Words by Amar Gera //
Dive into the world of Vetta Borne…
Most of us consider home to be the country we live in, our suburb, or our place of residence. For Melbourne-based producer, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Vetta Borne (Maribelle), home is wherever the music is. She lives and breathes it, constantly grinding in the studio and touring, never not honing her craft. She’s the living embodiment of a musician that puts it all into her art, leaving nothing unsaid. And today she’s blessing us mere mortals with her debut mixtape Violeta, which features five tracks overflowing with gorgeous vocals, intimate songwriting and vibrant production (special shoutout to those funky basslines!).
Giving us a raw and unfiltered piece of herself, she shines with an empowering vulnerability as she takes us along in her quest to find her artisic identity. Violeta truly marks the beginning of a new chapter, as after years of lending her talents to other artists, she’s finally putting herself first. She’s a true explosion of talent, heart and soul, with numerous artists she’s collaborated with such as Young Franco, George Alice and M-Phazes all being able to attest to this.
After a tough 2019 filled with love, loss and growth, it’s safe to say that the Vetta Borne project is a true artistic rebirth, and we can’t wait to see what she does next.
We got to catch up with the Melbourne-based maestro ahead of the release of Violeta to dive into her world and how she’s elevated her once pop-focused music, check it below!
As a long time fan of yours, it’s been really nice to see the artistic transformation you’ve undergone recently. How are you feeling as Vetta Borne in 2020?
Honestly, I feel like a whole new woman. I feel like I’ve embodied Vetta Borne in a way that I’ve never been able to embody myself before.
Now that my fangirling is out of the way, congrats on Violeta! It’s a super dope body of work. What are you most proud of from it?
Aw thanks! I’m really proud of my production on it. I didn’t take it too seriously, especially since I was still new to producing when I started writing Violeta. I even mixed a couple of the songs too which I’m super proud of!
The whole mixtape is on a completely different level to your previous releases. After listening to it I felt rejuvenated on a real deep level. Does Violeta come from a place of rejuvenation?
Definitely! I don’t think I’ve ever made music like this before because I’ve never been able to have this much control over it. Teaching myself how to produce helped me see my music from a different perspective and gave me the freedom to completely be myself when creating.
The opening track ‘Hey’ features some wild bass and guitar solos that really invites us into the mixtape. Was that all you? You produced everything on the mixtape, right?
I produced all of the songs on Violeta. I brought in a few friends to play certain parts that I just couldn’t replicate on my laptop or play on my own. The bass on ‘Hey’ was played by Kon Kersting. He’s written songs with Tones and I and Mallrat. The guitar solo was played by Louis Shelton. He’s played guitar solos on songs like ‘Hello’ by Lionel Richie and The Jackson Five’s ‘I Want You Back’. The lead guitars on ‘Drive-In’ were played by my incredible friend Passero.
Everything else on the tape is me learning my way through bass and guitar. Fun fact, I’m actually playing the wrong guitar chords in ‘R.I.P’, I just warped it to make it sound nice.
‘Drive In’ has such a classic RnB hook that catches you hook, line and sinker. You seem to have mastered the art of crafting catchy hooks on your songs. What’s your secret?
It could just be experience? Maybe? I’ve probably written over 1000 songs for myself and others, and after a while, you kind of learn what feels right to you as a chorus.
In ‘R.I.P.’ you describe yourself as “seeing stars” and the production just matches that dreamy vibe so perfectly. How do you line up your beats with the overall vibe of your songs so well? It seems to have always been a strength of yours.
Usually, I would write my lyrics to the way the beat makes me feel, but since I’ve been producing everything, there’s been no actual beat for me to write to. So with Violeta, I had written all of the lyrics and melodies in in my head, then I would sit down at my laptop and start producing the track around the melodies I have been singing in my head.
I’m in love with ‘Girls’, it’s just such a groovy tune that has a timeless vibe to it. After cutting that record, was there a moment where you were like “damn, I killed that” at all?
Once I got that bassline down, I was like “damn baby…” to myself.
Towards the end of ‘Girls’ you sing the final “do you even care about me” and your voice finds a beautiful strength in something really painful. Is that an accurate summary for Violeta as a whole?
Definitely! There is beauty in pain! It helps you grow.
In ‘Home’ you communicate the feeling of having your home tainted by a past lover so well. Where’s home for Vetta Borne in 2020? Is it grinding away in the studio, or singing to adoring fans on stage?
Home is where the music is. Whether I’m locking myself in the studio or playing the songs live. I feel safe when I’m around music.
The mixtape is so gorgeous from top to bottom. When did you know you were done with the five tracks?
I made an effort to not to over-think any of the songs on Violeta. I just made what I was feeling and didn’t look back. If I did try and tweak or polish anything, the song would feel completely different to me. So I just let them be you know.
I wanna mention a really nice Insta post you shared in December last year about all the challenges you faced in 2019. Looking back, do you reckon all those hardships were necessary for you to find your own authentic voice with Violeta?
1000%. I had experienced so many different losses for the first time last year. Getting through all of that really helped me grow internally. I became so much more aware of myself. It was like a big slap in the face. It hurt, but it woke me up.
I’m honestly struggling to end this in a satisfying way. I just wanna know, what would you say to the Maribelle of 2019 that had lost faith in herself, that had thought of giving up?
I would say, “Look at the artists you’ve been able to support and help them make their dreams come true, as well as your own. You deserve to be in this space, you’ll figure it out soon.”
Now, Vetta Borne, what’s on the horizon for 2020? What else can we expect from you?
More songs, more production, more collaborations, more live shows and more bass!
