Behind all the bombast, volume and sheen, the talent of Vicke Blanka is plain to see. An artist who specialises in chart-dominating pop of staggering scale, Vicke’s performances are driven by something humbler than the end product might indicate – his own piano work. That piano serves as the source of his melodies, a vehicle for his songwriting and the root of his overall strength.

Since debuting with his 2014 independent mini-album Tuberculin, Vicke has released four full-length studio works, including 2018’s breakout effort wizard. Over the years, he’s been a regular chart-topper on streaming services with a range of EDM anthems, synthpop bangers and piano ballads.

In many ways, Vicke’s most recent record SUPERVILLAIN is a celebration of his career so far. Its content decided via fan vote, SUPERVILLAIN compiles 36 of his biggest and most popular tunes so far onto a single work – and, in doing so, provides a rather phenomenal overview of the versatility and power of his songwriting.

In the wake of SUPERVILLAIN, we caught up with Vicke to curate a playlist for The Glow. He chose five songs from his recent work and explained each one through another track that had a vital influence on it. Below we’ve linked both the original Vicke Blanka track and its inspiration.

Listen to SUPERVILLAIN on Spotify and Apple Music.

 

Galantis – “Holy Water” (2019)

Influenced: “Soten no Vampire”I wanted to make a song that would be unconditionally uplifting. That's the feeling this song gives me.

 

Wham! – “Freedom” (1984)

Influenced: “Winter Beat”

This rhythm makes me feel good unconditionally, so I sublimated that rhythm into a song about winter.

 

Queen – “Killer Queen” (1974)

Influenced: “Slave of Love”

The way the piano carves out “Killer Queen” is exactly the inspiration for this song. I’m still inspired by Queen.

 

Ben Folds – “Not the Same” (2001)

Influenced: “Shirokuma” [White Bear]

I referred to how to carve a song out of a piano. Ben Folds is my great piano teacher.

 

Taylor Swift – “White Horse” (2009)

Influenced: “Walk”

This is a genius ballad, isn’t it? I remember setting it as the standard for the whole atmosphere of “Walk”.

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