Vicke Blanka

May 4 2022

Selector

Singer, songwriter and pianist Vicke Blanka chooses some of the tracks which directly influenced certain tunes on his recent release, ‘SUPERVILLAIN’.

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”.

Follow Vicke Blanka on Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Author: Ed Cunningham

Artist Tags: Vicke Blanka

Latest selectors

Blood Pick Me

Blood Pick Me

The Hatch

The Hatch

Taro Nohara

Taro Nohara

Boris

Boris