Ja Ja Ja club night: meet Finland's pop dynamo Venior

Norway's Ary has taken some photos, Denmark's Palace Winter put together a playlist of songs the duo wished they'd written and Iceland's East of My Youth took on our Best Fit Q&A. Now it's the turn of Venior, the Finnish electro pop star with the huge voice, to take the spotlight as she answers some of our questions below.

Did you always sing from an early age – when did you realise you had a such a powerful voice?

Yeah I’ve been singing since I was a kid. I did my first performance when I was eight, on a school concert. I remember one day when I was eleven, I was home alone singing along to CDs and that’s when I felt like I found my voice and realised how much I love singing. I decided that I’m gonna be a singer, and planned to release my first album when I was 13 haha! So since then I’ve just followed my dream to do music.

What did you listen to when you were younger and who influenced your sound as you came to record your first songs?

I remember my parents used to play a lot of Tina Turner when I was a kid, and at some point I was really into Swedish Eurovision music haha. When I grew older I started listening to more indie rock stuff like Coldplay and Bon Iver. They inspired me a lot when I was a teenager and recorded my first songs. But then I fell in love with electronic music and now there’s not much left of my early influences in my sound.

What influences your writing…is it the world around you, love…all those clichéd things?

Everything that’s happening around me, what I feel, people I meet, and things I feel need to be said. When I create music anything can be inspiring, a word I read or a picture I see. I try to be very open minded and let everything affect my music.

What can you tell us about your single, “Sugar Rush”?

I wrote ‘Sugar Rush’ in Stockholm last year with my producer friends Dag Lundberg and Nikki Lif. It’s a special song for me cause it’s one of the first songs I wrote that really felt like me, like I found my style. It’s about and addiction to something or someone that you know is not good for you in the long run, but you still want more because the rush it gives you. The pleasure is worth the pain.

You’re based in Stockholm, Finnish born and well-travelled…what have you learned from your travels and what does it bring to your music?

Actually I’ve been based in London since last October. I moved there after two years in Stockholm. I love travelling and experiencing new places and countries. It has made me very independent and easy-going. I don’t have any boundaries, no restrictions. I feel like I can do anything, there’s nothing holding me back. My music wouldn’t be the same if I hadn’t left Finland. To work with people around the world and to experience new things is really inspiring and keeps me thirsty for creating and challenging myself. I love going out of my comfort zone without knowing where it’s gonna take me.

You opened for Angel Haze, how was that experience?

It was amazing. She’s been one of my biggest inspirations for a while so to get to open up for her was really cool. I really love her vibe.

Who would you love to write for, or record with?

I would love to wrote for Rihanna, I’ve been listening so much to her new album. It’s dope.

Are you looking forward to Ja Ja Ja – and is it your first show in the UK?

Yeah I can’t wait! It’s gonna be so much fun. Yes it’s my first show in the UK, I hope I’ll be back with more shows soon.

What are your plans for the rest of the year?

I'm going to LA in May to work on my upcoming album. During the summer I’m gonna play some festivals and my first EP is gonna be out this autumn. Just gonna keep on working on my music basically.

Venior plays The Lexington alongside Ary (Norway), East of My Youth (Iceland), and Palace Winter (Denmark) on 28 April. Tickets are available now and cost £5 for Ja Ja Ja members (£7 for non-members) – sign up for free now