One night, Victoria Groff opens Spotify, chooses a playlist and closes her eyes. "Shy Wind", by the South Korean band Fully Bold, starts to play, and something sparks. It’s that rush of inspiration that only occurs whenever you encounter something bold, unique- something that you never knew you needed. At that moment, the only thing Groff could think about was creating a melody to the story she began to envision. The spark, which began with a song written by a duo thousands of miles away, transformed into the songwriter’s second musical release: “Hope, Wish, Pray.”
The Canadian native blends acoustic notes with an R&B beat to create a haunting sound. Groff, whose musical debut “Sun and Moon” came out earlier this year, is showcasing a darker, more intimate side. The songwriter chose not to cherry-pick the parts of her life she wanted to share in her music- instead, she opted to be authentic, even if it hurt.
“My music is so vulnerable and honest,” Groff said. “But with [Hope, Wish, Pray], it shared a part of me, but it [will also] resonate with a lot of people especially after the year that we’ve had.”
With a year full of isolation and unrest, Groff channeled those emotions into mastering her music. She was able to capture this aura of tension and uneasiness in the way the song shifts from an acoustic instrumental to an R&B melody. Something that seems to clash on paper, highlights the message of the song with lyrics like:
“You don’t know what I’ve been feelin’ lately / all this change is making me go crazy”
“Songwriting is basically me writing the things that I felt and was too scared to tell other people,” Groff said.
The vulnerability that comes along with making music is only possible when surrounded by a team that encourages it. So, Groff entrusted Sound of Kalima production duo Salil Verma and Peter Nieuwenburg to bring her vision to life. Much like many artists today, Groff does not identify with a singular genre and instead opts to create a sound that best fits each individual song.
“Pete and Sal never put you in a box,” Groff said about working with the duo. “They don't really believe in genres either so they're like 'let's just make a song and see what happens', which I think is beautiful.”
Collaborating with other musicians was new to Groff. She went from writing songs in the middle of class in college to learning music production in a make-shift recording studio. Groff found herself studying producing terminology and looking up how sound mixing worked. She wanted to walk into recording sessions knowing what she was looking for.
“It was also interesting working with someone else with music because normally I songwrite by myself,” Groff said. “So it was a really nice experience to finally share and see what other people think which was a little scary but also an amazing experience.”
However, when the pandemic hit, Groff and her team had to figure out how to create music while being separated. They found their new normal within Zoom calls, dozens of emails, and a DIY recording studio Groff set up in her bedroom. This was not uncommon for musicians during this time. What made it all worth it, Groff said, was reuniting with the people who helped make her songs possible after months of only seeing them through a screen and playing music all together.
Listening to Groff talk about what inspires her, it is obvious that the collection of people she has chosen to surround herself with have shaped her into a musician that is not afraid to pour her heart into her craft.
As Groff reminisced about her own musical growth, she thought about her grandma, whom she grew up listening to play the piano, guitar, and accordion. Her family, who allowed her to fall in love with creating music. Her partner, a fellow musician who guides her through the technical parts of producing songs and balances her out. Her producers who she says are the best hype men. Most importantly, she thought about how a career in music did not seem possible until someone else suggested it.
All of her experiences have helped her show up as the most authentic version of herself through her songwriting. It is what turns a spark of inspiration into a bold new sound from a musician that never stops working to become a better artist.
“I think it's important to sometimes let [your] vulnerability out because it makes other people feel like they’re not alone either,” Groff said.
Hope, Wish, Pray is out everywhere now. Listen here.