We recently connected with Emily Krueger aka (Velvettica) and have shared our conversation below.

Emily, appreciate you joining us today. Can you tell us about a time that your work has been misunderstood? Why do you think it happened and did any interesting insights emerge from the experience?

Like most artists, I’ve totally felt misunderstood/mischaracterized at the start. I definitely felt the pressure to make music that fit with my appearance to be a package you could easily label and put in a box, to make others comfy. When I started producing I didn’t often get taken serious as a producer, being a feminine in a patriarchal industry. It got to me but I only used it as fuel. I think I wanted to prove to other females especially how we should break that stigma that producers (or even just guitar players) are typically dudes. I can see it normalizing now though which is cool to see.

We as humans are naturally layered. We can look a certain way but carry ourselves another. We can put on a cowboy hat but rap. Until someone made that “cool” let alone acceptable it wasn’t. You could say there’s a reason for a rhymes. But in reality we don’t need a reason to be what we wanna be.

The nature of humanity is hardwired with judgement. Our perception is so limited until we’re aware of how infinite we really are.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I was always obsessed with music. Since a kiddo it was all I wanted to do. My first instrument was piano. I started when I was 13, then guitar at 16/17. I’ve never known any theory, i just try to play what’s in my head regardless of what I think I can play or not. I think when I was young I wanted to do things differently, or do different things. I was drawn to guitar for the very reason that not a lot of girls played electric guitar that I knew of, and wondered why. It felt like I knew the instrument deeply right away.
I would love to tell you for the sake of an interview what sets me apart, but I never really see it like that. We’re all mostly same same but different, and the very message i hope i can send is just that. we’re all so interconnected and at the core have the same essence made from the same light. Even when you think you’re so different from someone, just get to know them and you’ll find out you’re not. For some maybe that in itself is what could set me apart -the message.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

Gaining a social media presence was complete fluke for me. I started posting guitar videos when I was 17 because that was really the only way I knew how to show who I was online. I had absolutely no idea that there was a whole niche crew of people already doing that, until I saw big music pages reposting my videos and saw the others. Back then no one really knew or capitalized on “niches “ but we now know that’s what we need to find for ourself. But for me that was just who I was and it wasn’t something I needed to think about or brainstorm about like so many artists think nowadays. Like literally just do you and who you are. I see more people creating their own niche with simply their own personality than any cap cut template trend or catchy hook for a video or whatever. That’s all useful stuff and a great exercise but I think to cut through the only way is to be your own unique frequency, that’s the only thing on earth no one will have seen before. Great things happen when your intention is not to grow numbers but just to express yourself in the fullest realest way.

Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?

Non creatives might not have a burning passion to where they know, even if they sometimes doubt, that there can’t be a plan b. Its plan a or bust. It can seem like pure insanity, which is totally and completely valid because for most artists there is a long time before they find stability. To non creatives you’re living out the definition of insanity – “doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.” Now it’s not technically the same thing as we’re always changing , re iterating , and growing as artists but you know what I mean. To the outside world it can seem that way til things start coming through for the artist.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.velvettica.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilykrueger?igsh=NXRvdzd2MXFmcW5w&utm_source=qr
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@velvetticamusic?si=nNQ5MYIG-3d03lq8
• Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@velvetticamusic?_t=ZN-8uTYroDNroF&_r=1

Image Credits

First four – Dana Trippe
Last three (guitar) – Lindsey Ruth