Geelong-based singer-songwriter Demi Violet has been making waves over the last few years with her achingly beautiful ballads, soundtracking moments of reckoning and raw reflection through hypnotic upheavals that hit hard and leave a lasting mark.
Demi Violet, real name Demi Valitutti, has firmly established herself as an up-and-coming indie star, whose raw emotions, intimate reflections, and radiant sounds capture life’s fragile, breathtaking wonder.
From taking Facebook by storm with her raw, soul-wrenching rendition of ‘Crave You’ by Flight Facilities back in 2017 and studying at Oxygen College, to performing live across the state and being named Festival of Sails Emerging Artist runner-up, Demi draws from a lifetime of experience. Singing from a young age, Demi was destined to become the purveyor of intimate emotion and uninhibited, unrestrained self-expression she is today.
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“I started singing at around seven years old. I’d come home from school and sing for hours on end,” Demi says.
“I was obsessed with music and would choreograph entire shows with costume changes, song transitions and get all of my family involved. It was a healthy form of escape for me and also helped me connect to myself from a young age.
“As soon as I’m alone and come into silence, I start singing. It’s like an automatic reflex. I sing a lot while driving and often end up writing songs without even intending to,” Demi adds, explaining her approach to songwriting now.
“Usually a melody and lyrics come to mind and then I figure out the harmonic side later on, by adding chords and other instruments. The meaning of the song typically comes later, as the varying pieces of my subconscious merge and form something unified. I might start singing about how I feel alone but then the song evolves into a perpetual sense of stuckness and a resignation to that.”
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Citing Tom Waits, Annie Lennox, Kate Bush as overarching influences, Demi has been able to find individuality as an artist, with the ability to dwell in incredibly intimate depths; exploring the human shadow and bringing light to the darker aspects of herself, while soaring to incredible heights with her hauntingly beautiful vocal ability.
Detailing life events, as well as some of her most vulnerable, personal moments, Demi allows listeners a glimpse into her life and develops a bond with her audience, adding a depth to her music that so many others lack.
“My songs reflect different parts of my personality and experiences. The one that feels most resonant at the moment is ‘Misanthrope’ (though I really do like humans). I wrote this song when I was extremely isolated and felt that all of my relationships were breaking down. My spiritual connection was deteriorating and every day was groundhog day.
“In certain relationships I felt like I was loved for my potential and not for the person I presently was. I was slowly cutting ties with depression and losing the identification I had with darkness. But I had to take my own path and even if that meant losing almost everybody, I could only do the best with what I knew at the time. I eventually came to a place where I gave up on contorting myself to gain acceptance from people. I learned that in bending for the sake of being liked, you lose yourself and that was absolutely not worth it to me.”
Brooding, hypnotic and visceral, Demi’s music is a beacon of ethereal energy and philosophical reflection; her moody voice in alignment with her piano hands exudes emotion beyond her years, pouring her full self into every song and proving her notable worth as a naturally gifted live artist.
“Performing live is my favourite feeling in the world. I love that I get to share things that are so unfiltered and raw but are so universal. Music can make those shameful things beautiful. It can tap into an understanding beyond a cerebral level and can get you at a heart level. It helps me to figure out my emotions. Most of all, music allows me to be wide open when I choose to be.”
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Lulling us into a trance with each and every word, the past few years saw Demi step away from the stage while building upon the soul-stirring sonics and heartrending lyricism we’ve come to know and love about this singular singer/songwriter.
“I have a very fast, overactive brain and am a master at constructing obstacles to keep me safe inside my hermit bubble. I actually took a 3-4 year break from performing publicly but was still chipping away at my music behind the scenes, which was quite an isolated process. Lately I’ve been sharing more of myself and regaining the freedom of expression I had when I was a kid. I’m learning to embrace that I can’t control how people respond to that. It feels really freeing and I intend to keep doing that.”
With a radiant and authentic return to the stage, the musician’s time away clearly paid off, placing her as without a doubt one of 2023’s most deserving artists to watch.
“I’ll be playing lots of live solo shows around Melbourne and fleshing out my songs with a band,” Demi adds. “I find collaboration to be such an intimate experience so I’m looking to work with musicians who I’m on a similar wavelength with both musically and personally.”
Keep up with the latest news and new music from Demi on Instagram and Facebook.
