Pure Personality: Inside the Maximalist World of Vella

Vella is wearing leopard jacket + corset.

With a fiery personality, a magnetic stage presence, and an aesthetic that effortlessly bridges the gap between high-energy disco-glam and free-spirited '70s hippie-chic, powerhouse vocalist Vella is redefining what it means to be a modern soulful artist. From viral TikTok covers to electrifying global stages like the NFL Kickoff and European tours, she commands attention not just with her explosive vocal dynamics, but with her raw, uncompromising authenticity. For Vella, music and style are completely intertwined, a visual and celebration of maximalism, storytelling, and pure, unfiltered confidence. All My Love singer, Vella, talks about the visual inspiration behind her tracks, her thrift-heavy wardrobe essentials, and why she will always choose a raw story over a middle-of-the-road trend.

Vella is wearing striped dress with white platform boots.

Your aesthetic is a gorgeous blend of disco-glam and hippie-chic. How do you translate the high-energy glitter of the disco era and the free-spirited nature of the 70s into your live performances?
People always describe my personality as very fiery and outgoing, and I feel like my style reflects that because it’s very out there, vibrant, and maximalist. For me to be able to showcase who I am as an artist, I have to showcase how I’m feeling. With any of the outfits I wear during a performance, people are like, "Yeah, that's Vella. That definitely fits her vibe and her personality." Whenever I'm backstage putting my outfit on, I’m like, "This is Vella. We're ready to go." It's about putting everything on the line, pure, raw personality. At the end of the day, the outfit really just elevates it. It’s cool to use fashion as a way to truly project my personality on stage.

When you are looking for outfit inspiration on Pinterest, what is the specific "spark" that tells you a piece is perfect for your personal brand?
Anything that screams maximalism! Anything minimalist makes me want to gag. I don’t like anything of that sort; anything bland just has no soul to it. It has to scream personality. I look for anything that stands out to me and anything I think no one else would normally wear. I love experimenting with that, thinking outside the box when it comes to colors and patterns you don't normally see together. For example, for one of the outfits I styled, it was literally a belt top. I gravitate toward things you don't normally see people wear because it feels unique to me. Anything that's middle-of-the-road, I'm like, "Get out of the shower with that, no way!" I love that whimsical feel, very unique, very true to Vella.

Vella is wearing patchwork top with bell bottoms.

Your look is incredibly colorful and funky. Do you find that certain colors or textures correlate with the specific mood of the songs you’re writing?
Oh, 110%. For example, with Dance Without You, when I was writing it, I always thought of it as a very funky disco vibe. I immediately envisioned gold sequin bell bottoms. But I also like to experiment by blending the '70s with Y2K, so I did a Y2K-style top paired with '70s bell bottoms to give it a modern twist. On the other hand, I also write ballads. I have this song called Dead Roses which is really sad. When it came to that track specifically, I visualized darker, earthy tones, dark purples, dark reds, and black. When I write, I have to visualize the imagery first. Dance Without You was always gold to me, like gold sequins, while Dead Roses was dark and earthy. To really complete a song, I have to see it, and that involves figuring out what I would wear with it. That’s why when I’m creating content for a track, I know exactly what to wear because I’ve already visualized it from the start.

The 70s were a pivotal time for self-expression. How does stepping into your "funky" wardrobe change your headspace before you get on stage?
Yes, because I get to dress like me. I'm dressing for Vella, which is a massive part of me, and a part of Gabby, which is my actual name. Whenever I get to wear stuff that I feel confident and comfortable in, my whole personality truly shines. I don't feel insecure or weird because, at the end of the day, even when I was a kid, I never really cared what anyone thought of me. My thing was always to wear whatever the hell I wanted, and if someone didn't like it, they could say goodbye! I want that to be a message to people: wear whatever the hell you want at the end of the day. Wear what you feel comfortable in, what you feel passionate in, and what feels like you. It’s always been like that for me, and it’s never going to change. When you start worrying about what other people think of your clothes, the audience can feel that lack of confidence. It's so important to just own it. It's all about confidence.

Vella is wearing faux fur green coat.

When you’re in the studio, how do you decide which parts of a song need that gritty power versus a more vulnerable, soft touch?
I love dynamics when I record. When I'm in the zone and feeling vulnerable, it comes out naturally, but sometimes I just let my emotions out, happy or sad, and let it flow. It depends on what I'm feeling in the moment and where I am in the song. I usually save the gritty parts toward the end to really drive the story home. It creates a roller coaster effect for the listener where we ease into it, and then when the gritty, brassy parts hit, it feels like an explosion where all the emotions start pouring out. At the end of the day, recording a song has to feel like a story for me and a story for the listener. I want people to feel that. Depending on the song, I'll either save those powerful moments or bring them out right off the bat. If it's a really high-energy track, I'll use that grit a lot, but if it's a mid-tempo ballad, I'll save it for the grand finale. It all comes down to the story.

What was the vocal recording process like for the Dance without you track? Did you have to tap into a specific memory to get that performance?
Absolutely. I was dealing with a relationship at the time, and long story short, the person really wasn't right for me, even though we really vibed at first. At the end of the day, you just have to keep moving forward, and that's exactly how I was feeling. I wanted to showcase that exact emotion in the song. Another big factor was that I was heavily inspired by one of my favorite artists, Gwen McRae. She did this specific vocal riff in her song Funky Sensation, where she sings "all this love that I'm giving", and that’s actually where I got the inspiration for the chorus. It really inspired me because it related so perfectly to what I wanted to say. I wanted to pay homage to her style and show appreciation for what an amazing artist and vocalist she is. Incorporating a bit of her riff style was a really cool touch. When I was writing, I was just dealing with that relationship and realized, “You know what? I've got to let it out and put it on the track.”

Vella is wearing lace top with vest.

You’re known for a magnetic stage presence, from the NFL Kickoff to touring Europe. How do you prepare your voice for the physical demands of such a high-energy live show?
The stage has always felt like home to me because I've been performing ever since I was a kid, I was actually part of a performance group for nine years. When people ask how I prepare, the truth is that when I step on stage, the nerves disappear because it’s second nature to me. However, I do a lot of vocal prep. I do 20 minutes of vocal warm-ups, and I use an herbal throat spray that soothes and lubricates my vocal cords, which helps a lot if my voice is feeling tight. I also drink a ton of tea. Another thing that helps is meditation, just to ground myself before going out there. I'll pump myself up with positive affirmations like, "You've got this, girl. You're confident, you're going to do amazing, and they're going to love these songs." Positive affirmations take you very far. I just want to ensure my voice is in tip-top shape.

Between bell bottoms, fringe, and sequins, do you have a "go-to" silhouette that makes you feel most like "Vella" when you’re performing?
I love my velvets, so I wear a lot of velvet bell bottoms. Lately, I’ve been wearing a lot of True Religion jeans, specifically low-rise, bell-bottom denim paired with a cute, whimsical top. That’s been my vibe recently. A good denim bell-bottom look with a cute tank top feels very raw and authentic to me. I also love unique pieces, so I’ll often pull items I've thrifted, vintage clothing I’ve picked out, or any whimsical top. I love suits, too! I'll gladly pull up to a show in a suit with a cute little tank top underneath. It all depends on what I’m feeling in the moment or the specific vibe of the show. I might throw on a pair of cute sunglasses and then toss them into the crowd on stage. Sometimes I'll wear heels, but then I'll take them off because performing barefoot makes me feel incredibly grounded. But right now, I'm loving my low-rise True Religions. You can't go wrong with those and a cute fur coat.

Did your musical sound evolve to match your 70s fashion vibe, or did the aesthetic come first and help shape the music you create?
At the end of the day, it all correlates with my taste in music. I grew up listening to a lot of classic rock, soul, and blues. When I was a kid, I would go on YouTube for hours and look up vintage live performances, and I still do that to this day. That’s where I get so much of my performance and fashion inspiration. I look at what they were wearing back then and think, "Wow, I can take inspiration from this look and bring it to my own show." Analyzing what artists wore on stage back in the day was a huge part of developing my fashion sense. Then Pinterest came along, and that was a wrap! I love my Pinterest; I am on there all the time. It's my home. When it comes to my inspiration as an artist, it always stems from live performances. I used to spend hours in my room watching my favorite artists, studying how they maneuvered in their outfits and how comfortable they looked. You can tell when an artist is completely in their element, and you can feel the exchange of energy between them and the audience. It’s always been live performances that inspire me the most.

Between your viral TikTok covers and your original albums like All My Love, you’ve stayed very true to your "soulful" roots. What do you hope listeners feel specifically when they hear the tone of your voice, beyond just the lyrics of the song?
I hope they feel the rawness and the genuine emotion I put into my music. I want them to feel like they can relate to exactly what I’m saying. My ultimate goal is for people to walk away from my music feeling empowered and emotionally moved, taking a step back to think, "Oh my god, this girl is for real. I relate to her 110%." I want them to be truly impacted by it. Ever since I was a kid, my dream and passion have been to perform for people, to perform for my fans, and to make them feel something. I want to help them feel confident in themselves, remind them that they aren't alone, and ensure they have a good time at the end of the day. I want people to dance their hearts out when they listen to my music and just feel absolutely everything. That has always been the goal, and it always will be.

CREW CREDITS:
Talent: Vella
PhotoBook Editor-In-Chief: Alison Hernon
PhotoBook Creative Director: Mike Ruiz
Photographer: Aaron Jay Young
Fashion Stylist: Vella
Hair + Makeup: Cooper HB
Tearsheets by Daniel López, Art Director, PhotoBook Magazine
Interview by Lily Kalbasz, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine

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Alison Hernon#singer, #70s hippie, #70s chic, #soul, #disco, #glam, #style, #music, #thrif, #Y2K, #YouTube, #True Religion, #bell bottoms, #low-rise