by danielle holian
photo courtesy of valerie broussard
With over a half a billion total streams, powerhouse vocalist Valerie Broussard's music has been featured in hundreds of film, television, and video games, including “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Riverdale,” “Lucifer,” “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” and “Pretty Little Liars,” to name a few. In 2019, she opened for the League of Legends Opening Ceremony, which is viewed by hundreds of millions of people yearly.
Her incredible music catalog finds the established sync artist's names on released songs with world-renowned DJs Kygo, Glanti, and ILLENIUM, and a debut in the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot Dance / Electronic Songs Chart. Most recently, she has spent the past year working on her debut EP Voyager — the debut single “Iris” dropped this month, being a cover of the Goo Goo Dolls classic and showcases her dynamic vocals.
For our readers, please tell us a bit about your background in music.
Valerie: “Music has always been in my life, but I didn’t start writing and performing my own stuff until my early 20’s. Before that time, I was mostly focusing on musical theater and opera.”
Tell us why you chose the Goo Goo Dolls classic hit “Iris” as your new single.
V: “I’ve always absolutely loved that song, and back in 2019 I actually got to sing on the Goo Goo Dolls’ single ‘Money, Fame & Fortune’ so they were on my mind going into the pandemic. I listened to a lot of their music over those long lockdown months, and after months of singing ‘Iris’ in the shower I figured I should cover it!”
Tell us about the inspiration behind the music video.
V: “The video that the Goo Goo Dolls made for ‘Iris’ is one of the first I remember seeing as a kid and I fell in love with it. Johnny is sort of locked away in this tower with all these telescopes and he's looking down on the city below him. I wanted my video to pay homage to that, while still maintaining the space theme that runs through all of the EP visuals. So in my ‘Iris’ video I’m sitting alone in a space station, looking down on the world.”
What can listeners expect from your debut EP, Voyager?
V: “A return to my singer-songwriter roots, with some surprises along the way.”
You've worked with some big names like Kygo, Galantis, and ILLENIUM — how has this experience inspired you?
V: “It’s been amazing to work with all of them, I’ve especially loved watching them take the stripped back songs I write and turn them into dance hits. It’s always so exciting to get a song back and see where someone else’s imagination took them.”
You've had your music featured in hundreds of film, television, and video games including “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Riverdale,” “Lucifer,” “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” and “Pretty Little Liars,” to name a few. What does this mean to you knowing your music is reaching huge audiences?
V: “It still wows me every time! There is nothing cooler than seeing something you wrote set to picture. I love being a part of the world of these iconic shows.”
And what's the difference, for you, songwriting for others to pursuing a career as a solo artist?
V: “I think for me it’s the fact that the music I write for myself tends to be autobiographical, which is both a good and bad thing! I live in fear of certain exes recognizing themselves in my songs.”
What do you want the listeners to take away from your music?
V: “For me songwriting is about telling a story and hopefully a story that people will recognize as being similar to something from their own lives. So I hope that listeners can enjoy that moment of connection with my music.”
How has the pandemic helped get your creative juices flowing?
V: “It isn’t always easy, but I have found that learning new skills (like recording my own vocals) and finally having a home studio help me be creative in new ways that I have never experienced before.”
What drives you forward as an artist?
V: “At the end of the day I just really enjoy making music. I’ve never found anything that gives me the same high as writing a good song with talented people.”
And finally, what’s one fun fact about yourself for our readers?
V: “My high school had the best wood shop program in the country, and in my freshman year I ended up making an electric guitar for my brother’s graduation gift. The weird thing was I didn't play guitar at the time, so I knew more about making them than playing them!”