Happy Monday, readers!
Meet our new Music Monday artist this week, Victoria Canal.
Victoria Canal is a singer/songwriter that has an impeccable resume at such a young age. The 17-year-old was chosen to be one of 6 YoungArts National Finalists as a singer/songwriter and won the Eddie’s Attic biannual Songwriter Shootout in 2014 (the same one John Mayer won in 1999), performed at venues including Eddie’s Attic in Atlanta, the Apollo Theatre in NYC, the Red Room in Boston, the Troxy Theatre in London, and the World Cafe Live in Philadelphia, opened for Joan Osborne in 2015 and has played with songwriter Desmond Child, awarded with two consecutive full tuition scholarships to the Berklee College of Music’s five week summer performance program as a singer/songwriter, and studied at the Jazz Conservatory en el Aula del Conservatori (Barcelona, Spain) at fourteen.
To top it all off, Canal is a multi-instrumentalist, meaning she plays the piano, guitar, trumpet, and ukulele — talk about impressive!
Earlier this year, Victoria released her EP called Into The Pull. The record features her newest single “City Shoes,” which tells the story about a pair of shoes that accompanied Victoria through the highs and lows of a relationship and the memories those shoes bring back to her now that the relationship has ended. Last month, Victoria released the music video for “City Shoes” which is backed by a quartet of ballet dancers and a beautiful accompaniment to the single.
CelebSecrets4U caught up with Victoria Canal recently to talk all things music! In our interview, the 17-year-old told us about her style of music, how she teamed up with Mama Jan and Usher, and her work with nonprofit organizations. She even opened up about her voice in the LGBTQ community and revealed her dream collaborations.
Over the weekend, Victoria took over our Instagram to give you an inside look at her show in Cape Cod, MA! Check out highlights from the show + our exclusive Q&A below…
For more information on Victoria Canal, visit her official website at http://victoriacanal.com.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BCieRBDs1YL/
CelebSecrets4U: Can you tell me a bit about your music style and how would you describe it to those who have not heard your music before?
Victoria Canal: “I would describe my music as soulful pop. I don’t know if you’ve heard of Tori Kelly or Norah Jones, but those are some of the artists I’ve been compared to often. I guess I would tell people that my music is nostalgic and that I have a lot of emotion in my voice. I’ve been told that my voice is soulful and that it has an innocent quality to it that people seem to enjoy.”
CelebSecrets4U: You were discovered by Mama Jan (Justin Bieber’s vocal coach) and Usher. Can you tell us how that came about and what it’s like being under their wing?
Victoria Canal: “My mom actually sent her a Facebook message a couple of years ago to show her some of my music. She got in touch and we started working vocally. Then we took things into the studio because she had heard a lot of my original music and she was very interested in recording with me. So we went in after a year of working together and started recording the EP.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BCilPC6s1YO/
CelebSecrets4U: We heard that you like to work with nonprofit organizations. Why is it important for you to give back to nonprofits?
Victoria Canal: “I think that generosity and giving back makes a job where you’re concentrated on yourself a lot more easier and rewarding. I think it’s important to help the less fortunate. I think that one of the most important qualities of an artist or a public figure is having a voice of their own and being able to represent people that don’t and I just feel like that’s my responsibility to do.”
CelebSecrets4U: We also heard of your involvement in the LGBTQ community, so can you tell us a bit about that and your contribution or role in it?
Victoria Canal: “I’m mostly an avid supporter. I went through a tough time a while back where I was questioning my own sexuality and I wasn’t really accepted by my peers just because I was trying to figure out who I was. A friend who I actually trusted spread a rumor throughout the school and I wasn’t well liked because I thought I might be bisexual. It turns out that I’m not. I think it would have been okay either way. The most important thing that I figured out from it was that support is extremely important for people who are trying to figure out who they are. It can be really painful to feel like you’re not accepted or supported in your journey with finding who you are and how you want to be represented. I’ve done a couple of performances raising awareness not exclusively to the LGBTQ community, but to all communities and to make everyone feel like they’re valid and beautiful, respected, and worthy is something so important to do.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BCi8TVJs1XB/
CelebSecrets4U: Can you tell us about the instruments you play and which one you would say is your favorite?
Victoria Canal: “My favorite instrument is my voice. I love to sing! I can take it everywhere with me and I don’t have to tune anything so that’s my favorite. I also play the piano and it’s one of my favorites. When I play live, it’s almost always just me on keys and singing. I started playing guitar a couple of years ago and I really suck so I don’t play it, but I use it to get songwriting ideas (laughs). It’s really cool to explore on instruments that I’m not really familiar with to get inspired in different ways for my song writing. I play Ukulele and jazz trumpet for a long time and that’s where I began to learn music theory. Right now I mostly play the guitar, the Ukulele and the piano.”
CelebSecrets4U: Who would you say are your musical inspirations?
Victoria Canal: “John Mayer is definitely at the top of the list. He’s my super idol. One day I want to meet him and just tell him how much he’s influenced me. Taylor Swift is also on my list. She’s a genius. Her songs and image are great. She’s on top. I also love Ed Sheeran, Tori Kelly, Alessia Cara and definitely Stevie Wonder.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BCjT7h2s1Tc/
CelebSecrets4U: If you could collab with anyone, living or dead who would you choose?
Victoria Canal: “I would love to write and sing a duet with Sam Smith. I think that would be so much fun. I’d also love to write with Ryan Tedder in the future.”
CelebSecrets4U: Our website is called CelebSecrets4U so do you have any hidden talents or secrets that you can share with us?
Victoria Canal: “My embarrassing secret is that I am obsessed with romance. Most of my inspiration and my internal excitement comes from watching romantic comedies or romantic TV shows. Romance is definitely my guilty pleasure.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BCjjpQBM1dw/
