Viepsa: Creating Music Is About Silencing the Analytical Mind [Musician, 91.8k Followers, India]

Viepsa Interview

“I want both myself and my music to remain unadulterated by the world.”

Independent alternative pop artist Viepsa opens up about creating music from pure emotion, refusing to let the industry shape either her identity or her art. In this conversation, she reflects on vulnerability, belonging, and why staying "unadulterated by the world" matters more to her than chasing trends or validation.

Q. Your music has a very personal and atmospheric feel - do your songs usually begin with emotions, lyrics, or melodies first?

There’s always an overarching emotion lingering within me - often unconsciously - that eventually reveals itself every time I create something. Sometimes melodies arrive first, sometimes words, and at times they emerge together in perfect synchrony. Only once the song begins to unfold do I truly understand what I’m feeling.

It’s rarely straightforward. Outside of my art, I don’t consider myself particularly expressive emotionally. There isn’t a fixed formula or method behind my songwriting either. I’ve tried approaching it systematically before, but it quickly began to feel sterile and lifeless. For me, creating music is about silencing the analytical mind and allowing the emotional one to take over.

Q. As an independent artist, what has been the biggest challenge: creating music, being consistent online, or getting people to truly listen?

I think the greatest challenge has been allowing myself the freedom to simply exist as I am. Artists are not meant to be excessively curated or manufactured. Growing up, especially as a young girl, I was constantly surrounded by advice from people convinced they knew the formula for success. But eventually, I realised that no one understands what to do with you better than you do yourself.

The struggle has always been more internal and personal than external or tangible. Of course, there’s endless noise - thousands of artists, social media pressures, the constant demand for visibility - but ultimately, that all feels like a game. I’ve never doubted that I would be heard. Attention has never been the issue. What matters to me is remaining unadulterated by the world. I want both myself and my music to exist in their purest form. It’s a peculiar ambition because so much of perception is beyond our control, but as I grow older, I find myself caring less and less about controlling those variables.

Q. Living between different cultures and cities can influence creativity a lot - how has that shaped your sound and songwriting?

I’ve always been like a sponge - absorbing fragments of every city, culture, and experience I’ve encountered. It has been incredibly revealing in helping me understand what I truly find beautiful, what I value deeply, what deserves to be said, and what deserves to be remembered.

At the core of it all, humans are far more similar than they are different.

Ironically, I’ve never really felt like I belonged anywhere- not even in Delhi, the city I grew up in. Perhaps that’s why my art has become a bridge of its own: a space where I can stand, observe the world, and process it from a detached yet deeply intimate perspective. I’m genuinely excited to see what people take away from DELHI DELILAH.

Q. What’s one song you created that felt emotionally difficult to release because it was too personal?

“Gaayab” was definitely one of those songs. It arrived very early in my career, at a time when I wasn’t yet accustomed to being so publicly honest and vulnerable. Releasing it felt like exposing a deeply personal part of myself to the world. In many ways, the song marked the end of an era in my life, and the people who had been following my journey at the time could feel that shift too. Even today, I still receive messages about it.

Q. In the age of short-form reels and viral trends, how do you stay authentic as a musician without feeling pressured to constantly ‘perform’ online?

At this point, I feel far too multi-layered to be pressured by short-form content anymore. Honestly, I think it’s bloody brilliant that I can sit in my own room, look hot, sing my song, and have that translate into people genuinely listening - and eventually buying tickets to come see me perform live.

I’m a musician. I’m a performer. The world is my stage- baby, bring it on.

Q. If someone heard your music for the first time tonight, what feeling or thought would you want them to walk away with?

More than anything, I want people to feel present and important. There’s nothing more real than collective consciousness, and that’s the energy I want to tap into whenever I sing for someone.

I want people to remember that they are infinitely more than what systems and structures have conditioned them to believe. I want my music to feel like a warm embrace followed by a reassuring pat on the back - comforting, empowering, and awakening all at once.

With “I AM GOD,” I think I managed to express a fragment of that sentiment, but there’s still so much more I want to explore. Human beings are extraordinarily powerful, and that kind of self-realisation can be threatening to systems built on exploitation.

Q. Which artist or life experience changed the way you see music completely?

Lana Del Rey and A. R. Rahman are two artists who inspire me endlessly. They exist in entirely different sonic universes, yet share something deeply similar - they are incomparable to anyone else. Their emotional expansiveness transcends metrics, streaming numbers, charts, and industry validation.

To me, making music feels almost divine - like a responsibility entrusted to me by something far greater than myself. When I’m not singing, I genuinely feel like I’m drowning within myself. There has never been a timeline in which I imagined not doing this. That certainty came only after experiencing many different lives. I’ve worked as a chocolate salesgirl, a door-to-door marketer, a commercial manager for an events company, a sound therapist, a social media manager, and even an influencer of sorts. And honestly, I may continue exploring countless other paths because every experience enriches me, expands my perspective, and ultimately gives me more to write about.

Everything I do serves my art in some way. And yes - money is awesome. I love money, and money loves me.

Bio:

Viepsa is an independent alternative pop artist blending Western electronic pop with Indian influences. Her debut EP, Rumi’s Revenge, established her as a distinct voice in India’s alternative scene. Her single “Golden Hour” has achieved 3M+ plays on TikTok and 100K+ streams, while “Turbulence” continues to gain international traction. She also released the independent track “Bekadran” featuring Calm, which has crossed 100K+ streams. With a strong social media following, a clear visual identity, and a globally scalable sound, Viepsa sits at the intersection of Indian authenticity and international relevance.



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Interviewed by: Gunjan Joshi