by emma schoors
photo by lucy ketchum
“The EP is full of extremes: very happy to very sad, madly in love to incredibly heartbroken, so I wanted to explore those contradictions through the title,” vivi rincon says of her upcoming debut EP crash landing. “Sometimes I feel like I barely make it through tough situations, almost like a crash landing.”
Rincon’s newest release, hot on the heels of her summer 2022 hit “if we lived on the moon,” comes in the form of “overflow,” a heart-wrenching admission of insecurity in the face of newfound love. “I’d say I’m in too deep, but I’ve never seen these waters,” Rincon sings. “I’d spill all my thoughts, but I’m not much of a talker.” Rincon wrote the track about her current girlfriend, and the doubt that tangles itself in new beginnings. “I was so worried that I was too much to handle and that she would leave me,” she says. “I wrote this song about those scary feelings, the fear of abandonment that comes with the beginning of a relationship.”
“A snake hidden beneath the wool, your belly's full,” Rincon delivers flawlessly in the tender yet relentless “angela,” complimenting the guitars as they let loose. The track was written about a two-week long relationship that left Rincon confused and heartbroken: “A girl I had been dating for two weeks left me for someone else. But I only knew her for two weeks!” Rincon filled in the missing pieces by turning them into lyrics. “The song is more of a character,” she says. “I wanted it to be overdramatic and angry. I wanted to give myself permission to be angry.”
We had a chance to speak with Rincon about her musical beginnings, the gorgeous origins of “crash landing,” and what’s next for the rising singer-songwriter.
Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us! Before we get to your upcoming EP, I’d love to get some insight into your musical background. Do you have a first memory of music?
vivi: “My first memory of music was definitely this Mexican rock band called Mana. I’m half Mexican and half Venezuelan so I grew up listening to a lot of latin music. It’s the best! I remember my mom playing ‘Rayando el Sol’ while she was getting ready in the bathroom every day. It’s one of my favorite memories and I still listen to that song almost every day.”
Who were some of the artists you grew up listening to?
vivi: “Like I already said, I love Mana so much! But I also grew up listening to Juan Gabriel, Luis Miguel, and Franco de Vita. When I was in high school I also had a huge emo phase, so I listened to a lot of Paramore.”
Was there ever a moment you said to yourself, “Music is what I want to do for the rest of my life?”
vivi: “I grew up as a dancer, and I was so certain that I would grow up to be a dancer. But plans changed because my mental health started declining. Dance can be really difficult, and I became a huge perfectionist which didn’t make me feel great. To deal with these emotions I started writing on ukulele and guitar. That feeling of releasing my emotions through a song made me realize I could do this forever.”
Your breakout hit, “if we lived on the moon,” has resonated deeply with over a million listeners. What do you attribute this to?
vivi: “I think it resonated with people because I wrote about my experience as honestly as I could. I was struggling with feeling like I couldn’t fully be myself in public as a queer woman, and unfortunately, I think a lot of people can relate to that feeling.”
Your newest single, “overflow,” deals with the fear and insecurity that comes with falling in love. Can you take us through your thought process while writing this track?
vivi: “When I wrote this record I was thinking about the beginning of my relationship with my girlfriend. I was struggling with my mental health, and we had to do long distance because of the pandemic. I was so worried that I was too much to handle and that she would leave me. I wrote this song about those scary feelings, the fear of abandonment that comes with the beginning of a relationship.”
Your debut EP is absolutely gorgeous. One track that immediately stands out is “angela.” What was the initial spark of inspiration for this song?
vivi: “‘angela’ was such a fun one to write because it actually wasn’t 100% about my experience. I based it off of a real feeling when a girl I had been dating for two weeks left me for someone else. But I only knew her for two WEEKS! I was 16 and very emotional and it broke my heart so much that I was inspired to write ‘Angela.’ But the song is more of a character. I wanted it to be overdramatic and angry. I wanted to give myself permission to be angry.”
How did you decide on the EP’s title, “crash landing?”
vivi: “I like the title ‘crash landing’ because it is an oxymoron. The EP is full of extremes, very happy to very sad, madly in love to incredibly heartbroken, so I wanted to explore those contradictions through the title. Also, sometimes I feel like I barely make it through tough situations, almost like a crash landing.”
Take us through how you craft a song. Are you more of a Notes app person, or do you write lyrics down in pen?
vivi: “I LOVE the notes app. That’s how I write all of my songs. Notes app and voice memos.”
When you picture yourself at the height of your career, what do you see? Are there any specific career milestones that come to mind?
vivi: “I would love to tour, I want to play as many shows as I can. I used to have terrible stage fright but recently I have just been so obsessed with performing. I also want to build a community of people where we can all feel loved and accepted. That’s the most important thing to me. I would love to reach as many people as I can.”
Is there anything else you’d like to share with fans about you or your music?
vivi: “All I want to say is I hope that people feel connected to my music, I hope that they are able to relate to my songs and feel less alone, because that makes me feel less alone too.”