MUSIC PREMIERE: SONGSTRESS VIAA IS IN “RETROGRADE” FOR NEW SINGLE FT. JESHUA

VIAA is here to unleash the perfect song for the summer — glisten up!

Real name Mia hails from Ohio, but currently resides in sunny Los Angeles to pursue her dream of making music. The singer-songwriter writes, records, and creative directs all her own projects. The result is upbeat, energetic records with lyrics promoting female empowerment. Her single, “Hurt So Good” even landed a sync on BET’s “Being Mary Jane” series finale this year.

Now, VIAA’s premiering her latest single titled “Retrograde,” which she believes embodies the concept of letting go. The record was produced by her frequent collaborator Yeti Beats who has worked with the likes of Doja Cat, THEY., and H09909. The track is co-written by one of her best friends Jeshua, whose melodic flow pairs well with VIAA’s vivacious energy.

We Take Note caught up with VIAA to chat about the meaning behind “Retrograde,” her creative process, and what fans can expect from her show at the Moroccan Lounge in downtown Los Angeles on June 11th.

Talk about your new single “Retrograde.” What’s the meaning behind it?

I was writing in the studio with my producer Yeti. When Mercury is in retrograde, it makes me think about how whatever it’s in that phase — me included — you do things you wouldn’t normally do. You do wild shit! I wanted to focus on that: being in the moment and not over-analyzing or over-thinking your decisions so much. Taking risks. Usually that’s the most rewarding, when you live in that moment and go for it.

What was your creative process?

We wrote it with synths, I started writing the melody and the lyrics. As we’re building it out, I added more synths, more 80’s percussion. Also my friend Jeshua, an amazing artist who has music coming soon, is featured on it. It’s tied into that retrograde feeling. For some reason, I wanted to add another voice to this song, I’d never done collaborated with somebody before. He wrote the second verse. We built a lot of synths and ethnic percussion sounds, then a lot of harmonies.

What’s been the best memory on tour?

Omg, we have a lot. When we were up in the Pacific Northwest — I traveled with the girls and Kyle who’s basically the tour manager. He’s super obsessed with Best Western hotels, he really wanted us to book us all one at one of our dates. The one we went to, it had bed bugs. We found it after we were laying on the bed, totally comfy. We’re freaking out, ended up leaving. Luckily got our money back, everything’s cool. We didn’t get bed bugs ourselves, which thank the Lord! We got an Airbnb after in Seattle and it was so fun. We cooked food and hung out. It was a funny situation to be in. No one got upset, no one got frustrated. Everyone was laughing, problem solving, doing their thing. It showed we really do have a lot of fun and it’s the right personalities to be together.

What can we expect at the Moroccan Lounge?

I’m really excited for it. Sorry, I’m all in my feelings. Some of the songs are gonna be altered a little for our stage set up. It’s not gonna be the songs straight how you hear them on Spotify, we’re gonna add a twist to them with some samples and covers. It’ll be dance party vibes, a lot of epic anthem style stuff. I like to creates a party-esque environment, similar to friends hanging out on stage.