Van Hechter is a pop artist who grew up between Canada, France, and the U.S.A who we have featured a few times. He is back with a new single “I Am” taking from his strongest album to date; ”Love Elastic”— We decided to catch up with Van to discuss this single and his journey so far…
How has 2021 been for you so far?
Strangely 2021 has been full of trepidation so far! I started the year going through such extreme emotions; passion, lust, desperation, heartbreak, more love, and lust found elsewhere, joy, old friendships reconfirmed, and new ones emerging… Meanwhile one of my songs was #1 in Chicago. It was crazy! And I got crazy as a result– good crazy, mostly! LOL!
Do you feel as though, there is a more positive outlook for the rest of the year?
Well, I suppose it depends where you are… NYC and the USA, in general, are doing well, Europe isn’t… South America, well…
Your brand new single is called “I Am” from the album “Love Elastic”. What is the story behind “I Am”?
I just sat down, wrote my strengths and flaws- now. This is who I am at this age. I wanted to be honest about it. And it was a fun process- to not sugar coat me.
The video was shot between December and March in California via Florida. Was it a huge challenge filming a music video during the lockdown and how did you overcome these challenges?
In this case- easy. I just filmed myself whenever I had time, a friend shot Florida and Palm Springs… We kept it simple.
What’s the concept of the video and who came up with the concept and storyboard for the video?
The concept came from me. I’m very scrappy LOL! I say ”use everything”… I was there, the weather was gorgeous… I started filming little videos for my godchildren, cousins abroad… At some point I thought; ”Ok this is the next video”. As simple as that!
Your music is usually based on personal experience. Do you think your next album will document lockdown or would you prefer to avoid tapping into that negative experience?
HELL NO! I refuse to do COVID songs lol! I’ve got 2 albums in the making… One is about homosexuality in the 2020’s- how far we’ve come yet how much work is ahead, the other is about great hearts and the power of infinite love.
“I am full of love, full of life- everything is music I believe in magic”, that is a line from your new single “I Am”. Not many people have managed to achieve a balance of being full of love and full of life. What would you say are your top 5 tips to get people especially young people to start loving themselves more?
Tip 1: Don’t be afraid of looking like a fool. Those who laugh at you for being you ARE the fools!
Tip 2: So what if you fail? Still better than trying nothing!
Tip 3: Never ever ever ever give up on dreams you feel make sense in your gut.
Tip 4: Find your own beauty- inwards and out. Don’t let social standards rule- invent your own fabulousness and glow.
Tip 5: Friendship can truly turn into the family if you pour enough love into it- but you gotta pick the right people.
What is next for your music in the future and what can your fans expect from you?
Well- as mentioned earlier, I have 2 albums in the making… I just want to play live in front of as many audiences as possible in as many cities as I can! What should my fans expect?? I will be irreverent when I’m supposed to conform and submit. I will be well-mannered/posh in vulgar environments.
Any final last words to all those who consistently continue to support you and to our readers?
Darlings, darlings, darlings; where would I be without you? You’ve made me a full man. You are everything to me.