Interview: veronicavon
Photography by Liz Bretz
veronicavon is a lo-fi indie dream-team created by songwriters Xuan Nguyen (Xuan) and Chris Hackman (Human Barbie) in the depths of 2020. Equipped with grainy synthesizers, cassette-drenched beats, and hypnotic melodies, they have a plan to capture the hearts of the entire galactic universe… Dubbed by Flood Magazine as ‘casually devastating,’ their music has been featured heavily on Sirius XMU, attracting the attention of music blogs, and used in television shows like ‘The Sex Lives of College Girls’ (HBO).
What inspires your music?
erryday life. phantom of the opera. drugs. home improvement. friends & fans & family :) facebook marketplace. messing around with synthesizers in a dimly lit studio. candlelight. space travel.
Who are some of your influences?
We love alllll kinds of music - the best hits of yesterday and today. Neil Young + Britney Spears. PinkPantheress. Beach House. Anything with warbly guitars and tape cassette aesthetic. We initially bonded over our love for the album ‘Party’ by Andy Shauf... But we always gravitate towards simplicity, directness, and sincerity - nothing too ‘clever’… that’s kryptonite.
What are some of your favorite memories from your career?
Chris: My favorite memory from our journey so far is when we opened for the band 'Palace' at the Hollywood Palladium - Xuan did a stage-dive into a sea of 4000 people and almost died…. But when she arose victorious from the pit, a core memory was written.
Xuan: Glow in the dark capes at a coffee shop in Atascadero. It was our first veronicavon show outside of LA, and the people were VIBING. Also a barista named John invited his mom (Denise) and she made the most delicious cookies you've ever dreamed of. We went back recently and she made lemon bars!
Which of your projects do you love the most?
Good girl - it’s too good.
Who are some of the collaborators who helped you create your favorite works?
We're very self-sufficient with music production at this stage of the game - we write, produce, mix, and master all of our own music in a little bedroom apartment! We're truly... bedroom pop. BUT for everything else, we're so so grateful for our record label @bornlosersrecords - they're next-level at supporting basically everything we do - releases, videos, touring. They are our gods.
What are you most excited to bring to your fans next?
Our 2nd full-length album ‘icecream’ is out on Dec 12 - it’s our masterpiece, and we’re dying to get it outttttttttt :) It’s a time capsule of all of the music & feelings & highs & lows & extraordinary events of the past couple of years, all wrapped up into the most delicious pint of heaven.
What are your goals for this upcoming year?
We want a booking agent!! We’ve done three diy tours up the west coast so far, and although they’ve been so much fun, kind of life changing, and incredibly inspiring, the nuts-and-bolts work of booking and tour logistics are draining. It’d be amazing to be able to focus on songwriting and production - so we’re sending our spells and prayers to the music gods for a booking agent in 2026...
Beyond that, we’re already hard at work on the next album! We’re thinking more beats, more hooks, more dancing, and more romancing… But you never know what might happen. Sometimes inspiration comes in the strangest ways…
How can your fans and our readers best support you right now?
Probably the biggest thing right now is that our NEW ALBUM comes out on DEC 12 - our last LP sold out, so lock in a copy now if you're interested!
And if you're in LA, roll out to our album release party! We're playing at Healing Force of the Universe with June Swoon and Supershrew - it's going to be an unforgettable, one-of-a-kind, don't-want-to-miss-it kind of night :)
Beyond that - find us online & save / stream / share if you're feeling inspired! Help us overthrow the internet.
Listen to veronicavon’s latest single, MONNNEY, from their upcoming album “icecream” - Now featured on our Women of (the real) Indie Playlist! 👇
