1.) We’re very happy to be speaking today with Scottish indie-pop artist extraordinaire Heff VanSaint; greetings and salutations, Heff! Before we meander down the musical Q&A pathway, how goes your 2023 thus far?

Yeah really good cheers! Been pretty busy since the end of February with getting everything ready for the release of Jane and now it’s out there, I’m looking ahead to the next release and my EP dropping later in the year. So yeah everythings pretty full on. But I like that, I hate sitting still and feeling like the wheels aren’t in motion.

2.) Major congratulations on your gem of a new single Jane! What’s the story behind this fun tune, how did it come about?

Thanks!  So, Jane is a look back on a situationship I had back in the day with an older woman (crazily enough called Jane)the whole thing was a bit of a rebound I guess, but in the best possible way. She helped me get over my first heartbreak and made me feel like myself again. So yeah, Props to Jane

3.) Your producer on Jane was Raff, A.K.A. Callum Rafferty. What was your collaboration process like with Raff in the studio as you were recording Jane?

Yeah, Raff is crazy talented. I knew a few artists who had worked with him and so I reached out and we got chatting and took it from there really. I went down to his studio in Kent and we started working on the demo that I had. I wanted the final version of Jane to have a really strong pulse and drive to it. Lots of guitars and bass to give it a lift and channel the relentless energy that I remember from that time that the song is set in. I think Raff just understands instinctively the vague signposts that I give him for the route I want the songs to go down in terms of musical landscape. I gave him quite a rough instruction regarding the production, other than the overall vibe I wanted to convey, and that was big sexy energy with a touch of messy heartache.

4.) In your humble opinion, what differentiates Jane from anything else on the 2023 music landscape?

I think theres just very few songs out there, these days that really tell a story. That’s the thing with Jane and the songs I write in general. They’re lyrics driven cause I want them to tell stories. I want them to transport the listener to a certain time and place, through crafting these sonic postcards.

5.) How is Jane similar to some of your past music? How is it different?

Yeah I think it’s similar in that its got that story telling element, but I think what makes it different is the sort of carnal energy that this track has. I’m more in my sensual feels! Ha ha

6.) Can you introduce our ever-inquisitive readers to some of the other talented musicians that lent their musical alchemy into making Jane a flesh and blood reality? 

Other artists that I worked with or artists that inspired me to write it? Well I wrote it by myself so there weren’t any collaborators, but in terms of artists that inspired it, I was listening to a lot of Josef around the time I wrote it. Not sure how much their music inspired the track, but yeah Josef, Aitch and Pillow Queens were on my playlist when I wrote Jane, so I’m sure echos of them are in the track somewhere.

7.) On the heels of the release of Jane, can fans look forward to an EP or LP release from you sometime in 2023?

Yeah for sure, I’m aiming for May/June time for the release of the EP. So keep an ear out!

8.) What does your touring/performing dance card look like in the coming weeks and months?

Performing dance card? Haha. That’s a great line! I will definitely be doing shows in and around London over the coming months. In terms of dates etc all that’s gonna be up on my socials so keep a look out.

9.) Who inspires you musically?

Woaw, so many artists man! Way back in the day, it was Springsteen, Neil Young, Joni, Jackson Browne, all that Laurel Canyon singer songwriter stuff and ofc Bowie and Prince. Lately I’ve been really inspired by all the amazing queer artists out there, Soak, Arlo Parks, Sam Smith, King Princess, artists that don’t shy away from their queerness and instead let that energy radiate from their music.

10.) You were born and raised in Aberdeen, Scotland. How do those roots inform you as a musician?

You know I read an interview with Annie Lennox not long ago, who is also from Aberdeen and she said that an old folk song about Aberdeen called The northern Lights was her first musical memory and that’s definitely the same for me haha. I grew up around a lot of folk and traditional music being sung to me. Maybe that’s where my love of story telling in music comes from.

11.) Any final thoughts which you might like to share with readers about Jane and your forthcoming EP?

Go check it out, download it. If you’re feeling nostalgic about a past love you’re gonna love it!

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