With her new pop-ballad single ‘Final Breakdown’ Ukrainian-Aotearoa artist VÏKAE has perfectly painted the picture of heartbreak in a winter's light.
Following on from her hit ‘Love Games’ - ‘Final Breakdown’ is another exciting track from her upcoming mixtape - which once again is linked to the narrative of living and leaving a toxic relationship. Created using the palate of heartbreak, this particular moment is where the artist is out on a winter’s night in Dunedin, reflecting on the rendezvous romance - making the ultimate decision to leave.
“The track is a few very personal journal entries strung into a song. It’s from one particularly drizzly evening that I remember looking up at the sky and knowing I could no longer find peace in a city that would forever house a piece of me. So, in a taxi, I booked a ticket out of Dunedin for good.
The cover art is a reflection of the literal trainwreck I had made of my life at the time and this song reflects that past. This whole mixtape is owning up to my mistakes in a way to live with the guilt and regret just a little bit easier than I have done ever since this heartbreak.”
Calling it the ‘ultimate heartbreak mixtape’, VÏKAE’s five-track mixtape LOVE GAMES (12 August) is a vulnerable collection of songs that each represents the different viewpoints of all those directly and indirectly affected by a breakup. The follow-up to her debut ep FINELINES, she blends pop sensibilities and emo rebellion - singing for the voiceless and the underdogs. She’s a proud 'Swiftie' that grew up listening to the emo bands of the 2000s, so it is no surprise that her music is pseudo-romantic, unapologetic and sometimes just a little bit brash. After graduating with an honours music degree (University of Otago), she relocated to Auckland to further pursue her career as a solo artist. Making her debut in 2020 during the start of the pandemic VÏKAE amassed nearly half a million streams across all platforms, has had honourable mentions on the NZ Official Charts and has played at some of the country's biggest music festivals like Bay Dreams Nelson and Mardi Gras, as well as managing to clock up some serious tour time throughout NZ (even despite covid restrictions). VÏKAE is an artist to watch.
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