Originally hailing from Ukraine and now based in London, seventeen-year-old pop artist Vinesto continues to sharpen his polished sound on his latest single entitled ‘Wish That We’. Produced by Tommy Brown (Ariana Grande, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber), ‘Wish That We’ is the second offering taken off of Vinestos upcoming debut album ‘Different’ and sees the young artist exploring the multitude of emotions that come with teenage romance and the initial feelings of love. 

The track’s production is clean yet and catchy, creating the feeling of a nostalgia-laden summer night, all perfectly paired with Vinesto’s ardent lyricism and lingering melodies. For an artist at the very beginning of his career, Vinesto has already impressively fast proven his acumen within the field of pop music. We sat down with the rising star to discuss his artistic journey so far, upcoming projects and all things music.

Firstly, could you tell us a bit about yourself as an artist, where you started, and how do you describe your sound’s identity? 

I started making music when I was 11 years old. I had just left Ukraine and moved to boarding school in the UK. Music was there for me through all the years I spent there. I never really fit in with the whole British school culture, and it was difficult for me to make friends because I had just left home, and I felt like I had lost my safety net. Music became the safety net I needed; It was something I would turn to when I was sad/happy/lonely/angry. 

I remember saving up some money over a few months and buying my first Blue Yeti microphone. I would watch YouTube videos every day, and over time I just learned how to make music and started thinking about some of the stuff I wanted to create. I always want to make sure my music reflects on something, whether it is something that happened in my life or something that I felt strongly about. I don’t want to make music that doesn’t mean anything to me. 

So I know you moved to the UK at the age of eleven from Ukraine to attend boarding school, finding solace in writing. What was the moment you knew that this was something you wanted to do full time, and when did you gain that confidence as an artist?

I loved every second I spent at my computer, either watching videos on how to make music or actually making music. Over time it became something I couldn’t live without. I don’t think a day goes by with me not recording something. I have to sing every day. It feels wrong if I don’t. 

Could you tell us a bit about the process of creating your latest single, ‘Wish That We’. What’s the story behind the track? 

‘Wish That We’ is such a lighthearted track. It’s all about those initial feelings of love. I think it’s a good coming of age song which represents how I felt when I was growing up. Even though I have grown so much emotionally since the song was written, listening to it reminds me of how I felt when I was 14. I had to release this song because, to me, it represents a chapter of my life which I went through even though I was much younger. 

Who or what would you say has had the biggest influences on your sound so Far? 

I would say Ariana Grande, Troye Sivan and Demi Lovato were the people who influenced the creation of this album more than anyone. I literally would only listen to them, and they were the people who inspired me to make this project.

What kind of emotions and experiences influence your work, and what about creating music makes you feel passionate? 

This project is all over the place regarding my feelings and emotions. That’s why a lot of the songs on the album are quite different to each other. But the overall theme for the album is the idea of not fitting in, the idea of feeling out of place and feeling different. 

You’ve both worked and been praised by some huge names like Tommy Brown and Nicholas Cooper. How do you go about finding collaborators when making music? 

My secret superpower lies in taking action, not being afraid to go for it. I believe that if your heart is in the right place and you are willing to put the work in, anything is possible. I was in LA, and I had found out about Nick through a Russian Youtuber called Sasha Spielberg. I was so scared to call him because he worked with such big people, I never even imagined I would be able to come into his office. But I called him, talked to his secretary and was able to get one hour with him. That hour changed my life forever. 

What was the process of creating the visuals to ‘Wish That We’ like? How much control do you like to have over the direction? In what ways do you get involved? 

I work very closely with my team on all the visual assets we create. We talk about the idea, brainstorm our vision, take some inspiration from Pinterest, piece it all together, look at locations, and boom, we got ourselves a killer video. 

Who or what in your playlist is on repeat at the moment? Could you give us some current favourites?

Recently, I’ve been listening to ‘Feeling Good’ by Nina Simone and ‘Lost Boy’ by Ruth B. I would wake up, put them on the speakers and just dance. Best start to the day. 

What’s something you like, something you love, and something you hate? 

I like watching the sunset with my friends late at night. I love dancing and singing in the shower; I put on a whole performance. It’s a world tour when I am showering. I hate when people are insincere and pretend that they care about you when they don’t.

So I know you have a more full-length project coming very soon? Could you tell us a bit about the themes, stories, and inspiration behind the record?

The upcoming project is all about the things I have experienced while growing up. This is exactly why it will be released before I turn 18, so I can feel like I have closed that chapter of my life. 

What’s next for Vinesto? 

Even Vinesto doesn’t know what the future holds for him.