Whether it's moving on from heartache or learning how to accept yourself even at your lowest, Valentina Ploy has a way of relaying comfort and warmth even through some of life's greatest adversities.
Centred around authentic feelings and real emotions, the Thai-Italian singer-songwriter channels her innermost vulnerabilities and insecurities in her music in hopes of showing her listeners that it's okay to let your walls down.
"The message is that we are humans and that it is absolutely normal to feel down or feel horrible, there's nothing wrong with that," she tells Bandwagon.
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Valentina first turned heads during her runs at singing competition shows like X-Factor Italy and The Voice Thailand. Since then, the 'See You In Life' hitmaker has been releasing an array of tracks that have touched the hearts and souls of people all across the world.
Recently, the singer has released her newest single 'Drunk Sleeping In Taxis', a sonically and thematically stripped-back track that talks about some of her most intimate fears.
Following the release of the track, we caught up with Valentina Ploy to talk about being vulnerable, her journey as an artist, and the story behind 'Drunk Sleeping In Taxis' – all while her adorable cousin was knocking at her door.
Congratulations on the release of ‘Drunk Sleeping In Taxis’! Could you walk me through the story and inspiration behind the song?
The song is basically about a fear that I have of not being loved by the people that I love when I'm seen at my worst. It's basically me just opening my heart and expressing openly all of the things that make me feel very vulnerable.
The song came to be because I went to a party that didn't end exactly in the best way so I couldn't sleep a few nights later. That's how the song came out, it’s just me sharing what I felt at that moment.
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Drunk Sleeping In Taxis’ is quite a vulnerable track that speaks a lot of hidden truths about you, what prompted you to release a song like this?
It's something that I always try to do with every song. I always want to keep every song very personal and very me, and I think it's linked to why I'm doing music as well. I wouldn't enjoy sharing something that's fake or doesn't feel true to me.
I guess sharing real human emotions can make people feel like they're not alone in things and can normalise the vulnerable side of us – now more than ever with social media where we are used to seeing so much happiness. Sometimes it's also nice to share another side of ourselves, the side we keep at the back, it's very human. I wish I can normalise that through my songs.
Did you worry about releasing such a personal song for the world to listen to?
I'd be lying if I say that it doesn't scare me at all but I guess that's why I'm doing it. I guess the passion of wanting to share is stronger than the fear itself.
Sometimes I feel very scared because it's very personal, especially when I'm on stage and I have to sing it directly to everyone. That's probably the scariest moment but it's a good kind of scary, I'd say.
Sonically, ‘Drunk Sleeping In Taxis’ also takes a more stripped-back approach. What was the production process behind the track like?
I worked on this song with Richard Craker, he's an English producer who’s worked with many international artists. I wanted to kind of make it very pop and modern but at the same time keep the acoustic soul of the song which I think Richard did pretty well. He also turned all the ad-libs and backing vocals into synths which were very cool.
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We tried to explore new sounds and where the sound of my song can go production-wise without killing the acoustic soul of it. It doesn't come in super strong and impactful but rather starts pretty acoustic with the piano and stuff. I intended it to be very soft and Richard did quite a good job keeping the balance between these two worlds.
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You wrote the track last year, during the height of the pandemic. What was it like creating and making music during it all?
Creativity wise, it was actually a very good time for me because [making music] was literally the only thing that I could do. I'm a person with a lot of energy so I need to channel it in some way and I feel like the fact that I was locked at home and couldn't go outside made me look back into myself and explore my inside world and all of the thoughts and emotions that I had.
It kind of forced me to understand and analyse myself more. I just had to deal with my emotions and I ended up having so many of those to write about. It was quite a creative time, I've never written like that before.
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Where does your inspiration usually stem from?
Everything – if I see a picture, if I see a leaf falling from a tree, if I see my little cousin knocking on the door (laughs), everything can inspire me. Obviously, relationships, family, love and friendship help.
I'm trying to explore other people's feelings and stories as well, not just my own ones. I'm trying to push myself to find new inspirations all the time but it's just anything. I think just the human experience and my personal experiences as a human being would can be an inspiration.
Going back to 'Drunk Sleeping In Taxis', what message do you hope your fans will get from listening to the song?
I like to think that the song is a little bit of me singing it to myself, much like every song that I write. The message that I hope they get is that it's okay if they sometimes feel down or they feel horrible or when they don't like themselves because that's how I was feeling.
I didn't like myself at all and it’s a side of me that I don’t show people often because I'm not proud of it and I don't want the people I love to see me like that. The message is that we are humans and that it is absolutely normal to feel like that, there's nothing wrong.
You've gone from joining competition shows like X-Factor and The Voice to now performing on various stages across the region. What are some lessons you've learned along the way?
I've grown a lot and I had to learn along the way because everything was always very sudden for me. I literally went from singing in my bedroom and being so scared to X-Factor Italy, where the whole country would see me. The worst thing that could happen is that I've learned something new so it's fine – even if I fail, I'll just do it anyway.
The need to not give up grew stronger in me. I've failed so many times, I never won or never ended up number one in every competition I've. But that's fine, I've learned so many things and it led me to where I am today. I've learned to be more confident as well, to be less afraid and just go for it.
In the beginning, as well, I didn't really know much about the music business and the music industry. The only way I ever saw it was as a listener, it taught me literally what it means to be an artist and have an all-around view of everything beyond just singing and writing songs.
Where do you hope to see yourself in the next few years?
I wish that I will keep writing songs and sharing them and hopefully, sharing them with a wider and wider and wider audience. It's been my dream since forever to make the world hear my songs – it sounds very cliche but that's what I used to say as a kid. Hopefully, a lot of touring around the world as well.
For sure, I'll have my full album – plural but obviously, the first one needs to come first. I just hope to be doing all of these things without ever losing the reason why I'm doing it and just keep being honest and real with my music.
What are some of your upcoming plans for the rest of the year and the beginning of 2022?
This year, I plan to release another single which I cannot wait for. For next year, I have so many things planned – not sure how much I can share or spoil for the moment – but I have collaborations that I'm so excited about, it's a little bit of a dream come true for me for next year. Hopefully, I'll also be releasing my full album with these collaborations.
There will also be more focus on expanding teams and stuff – we're looking to expand the team and Valentina Ploy family into a new bigger and global thing so hopefully that will work out.
Listen to Valentina Ploy's 'Drunk Sleeping In Taxis' here.
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