stuff. 

I talked to VV about how her new sound evolved, her modelling work, her love of vintage and the beauty of collaboration.

Katie Antoniou: So how did tonight's gig come about?

VV Brown: It happened kind of randomly actually- I put a tweet out saying who wants to come to a secret gig in the UK and I thought I wouldnt get many responses as I've been away for a while, but we got 2700 replies- so I thought, Shepherd's Bush Empire?! We narrowed it down to 100 fans, friends and family, something intimate. It's always scary when you're releasing something new

KA: Especially when you had such a definite style before, but now you're doing something different. How did your style change; where have you been?

VV: After we did Travelling Like The Light we spent 2010 and 2011 touring the US and France, then I just took a break and fell into fashion- a world that I love- and amongst trying to find myself and where I was going to head musically, I started my own business, VV Vintage which has been slowly growing, and it was around that time that I became more aware of different art forms- photography, artists, people in the creative industry- meeting my boyfriend who's an art director...

KA: You were so young when you started out, so you hadn't seen the world..

VV: Yes- my tastes were still quite naive and new- I still look back on that record and am really proud of it, but I think as an artist over that two year period I evolved as a woman, as a business woman, as a human being.

KA: How did you deal with the sudden fame that came with that record- was the fame something you'd always wanted, or was it just being a singer what you were aiming for?

VV: No-just to be a singer; sometimes I wish I had a clone to be honest! I mean there's lovely things that come with fame- you get to go to amazing fashion events and music events and things, but my main priority is my music and my art- the fame just comes with the work, but its not something I've ever craved. In 2009 when it all started happening it was slightly overwhelming- you couldn't just pop to the cornershop to buy the Guardian half dressed anymore! But it never got too much actually, it stayed quite healthy, and I'd like it to stay that way.

KA: And you've done quite a bit of modelling work, is that something you enjoy?

VV: I love modelling and I particularly love the photography side of it.

KA: Would you ever think about acting?

VV: I think I'd probably need to get some training but I'm always open minded about new opportunities- I went to theatre school when I was young, so maybe in time, but I'm concentrating on music at the moment.

KA: And you've set up your own record label- what inspired you to do that?

VV: Well I'd always looked up to artists like Bjork and one of the reasons why I wanted to follow this new direction was because the artists I listen to at home on Spotify are indie artists; alternative artists who are taking control of everything- we're in this age of new media where we can do it, it's so exciting. I have a picture of Bjork on my wall which tells me to keep going- she really inspires me, even at her superstar status she's still on her own small label licensing it to the world. I just feel like I want complete creative control on this project- I don't want any compromise whatsoever and VV Vintage gave me the taste for business- before that I had no idea about spreadsheets or budgets! Since having to do that for VV Vintage, it's made me think, do you know what, I can do this, with the right team, I can really make it happen.

KA: Are you into vintage because of the aesthetic or is it an eco-awareness thing?

VV: It's more ethical fashion in general; re-using fabrics and working with new designers. I think that's really been a catalyst for the business, taking second hand fabrics and working with new designers- re-invention, a real burst of creativity. And that's another thing that inspired me to take this turn-working with those emerging designers coming out of St Martins and London College of Fashion – it's a very art driven world, it's very pure. And watching their talent is very inspiring.

KA: You walked away from a record deal when you decided not to release your album Lollipops and Politics, that must have been a very hard decision to make?

VV: After Travelling Like The Light we went to LA to record Lollipops and Politics, but unfortunately when I listened to the mix I just wasn't happy with it. I was really nervous and scared because it was walking away from a major deal but I thought to myself, if I live with this record that I'm not proud of, even if its really successful, I think I'd be really sad about that, so I decided to walk away from the record and start from scratch. And I think it was the biggest and boldest and scariest thing I've ever done!

KA: It's such a brave decision- and I think even if at the time fans were frustrated not to be hearing new material from you, other musicians particularly must have such respect for you for making a decision like that.

VV: I hope so- it was really really scary, because obviously you're not only thinking about creativity, but also how to make a living and if you walk away from it and you're like, what if that was it, and now you can't pay your mortgage or whatever. But I'm a true believer that people can smell bullshit- the moment you start to be a bit fake, people can tell. They're not stupid.

KA: I was listening to you soundchecking before- even vocally, you sound so different; how did that evolution come about?

VV: I think I was holding back a lot on the first record, trying to be an indie-pop singer; I thought it was cool to hold back, but I've been listening to a lot of operatic music and fell in love with the romance and drama of it all, so it's kind of a combination of not holding back and also really studying operatic music. And that in itself is really scary for me- Substitute for Love which you just heard me singing; it's a real different kind of singing, before I was singing soulfully I guess, which comes naturally cos I'm from the church, but with this its different- everything about this record is conceptual, even the way I want to sing is conceptual, so I'm really coming out of my comfort zone.

With the album, every single that we put out there's going to be a short film to accompany it, so on the third single we put out before the album, we'll be premiering the full film at the ICA or the BFI, so for me, this record, it's not just about music, it's actually a collaboration between film and music. So when the first single comes out, you'll see a snippet of the film too.

KA: You were talking before about other art forms- I seem to remember you doing a comic book?

VV: Yeah, I did a comic book- me and my friend David Allian did it together- we're going to make it available again online, but we sold about 1000 copies- we made our money back. We didn't do it for business purposes, just cos it would be fun; something to tick off the list! We still have a dream to one day turn it into an animation but to do animation is such a long and expensive commitment, so maybe one day.

KA: What about designing your own collection, have you ever considered that, or maybe a collaboration?

VV: It would have to be- I wouldn't want it to feel generic- in this whole world of branding there's always the next thing like the perfume, or the collection; so it would have to feel authentic; if it was like, Yohji Yamamoto wanting to do a pyjama line- that was minimal and sexy- monochromatic...

KA: We'll tweet this to him and make it happen. Like 1930s style pyjamas?

VV: Yeah, with a pocket right here

KA: And a pyjama party launch

VV: With black and white beds everywhere. Let's do it!

Watch this space.