INTERVIEW | V. BOZEMAN KEEPS IT “JUICY”

You were born and raised in Los Angeles. What was it like growing up in Crenshaw?

Where do I start? I love South Central, you have so many diamonds in the rough. I grew up in the church, very community-oriented. I’ll always rep my city because that’s what makes the fabrics of me. Not many come out of South Central and make it on the other side. I’m proud of it, so many adventures growing up in the hood. Of course you hear the negative side, but I’m giving you the other side of the spectrum. I was raised by amazing queens in my family, from my grandma to my mom and my aunties. Very strong black women who gave me such a strong foundation to start on, that I still stand on to this day. I give you the side that’s not highlighted as much.

Would you ever want to move?

Actually I lived in Atlanta for 4 years, which was amazing. That’s my second home because Atlanta was so good to me. It felt it like home because of the Southern aspect of it. My family’s from the South originally, they migrated to LA. There’s a lot of Southern roots ingrained in me. I used to go out to Chicago all the time as well. I’m your regular around the way homegirl!

When did music come into play?

I don’t remember when it wasn’t a part of my life. I was always singing. My mom sang. I was raised in the church, one of those kids in church all through the week. I learned everything as far as performing, connecting with people, soul music. Everything started in church, that’s where the roots began.

You aspired to be a singer since you were little, when did acting come into play?

Honestly, I’ve always been in performing arts. I’ve always acted. I’m one of those kids who was very creative and into the arts. My mom recognized it and made sure I was always in ballet, acting, choir. Whatever the schools offered, I was a part of it. It’s always been a part of the V. Bozeman brand, but singing took off first. Whatever opportunities presented themselves, I try to be ready for whatever.

Someone asked about your love life.

There’s no love life. My love life is singing, music is my boyfriend. Next! [laughs] We have to stay focused. Not that I’m not open to the realm of possibilities, but I have to get my bread up. I have to get the coinage how I want it to be, then I can think about all that other stuff. Men right now are a distraction. Unless you’re adding to what I’m doing, you’re going to be set to the side.

Bring us back to when you were vocal producing for Lloyd.

I was living in Atlanta. I met Lloyd in Atlanta. I wrote on his album when I was out there, but I actually started vocal producing when he was signed to Zone 4 with Polow da Don out here. I was vocal producing all of Polow’s artists from Keri Kilson to Lloyd to El DeBarge to Patti LaBelle, everybody. We always had a good bond and connection from Atlanta originally.

“Juicy” is a bop! Who or what inspired this one?

Thank you girl! Me and my brother Jim Beanz, who wrote and produced “What Is Love” for Empire, we have a musical bond. I wouldn’t do any project without Jim Beanz. Jim will say “let’s go hip-hop, let’s do it like that.” Because I need the upper. I want people to see all sides of me, not just the balanced side. So many other sides! I said “let’s do it.” He got this beat, he’s like “wassup with the Mtune beat?” I said “that’s cool!” He beefed it up, we came up with this incredible melody. Like you said, it turned into a bop. We thought this should be the first single. Summer’s coming up, let’s ride with it. I’m so grateful because the girls love the whole “Juicy” energy, the homegirl vibe. You can have fun with it, I’m excited about “Juicy.”

The cover art is juicy too (no pun intended).

I wanted to be able to show all sides of myself, not just the sad love songs. That’s one of the layers, I’m very in tune with my sex appeal and sexiness. I want to encourage all my homegirls out there to be comfortable too. With “Juicy,” it’s sex appeal. It’s sexy, juicy! If you listen to the words, the lyrics are very sexy and subliminal. My stylist [Sankara] is amazing, she came up with this concept. I wanted to do something in a swimsuit, but I didn’t know exactly how. She said “let’s do this, get the Juicy logo. Do the yellow bathing suit and sexify it up.” It came out looking dope, real organic. My body was looking cool. I worked hard on my body. I’m not about to put this to waste, I’m about to show this thang off.

What’s your secret to staying snatched?

A lot of water. I’m real careful with the carbs but for the most part, I’m vegan. I’m not with that meat life. I make sure I do some type of cardio at least 3 or 4 times during the week. It keeps my body used to being active. Whatever results I can get, that’s what I get. I don’t like to be too hard on myself. I make it more of a lifestyle rather than “oh you have to do this, you have to do that.” It makes it better.

How long have you been vegan?

2 years now. I started my whole vegan journey when I had a horrible breakup. I had to find a way to level myself and distract myself from my break up. Real talk. That whole vegan life helped me so much, mentally and spiritually. If I wasn’t vegan, I don’t know what mindset I would’ve had in that breakup. It helped a lot.

How did you come up with the concept Homegirl Conversations? 

Me and my team are really intentional in making sure my brand’s organic to me, it represents who I am. When people meet me for the first time, outside of social media in real time, they’re like “dang, you’re real cool! We didn’t know you were so down-to-earth.” I’m like “what else is it going to be?” My mom would have a fit if I was running around here acting like I was more than what I was. I’m your homegirl, we took that concept and implemented it in the whole brand. I like to talk and connect with women as if it’s natural. It should be natural. We talk like we’re on the phone. It’s not so proper, that’s not me. [chuckles]

How was collaborating with Timbaland on “Smile”?

Amazing. Timbaland’s such a joy to work with, I call him a magical producer. Timbaland’s so great at encouraging artists, making them feel like they’re special. He gives them this confidence. I feel like I can move mountains when I work with him. Timbaland working with me? That’s already a mind fuck, but he makes it so dope and fun. He gives you so much confidence. All of a sudden, you have this amazing piece of work. I did 2 albums with Timbaland, we have a lot of music together. I’m sure we’ll hear one day. [chuckles] I spent a whole summer in Miami, it was magical. I felt I was on drugs. When I came home, I felt I was on a binge the whole summer then came down from this supernatural high. I’ll always remember time spent with Timbo, I learned a lot too.

est memory from the video shoot? 

Man! We all did the scene where everybody’s gathered together, me and Tim were on this little platform. We’re singing to the people, that energy exchange was so dope. Video shoots are so long, you know how that can go. When you connect with the people and you’re putting out good energy, it’s good vibes. My favorite part is when me and Timb got to connect with everybody on set for that scene.

What’s the highlight of playing “Veronica” on EMPIRE?

On film or off film? [laughs] For sure the highlight was the classic scene where I was in a booth, Terrence and I had that exchange. It’s surreal because you had Lee Daniels right there on the floor. Nobody could see him but he’s right there on the floor in front of me. My leg was broken during that time, he was concerned with how I was feeling. Then you had Terrence right here. These are acclaimed, stellar creatives and artists, I was honored to be in that moment. I was very present. They captured something special. Off-camera, Terrence took me under his wing. He’s a very, very smart person. He’s a genius damn near. He taught me a lot of things when it comes to numbers, music, the industry. We vibed, he’s a real one.

Goals for yourself at this point in your career?

Making sure I create a solid universal brand when it comes to V. Bozeman, all across the board. From makeup to fashion to community organizing, I really want to be solid in that. Long-term goals, I want to get all the awards. I want to get the Tonys, the Emmys, the Grammys, the theatre awards. I really want to achieve that. I’ve always envisioned myself to be an all-around, versatile artist. I have to work hard for it. Pray for me girl!

Anything else you want to let us know?

Look out for an amazing project this summer. Spread the word for “Juicy,” find my lyric video. It’s not your normal music video, it’s fun. I’m doing a lot of different things across social media especially now that we’re stuck. I’m excited to engage with my fans on another level. I’m in this film called Howard High on UrbanFlix TV, it’s really blowing up. It’s the #1 movie over there. We got picked up for a second season, I’m excited for that! Follow me on my Gram.