INTERVIEW: VITA Writes Electric Love Letter to Herself in Upcoming Album ‘OPIA’
- Michelle Leung
- 11 minutes ago
- 3 min read
“I’m spiritually getting my ass beat right now,” laughs VITA as she readjusts her dark, jaunty pirate’s hat. As VITA prepares to ship out her upcoming album OPIA, following the release of its first single “PLEASER,” fans can expect experimentation with more electronic and atmospheric sounds. In full costume (featuring a dress with a self-made tulle neckline), VITA sat down with Mido and other publications to discuss duality, identity, and authenticity.
Hailing from Sydney, Australia, VITA is many things—artist, producer, songwriter, dancer—but if she had to describe herself, she says listeners should “expect the unexpected.” Her projects have always been pursued with intentionality, only this time, she finally has the budget to materialize her wildest imaginings (including the purchase of a mechanical horse named Harold).
Opia is the feeling of vulnerability and intensity produced by looking someone directly in the eye, and this album embodies that theme perfectly. Each track in the album is a “love letter” to her younger selves: acknowledging their mistakes, freeing them from shame, and eventually accepting her multitudinal existence. Through gut-wrenching lyricism paired with dramatic, campy production, VITA embraces the juxtaposition of the many facets of her identity: the self-deprecation, the god complex, the depression, and everything in between.
While her previous catalogue—including xotic and LIBRE—blends punk, R&B, and jazz, OPIA centers on electronic elements that VITA’s younger self used to secretly enjoy on her own. She’d wanted to uphold an anti-mainstream image as a teenager, which meant opposing electronic music in public. Now, she embraces the expansiveness and possibility within the genre, and redefines her sound again.
“Even in the production, in the middle when it breaks down, it kind of hints to this sort of uncanny, campy, circus-y, avant-garde world even visually that we’re building.” VITA credits her longtime creative director and producer Naz for bringing the idea to life, explaining that they’re consistently on the same wavelength throughout the audio and visual process.
OPIA is a project that comes straight from VITA’s soul—both an answer and a powerful reckoning. She used to avoid eye contact like the plague, and eventually she had to ask herself why she was so uncomfortable with the idea of being seen. Instead of fighting for the love and attention of those around her, she realized that acceptance had to stem from her, and her alone.
When it comes to the whimsical, story-driven world of OPIA, VITA created a character, almost a caricature of herself, to replicate how she used to hide away her true identity. It took years for her to open up to her friends, who then in turn shared their own vulnerabilities. Now VITA’s running philosophy is that honesty comes first—after being able to see herself clearly, she finally knows and accepts who she is.
“I’m really genuinely psychotic about [studying the character],” VITA says. “I wanted the character to represent the performance… so far away from what I am in real life, that when people meet me they won’t even necessarily recognize me.”
To tell a cohesive story, VITA explains that she always wants to dive into context first, which is why “PLEASER” opens the album. The track highlights how people, especially women, have to juggle so many different sides of themselves but are scared to acknowledge all of their personas. VITA brought on a lot of women to help write OPIA, and she appreciates their help parsing through the collective emotions infused into the album.
Watch the visualizer for “PLEASER” here:
Sonic and thematic inspiration jumped at VITA with every turn, pulling from photography, film, fashion, musical theater, ballet, and opera. She cites queer media as a huge source, especially “All That Jazz,” “The Red Shoes,” and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” The moody, high-fashion, avant-garde visuals (which she calls “Victorian meets clown”) are campy and gritty, drawn in part from the Peter Pan pirate trope and mixed with something darker. In the realm of storytelling, VITA looked to the visual branding and intentionality of artists like Tyler, the Creator, FKA twigs, and Chappell Roan.
As a treat, Mido got to hear snippets from some of the upcoming songs on OPIA, and we personally can’t wait for the full release of the ballad “WHAT DOES THAT SAY ABOUT ME?” VITA calls the song the “antithesis of opia,” and the culmination of her self-acceptance journey with all the lessons she’s learned. For VITA, honesty is the only true path forward, and listeners can follow along as the next single, “SINGLE,” drops at the end of the month.
Are you ready to dive into VITA's new world? Does her message resonate with you? Let us know in the comments below or connect with us over X or Instagram.
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Edited by: Anderson Longenecker
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