VIKAE Is a Ukrainian-born, New Zealand based Queer Alt-Pop Artist:
a lyricist, songwriter, performer & musician.

 

(Veronika bell) graduated from the University of Otago with an honors music degree in performance jazz.  Now, she Blends the best of pop sensibilities and emo rebellion. Singing for the voiceless and the underdogs. After graduation, VIKAE Relocated to Auckland where she has spent her time working on her solo artist project.  She is a proud 'Swiftie'  that grew up listening to the emo bands of the 2000s, so it is no surprise that her music is pseudo-romantic, unapologetic and sometimes just a little bit brash. Touching on taboo topics like mental health, ex-lovers and toxic relationships; her songs are a juxtaposition between rich and enticing bass-lines reminiscent of early 90s soundscapes; and the bare vulnerability of her acoustic ballads. her expansive, clever songwriting vault is impressive! with an entire bookshelf of self written poetry, short stories and diary entries from when she was a child. Using these as 'food for the soul' when she's writing at home, VIKAE has been known to take a random handful of these books with her to a studio day to draw inspiration from: "just whatever speaks to me that day, really".

 

She made her debut (FINELINES EP) in 2020 during the start of the pandemic quoting "people need music for something to lean on when s*** gets real, yano?". Since then, VIKAE has successfully produced the majority of her online content (as well as proudly directing, filming and editing all her own music videos), has amassed over half a million streams collectively, has had honorable mentions on the NZ Official Charts and has played at some of the country's biggest music festivals like JAM ON TOAST, Baydreams Nelson, BASSCAMP, AUM Music Festival, MardIS GRAS 2021, MARDI GRAS 2022, Deep Hard n FUNKY 2022.as well as this, she has managed to clock up some serious tour time throughout NZ (even despite covid restrictions). Amidst developing her brand, VIKAE has caught the attention of NZOA with two NewTracks submissions gaining traction: Sinking and LONELY DOLL

 

The next chapter of VIKAE's artistry is celebrated with the release of her mixtape LOVE GAMES (August 2022). The mixtape is a continuation of the cathartic writing of her FINELINES EP but dives deeper into her world of experience with toxic relationships and poor decision making. Written on her own with some collaboration between Abigail Knudson and Christian tjandrawinata, the mixtape covers heartbreak, deceit, betrayal and a coming of age. Baring her deepest scars, VIKAE is a true artist who is unafraid to speak her mind and is unapologetic in her lyricism.