Interview by John Wisniewski for MK ULTRA Magazine
Sapphira Vee recently released “Unfolding,” her ninth full-length studio album on the Pittsburgh-based label Distortion Productions. With amazing rhythms and raw sensuality, “Unfolding” features equal parts fantasy and science fiction to get its message across. The new album offers a well-crafted counterpoint to the real-world commentary of Sapphira Vee’s critically acclaimed 2023 album “Fortune.” This new album also features a guest appearance by Jim Semonik of Red Lokust who runs the Distortion label. Sapphira Vee was gracious with her time as we asked a few questions about the project, her inspiration and the future.
Bandcamp:
https://sapphiravee.bandcamp.com/album/unfolding
John Wisniewski : What was the experience like recording your latest release “Unfolding”?
Sapphira Vee : This experience was unique because all the lyrics came first. I had written short stories which I lyricized, so then I had to create vocal melodies and music around them. I’m not used to working that way, but it was a great challenge. I feel like it stretched me as an artist, it made me think about songwriting completely differently. And those are all good things if you don’t want to get stale doing the same thing over and over. I would call it a growth experience. It’s also a very honest release because a couple of the songs are autobiographical. I’m not used to exposing myself like that in my music, so that was extremely difficult, and it made me a bit hesitant, but I’m feeling pretty good about it now.
JW: Do you like to incorporate new sounds into the creation of your music? Is every release different for you?
SV: I absolutely like to bring new sounds into each track I’m writing. New patches, new samples, found sounds, whatever fits the song really. I found a train sample for the beginning of HD109833 that I manipulated a bit because I didn’t necessarily want it to be obvious that the entire story was actually happening on a train. But yeah, I like to keep things fresh and keep integrating new sounds into each new release.
And yes, I try to create a different vibe around every release, some sort of theme, with certain sounds that are constant threads throughout the entire release. Aerial Human was really about a metamorphosis in life, while Fortune was a bit more retrospective. They both had a completely different feel to them, both sonically and in the subject matter.
JW: What inspires you to write your lyrics?
SV: Specifically, in Unfolding, a couple of the songs were about personal experiences. And I’ve done that before on another releases. But some of them are also straight up science fiction. And those were inspired by my love of that genre. Previous releases were a combination of personal thoughts, experiences, and sometimes just playing with words – what they mean and how they sound. For instance, the last song on Fortune is called “Last”, but isn’t called that because it’s the last song on the album, the track is actually about something that lasts, as in “endures”. Also “Lost Your Found” is play on a line from Alice in Wonderland that was quote in a Star Trek Discovery episode
JW: Will you be playing any live shows to support Unfolding? Do you enjoy playing live?
SV: I love to play live. I have absolutely no stage fright at all, and I feel completely free when I am performing. I’m a fairly social person and performing my music for people is almost like a conversation I’m having with them from the stage, except, obviously I’m doing most of the talking :). I also love meeting and working with other bands who I may have met online, but never have met in person before. I had a great time doing the Electronic Saviors 7 tour with my Distortion Productions label mates over the summer. We are hoping to do more touring in the summer of ‘26 and I would love to play a couple festivals.
JW: Any favorite bands, Sapphira? Any favorite artists?
SV: There are a number of artists that I find inspiring within our own scene, and I could probably spend hours rattling them all off by name, but you can likely hear a lot of them on our weekly radio show “Situation 47 with Melodywhore and Sapphira Vee”. That is one of the things I do to support our scene.
But if you’re asking about influences, I like a lot of different types of music. I grew up listening to Motown, Diana Ross was one of my first idols, and as a young child I also began listening to classical music, specifically Baroque. Then as I got older, I got into, first, punk and then electronic bands like Kraftwerk. Probably my biggest inspiration has always been David Bowie.
JW: What do you like to do when not performing?
SV: I’m really into physical fitness, more because of how it makes me feel mentally and emotionally, so I work out and run religiously. But honestly, one of my favorite things to do is to spend time with my daughters who are now 19 and 23. My older daughter is in Georgia doing graduate work, but my younger daughter is a 2nd year college student here in Chicago – and time with her is absolutely precious.
I also like to check out new restaurants and try different types of cuisine as well, which is super easy with so many great restaurants here in Chicago. I don’t know if I’d call myself a foodie because that feels like next level to me, and I do like a good wine also.
JW: Any future plans and projects?
SV: So, what’s on deck next is to finish a second EP which I will combine with Unfolding on a physical release next summer. I’m also working on some things to support Unfolding, including videos and other promotional activities.
And have some things cooking with side projects, but nothing I can be public about yet. I’m a big fan of collaborating with other artists so when I get tapped on the shoulder, I almost always say yes!!
JW: Any stories about being a performer?
SV: Ha ha, my life as a performer hasn’t been that juicy unfortunately!! And the little juice that I have I can’t really talk about cause I don’t want to embarrass anyone! I will say I did have a blast doing our short Electronic Saviors tour this summer. I was in a car with Jenn, my guitar player who is also a Distortion artist with her own project called Traumabond, along with Erika, Go Fight’s drummer, and her girlfriend Emily, and the four of us ladies never stopped laughing the entire time. We still laugh, about just all the silly little things we did and said on the road, when we see each other and hang out. Overall, all my experiences have been super positive, and as I said before, I’ve met so many great people along the way. It’s one of the rewards of being part of this community.