Interview With Victoria Anthony + New Music Video “Dirty Lipstick”
Vancouver based pop singer/songwriter Victoria Anthony is shaking up the Canadian pop scene once again with her brand new music video “Dirty Lipstick”. Dirty Lipstick is Anthony’s sixth official music video, if you’re a regular Dropout reader you’ve probably noticed we’ve been featuring her music since the very first video, and it’s incredible to see her develop into such an incredibly well rounded artist. In my opinion, “Dirty Lipstick” is her best video yet, and not only is Anthony the songwriter of the raw new track, but she also conceptualized the video, wrote the treatment, served as Creative Director, and co-directed the video alongside Brock Newman. Talk about a power house! The video features a plethora of cinematic scenes including mannequins on fire, broken glass, a zero gravity make up shop, a throne in front of a paint splattered wall…I could go on, it’s beautifully elaborate. Victoria began with a rough storyboard of scene ideas on the whiteboard in her bedroom and then pulled references for looks and scenes for the treatment to share with Brock. Her concept was to have an editorial-style video with multiple scenes and looks that each felt like their own story but were integrated across the video and meant to represent a building emotion rather than a plot.
If you’ve been following her music, you’ll notice that on “Dirty Lipstick” Victoria Anthony has taken things in a new direction. This song is less poppy, and moving towards the rock direction. Victoria sees “Dirty Lipstick” as a definitive artistic statement that has evolved from her pure pop beginnings. “I see ‘Dirty Lipstick’ as a natural evolution of my music to date,” she says. “If I only have one period in my life where I’m able to write about being a teenager and the range of emotions that come with the territory, I’m going to take advantage of that. These are captivating, powerful emotions that I’m going through and there’s no sense trying to keep up appearances for the sake of others.”
We had the opportunity to ask Victoria about the new video and it’s inspiration, new music, what she’s listening to, Canada opening back up and more! Click below to watch “Dirty Lipstick” and keep scrolling for our interview with Victoria Anthony.
Can you tell us about the lyrics behind Dirty Lipstick?
I wrote “Dirty Lipstick” about a falling out I had with a friend. I was so angry and hurt and I took
those emotions and put them into words. I was feeling everything so intensely that I was literally
pacing back and forth in my room while writing the chorus. In contrast to my last album, which
was generally optimistic, I’m using my music to channel more intense feelings like anger. As I
grow older and relationships with those around me become more complex, I find it important to
show vulnerability through other emotions that, although chaotic, are part of the human
experience. “Dirty Lipstick” is angry, unapologetic, honest, and raw. I do not hold back and I tell
it like it is.
One of my favourite lyrics in the song is “honey, I’m over it” because I think it’s just the perfect
amount of sass. I got to partner with Brunette the Label with my merch, so I chose this lyric as
the saying across the sweatshirt. Even without context, everyone who sees will “get” what it
means.
And of course, I have to explain the “Dirty Lipstick” lyric- “I hope you choke on your Dirty
Lipstick”. When writing this lyric, I had a bunch of different iterations I thought of. I ended up with
“I hope you choke” because I really loved its shock value and power. It helped to capture the
emotion I was trying to convey.
What inspired the visuals behind the music video? How involved were you in the creation of the video?
I conceptualized the video, wrote the treatment, served as Creative Director, and co-directed the
video with the amazing Brock Newman. We brought the vision to life with an incredible team. I
found a lot of inspiration from other music videos, Pinterest, and metaphors in my song. Some
of the inspiration for scenes came from the most random places. Like the idea of having a car
and me sitting behind it with the brake lights came while my mom and I were in a drive-through
Covid test line. I saw the car in front of us with their red brake lights and I thought it totally fit the
aesthetic I was looking for. Also, I had broken mirrors for my single art shoot and someone
warned me that was bad luck. I really didn’t want to take any chances so I googled what you do
to get rid of bad luck from a mirror breaking, and I read that if you bury the broken mirrors underthe moonlight, you will eradicate this curse. So, I planned out a scene in the video to do this and buried them with fire and it ended up being such an amazing part of the video.
What is one of your favourite memories from shooting the video?
Definitely when we set the mannequins on fire. It was so freaking cool. The visuals were out of
this world. The way the dresses caught on fire was mesmerizing and I can’t get the image out of
my head. Everyone on set was so excited and had their own iPhones out to record the moment
as we knew this was a one take situation. We even had a second camera set up to film just in
case.
Dirty Lipstick is the first of more tracks to come this year. What can you tell us about the other upcoming tracks?
I am really exploring my sound right now. “Dirty Lipstick” has a rock-pop crossover vibe to it.
Some of the new songs I’ve recently written and recorded are similar and some are completely
different. I’m enjoying pushing myself as a writer. I hope to release a few more singles this year,
and an EP either late in the year or in early 2022.
Dirty Lipstick is the follow up to your debut album “Real Life” which just came out in October and has already amassed millions of streams and video views. Are there any lessons that you learned from the “Real Life” release that you applied to the “Dirty Lipstick” release?
If I have learned one thing it is to pay attention to everything – whether that be in a songwriting
session, or in the studio recording, or on set shooting a video. Through working with amazing
producers, mixers, directors, photographers, makeup artists, and graphic designers, I have
learned how to translate my musical artistic vision into a visual arts to go alongside the music. I
also picked up a lot about production which has inspired some new musical adventures.
At a very young age you got involved with many aspects of the industry including songwriting, pre-production, recording, mixing, and mastering. What parts of your music creation are your favourite at this point in time and which parts do you find the most difficult?
My favourite part of musical creation is songwriting. It is also the part I find most challenging. It’s
so rewarding going from a little song idea stowed away in my phone to a fully-produced banger
that thousands of people listen to. However, writing songs is always a painful process to an
extent. Whether it’s just a complicated song or one that’s gut-wrenchingly personal, songwriting
always takes a lot out of me. Though, I wouldn’t change that for anything. The challenge of
songwriting is what makes it so fulfilling.
Canada seems in a good place right now (pandemic-wise), with Covid numbers going down and restrictions starting to lift. How excited are you to return to live music?
I am so excited to perform live again! There is a U.S. tour being lined up for the Fall, and I’ll be
performing live at a fashion show during New York Fashion Week. I am beyond ready to get to
perform my new stuff live. Can’t wait to book some amazing Canadian shows as well.
What is one Canadian artist you can’t wait to see in concert once they return?
I would love to see Tate McRae live. I love her music and she just seems so cool. She nails
every performance.
Which Canadian artists do you think you’ve listened to the most in 2021 so far?
Again, Tate McRae for the win!. I’ve been listening to her a lot lately. She’s killing it!
What can fans expect next from Victoria Anthony?
I have some really fun “Dirty Lipstick” content coming out over the next few weeks so please
keep an eye on my social media. After that, a press tour, live performances, and more new
music.
Do you have any last words for our readers?
Through the pandemic I’ve been able to connect with so many fans on social media. I love
connecting with you guys and talking about our favourite thing: music! DM me
@vicanthonymusic on instagram and let’s chat!
