VERA BLUE: Both Sides Now

Celia Pavey, or Vera Blue as you’d likely know her, has been at the forefront of the Australian Music scene for the past eight years. With two new singles and more coming, Vera Blue is a name you’re going to hear a lot more of in 2022. But what about the woman behind the name Vera Blue?

Early in her career, Celia chose Vera Blue as a pseudonymous project name. She’s told the tale of how Vera Blue was born many a time, but Celia is yet to delve into Vera Blue’s actual identity and what makes her tick, until now. So, where does Vera Blue begin, and where does Celia Pavey end?

Turns out things go a touch deeper than you’d think. Vera Blue is more than a fashionable stage name, but rather an esoteric character and section of Celia Pavey’s identity that is expressed through raw sound, style and performance. Vera has developed alongside Celia, changing throughout the years, and she is expressed through the fiery performer that exists inside the humble Australian girl who is Celia Pavey.

“Performance – that’s when I feel Vera Blue is really unleashed,” Celia says. “It’s definitely just fun to be able to rock out!”

Unfortunately, it’s 2021 and with lockdown there’s not a lot of rocking out to be done, or Vera Blue to be unleashed. Celia even questioned if Vera Blue could go on.

“Lockdown was so hard: it was just that uncertainty and not knowing what was happening, it was all up in the air,” she said.

“That panic of ‘I don’t think I can survive’ really suppressed my creativity – I wasn’t inspired by anything, I couldn’t think, I couldn’t travel, I couldn’t tap into any kind of creativity that would bring on a really great inspirational song.”

Vera’s presence on a stage combined with her electrifying performance fills the atmosphere: Vera Blue is truly a woman to behold, not just in terms of performance, but in fashion as well. Over time she has developed into an Australian fashion icon, and it’s her style and fashion that also forms the essence of Vera Blue.

“It’s one of my favourite things,” Celia says about fashion. She also speaks highly of her friend and stylist Jana Bartolo, who helps to shape Vera Blue, both literally and figuratively.

“She is phenomenal, she pushes me in directions I’ve never been in before in terms of shapes and colours,” Celia said of Jana, and it’s this that helps make Vera Blue flow and exist with confidence and beauty. “[Fashion] gives me confidence as Vera Blue to feel, do, or perform in any way.”

So, style is clearly a big thing for Vera Blue. From the flowy floral dresses, to the elegant blazers, to the punk rock boots and everything in between, there isn’t much she can’t pull off.

“I love the glamour and also the punky style,” Celia said, as it’s stylish as hell, but also gives her the freedom to express herself on stage.

“I can’t really be wearing heels or be free to spin around and go crazy in heels. So one shoe that Jana puts me in is your classic Doc Martens; it’s so great, I can just stomp around.”

While Vera’s style has both form and function, it’s more than just aesthetics and comfort for her. Her fashion and flair comes from deep within; it’s formed by her sound and emotions, and serves as a supplement form of artistic expression alongside her music. She truly wears her inside on the outside.

“In terms of relating the music or phase I’m in creatively as Vera Blue, there are always colours,” Celia said. “I go for fashion that relates to the emotions I’m feeling, like for my new single Temper there’s the red and black – emotional and visual representation.”

Celia used colour as a chief form of expression long before Vera Blue existed: “In year 12 for my art major I created this artwork that had like, black, blue, red, green, yellow, and every colour depicted an emotion,” she said. “I’m very drawn to colours, and how they make you feel emotionally. I still think there’s that part of me in Vera Blue.”

Those powerful emotions and colours fill a lot of her world, performance, style, art, fashion, but most importantly, sound and life.

Celia says she also loves to walk around peacefully as totally herself, separate from Vera Blue. “I like having separation, because when I’m at home or when I’m out for a walk, I’m not Vera Blue, I’m not in that creative flow, I can just relax and be myself,” she said about it.

But when she needs that creativity and to create that sound, Vera Blue has it covered.

“When Vera Blue turns on, it’s performance, it’s in the studio,” Celia explained, “it’s a really deep moment where I know exactly what I want to hear, and the sounds I want to create. “There’s a powerful energy in the Vera Blue world.”

That powerful energy this time around has been channelled into her new song Temper. For Temper, Vera took on a powerful ’80s pop rock sound, with fuzzy bass that punches you in the face, Phil Collins-esque drums that fill the musical space like gunshots, angelic stacked vocals, and emotionally charged lyrics.

“There’s so much energy and so many different emotions,” she said.

“The lyrics are from a different place as well, delving into past memories and mental illness. I tapped into past relationships and drew out these emotions of actually having a short fuse, and that’s something I’ve had to suppress to not fuck things up.”

Upon experiencing Temper as a song, it’s clear that the suppression has led Vera Blue to a place of extreme expression that she has channelled comprehensively into the release – the single art, title, words, and sound, are all expression. Celia said this benefits her as well: “It actually helps being able to make music about certain emotions, because once you’ve gotten out in music you’re just like, ‘ah, I can finally let that go now’.”

This is where it all comes together, the fashion, colours, emotions, sound, Celia Pavey, and Vera Blue: they all play a part in creating the music and the art.

And as Celia’s been releasing music since 2013, it seems being Vera Blue has helped her know herself better.

“Music makes you see yourself differently, and helps you learn about yourself,” she said. “Music really makes a difference to an artist’s life: they learn things about themselves that they didn’t know.”

The comfort in the music isn’t just for her either: “The thing I love about music is that it’s not only for me; hopefully it will help other people, even if it’s just relating to it,” she said.

Vera Blue is truly an exceptional artist. Celia has turned a part of herself that exists in a wonderful space of creativity, art, music, fashion and expression into Vera Blue. The past year has been tough on everyone, but now there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, Celia is looking to get on the road again, with a new appreciation for herself and her music.

“It’s been a very special bonding experience with music, I think.”

We know the name, we know the woman, we know the art – get ready to hear more of Vera Blue, as she prepares to hit the stage this summer, with more music coming soon.

For more information about Vera Blue, her music and tours, visit verablue.com

Façon thanks the Worimi Local Aboriginal Land Council for their assistance and recognises the Original Custodians of Worimi Burray (Land).

WRITTEN BY LUKA FORMAN