Shimmering signature ice-colored hair, swagger turned up to eleven, and a magnetic voice booming, Vali could’ve stepped right out of a late fifties musical written by Tarantino. For her 2017 Vali EP on Rostrum Records, the New York-born and Los Angeles-based pop maverick finds just as much influence in the works of Audrey Hepburn and Alfred Hitchcock as she does in 21st century R&B and hip-hop. However, the songstress describes what she does best.

“My music is a vintage fashion magazine,” she elaborates. “It’s more how it feels than just a sound. Ever since I was a little kid, I always felt like I was not of this time. I loved the fashion and vibe of the fifties and sixties. Everything looked faded and out-of-focus, but it was still beautiful, pure, real, and raw in different way. I’m not so HD.”

Locked in the studio for most of 2015 and 2016, she quietly honed her style and recording countless songs in the studio. Vali’s sound reflects a carefully assembled mosaic of sticky pop, bombastic theatricality, and vintage fashion throughout the Vali EP. On the first single “Ain’t No Friend of Mine,” her vocal strut takes center stage over an unpredictable handclap bounce punctuated by a xylophone break. Produced by T-Baby [Major Lazer’s “Light It Up”], she carries the towering refrain with gusto and grit.

Get to know Vali in her own words:

My sound in five words or less: Vintage fashion magazine.

Best part of making this video: Working with Laurieann Gibson, the choreography, and working with the incredible dancers I got to share the screen with!

What inspires your art: Movies, theater, and fashion inspire my art.

Explain the concept of the song in one sentence: In a world full of judgement and hate, let’s choose love; all the rest ‘ain’t no friend of mine.’

Instagram, Twitter, or Snapchat?: I use IG and Twitter most, both @Vali.

What goes down in my DMs: If I told you it wouldn’t be in my DMs.

Favorite emoji: The alien 👽.

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/vali

Watch her video on REVOLT TV the week of March 12th, and let us know your thoughts by tweeting @RevoltTV and using the hashtag #SpotlightOnREVOLT