The inspired singer-writer Vanessa Lynch has released a new music video in support of her debut album “Walking Blind.”
The title track is an erotic and colorful song that showcases Lynch's vocal abilities and song composition. The song is a powerful romantic pop ballad that includes an array of sounds which includes a violin, piano, bass guitar, guitar, and drum section. The video shows Lynch and violinist Nicole Mancini at various locations. Some scenes are shot at Fort Fisher in Kure Beach and Carolina Beach Boardwalk. The song is about an invested relationship that ends up at a crossroad because life gets in the way of the relationshp. A lot of people can relate to the message of the song. The video was directed and shot by Erika Edwards.
Watch the video for the title track from "Walking Blind," available now.
Walking Blind is available on many platforms for purchase such as CD Baby; link here.
I had the chance to chat with the young pop singer about her musical influences, the North Carolina music scene and her debut album. Below are her responses to my questions.
Nardcast: How long have you been playing guitar? Vanessa Lynch: I started playing guitar around the age of 16. I can’t say that I’m much better now than I was then! Haha! I started playing piano about the same time. I had a leg up because I was in the band in middle and high school and I played the flute so I could read music already, but I never took formal lessons on guitar so I can do the basic rhythmic stuff and write some chord progressions! Just enough to write a song. I did get my “piano proficiency” in the music program at UNCW which expanded my knowledge with piano and that helped me to be able to write more complex chord progressions and songs.
Do you think you’ve matured musically as a singer-songwriter? VL: Absolutely. I love this album because there are songs that I wrote at age 17 (my flower) and songs that I wrote at 24 (walking blind). You can definitely tell the difference in my maturity level as a person and as a musician! This is shown in what I say and how I say it and also you can tell the songs I wrote at an older age because they, not too surprisingly, have more complex sounding chord progressions. Basically, when you are young you are less thoughtful. When you are older you tend to consider things more . Such is life.
What are some of your music influences? I didn’t grow up in a musical household. We pretty much listened to what is on the radio. I feel like I am a pop kid through and through. But ever since I left for college I expanded my musical horizons. I can now say I am heavily influenced by artists like Alison Krauus and Union Station, Ella Fitzgerald, Esperanza Spalding, Etta James, Adele, Ben Harper (he is a huge one), Kathleen Battle, Dallas Green, Norah Jones, Bonnie Raiit (huge), Susan Tedeschi, Sara Bareilles, Alicia Keys, Gretchen Parlato, Rhonda Vincent…I love these people! And they range from bluegrass, to pop, to blues, to soul, to rock, to jazz….and my music is a blend of all of these!
What do you think of the music scene in North Carolina? I think the NC music scene is alive and thriving. We have had countless talented people win those mainstream award shows. Just in my town we have a HUGE jam band scene. People really support the arts here, although it is an underground thing. You have to search but once you do you find all the great independent acts that are working towards their dreams. Big musical cities are Asheville, Charlotte, Raleigh, and Wilmington is well on its way. Is there a big indie scene in Wilmington? Oh yeah! In fact I am friends with many bands that are doing it all by themselves! I recommend checking out Jeff Sipe Trio, Groove Fetish, Temple5, EKIIM ARIARA, Dylan Linehan, Prime, Coastal Collective for starters. That really doesn’t even scratch the surface of the awesome bands we have to offer here. How was the songwriting process for Walking Blind? Do you mean the album or the song? The album is truly a collection of tunes that I have written along my journey. I feel like these are some of my best songs that I have written to date and I wanted to showcase them in a professional way so that I can hopefully push the envelope with my music career and just share these songs with the world. I hope people will find they can relate to them as well. I typically turn to writing music when I have something weighing heavily on me. This could be something that directly affects me or something that someone I care about is going through that bothers me. That is when I go to write and typically the songs just spew out of me haha.
What sound are you aiming for? My own, original sound. I bet that is such a cliché answer but it is true. I truly am not trying to sound like anyone else but I know that can’t be helped at times. I really want to be able to fit into a scene that likes music that sounds like a bunch of genres mixed together (ie all my influences) and output = me. Any collaborations on the album? In a sense my entire album is collaboration. All my best friends and musicians that I truly respect and admire are playing on this album. They each added their creative flair to the songs so it is a part of them too. I did not dictate too much what they could/couldn’t play. With that being said my friend Danny “Louis.” Thomas (the leader of Temple5 – that band referenced above) collaborated with me on “Courage.” I saw him rapping for the first time at one of our local live music venues – Satellite. I was blown away. I just think he is so talented and authentic. He really sounds like the perfect blend of old-school meets new-school rap. I asked him to lay down a verse or two on “Courage” and he agreed and came up with an effortless entrance to the song. Really makes it awesome!!! Let’s talk about the album title. Any meaning behind naming the album Walking Blind? Walking Blind is my first single off the album and the title track. Walking Blind can mean a lot of things. We tend to walk blindly through life, don’t we? From the time we are born we learn as we go, we learn from what’s around us, not truly knowing what is right or wrong – we simply follow our instincts and what we are taught and let the universe take us where it may…I could go on about this for a while…so I will stop now But the actual song stemmed from a relationship that I was very invested in for a long time. I did not realize that I was the only one really trying – you know sometimes you get so busy trying to make things work that you don’t realize the other person isn’t - until I wrote this song basically, which is where I felt at a crossroads. Is this your first album? Yes! How cool. Once the album is recorded and distributed, what’s next? What are some goals you want to achieve as a musician this year? Any other thoughts? My plan is to do a tour of North Carolina for this next year and promote the album. Maybe add in some SC and VA cities as well. Keep it kind of local and focus on expanding my fanbase in my state. I also plan on entering some songs into contests, and offering them up for tv shows/movies, radio, podcasts, etc. I hope to gain some exposure in this way. I plan on releasing 4 music videos to help boost my online presence and hopefully “go viral”! Lastly I do plan to shop the album with some labels just to see what kind of feedback I get, if any!
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