Sound CheckVictoria Duffield dishes on her debut album “Shut Up And Dance”
Fresh off the high of debuting her first album, "Shut Up And Dance," Abbotsford, B.C.'s own Victoria Duffield sat down with Yahoo! Canada Music to share her record's secrets, how she feels about working with Cody Simpson and what she's doing to prepare for touring.
"It's good luck to buy your CD the day of release so I got to go to a store and see my album on a shelf and I'll never forget that feeling," the 17-year-old said recounting what happened the day her record dropped. "I spotted it and it was so cool to see and finally have my album out. It felt like this dream that I've had for so long finally happened and came true." (See a photo of Duffield buying her album here.)
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Duffield, who was previously known as a top six contestant on season three of YTV's "The Next Star" and has also appeared on shows like "Smallville" and "Supernatural," thinks that one of her greatest accomplishments on this record is that she had a hand in writing all of the tracks on it.
"It's a true achievement especially because I co-wrote all of the songs on the album," she said. "It really feels like I have a part of me out there now for people to listen to and my fans to absorb and get to know me better by listening to it. I had never anticipated co-writing all of the tracks on my album because I never saw myself as a songwriter growing up so I didn't think that I would be able to."
The young artist says that she mostly writes from personal experience and by observing those around her and has even used one of her close friend's relationships as the inspiration behind her third single, "Break My Heart."
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"'Break My Heart' is about one of my really good friend's relationships and she doesn't know that, I haven't told her," she admitted. "That song is important to me and after seeing her go through it, I wanted to write it hoping she would realize that this guy's not right for her and she's better off on her own. I thought maybe that when she heard the song she might realize that it's about her, but she hasn't and she's actually back with that guy again."
For her fourth single, "They Don't Know About Us," Duffield got to work with Australian pop sensation Cody Simpson and plans on filming the video for the song in Toronto sometime in the near future.
"I met him over the MuchMusic Video Awards weekend [in June] and got to go out for dinner with him and a few people from the record label," Duffield, who says her favourite Simpson song is "Wish You Were Here." "He is so nice, down-to-earth and really talented and from there it all came together. I feel really honoured and excited to have him featured on my debut album."
Up next for the Canadian singer is a tour beginning in September supporting Simpson and American boy band Big Time Rush, which she has been diligently preparing for.
"I have been waiting to go on tour forever," she said. "To get ready for it I've been training a lot during the summer on my own by running on my treadmill and singing at the same time, which builds stamina. Dancing and singing at the same time is something that I've always been comfortable with but it's interesting how much less out of breath I am near the end of training compared to the start."
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One artist that has mastered the art of performance is newly appointed "X Factor" judge Britney Spears, who is also one of the only celebrities that Duffield says she would be truly star struck by.
"I sometimes wonder if I'll cry if I am ever in her presence," the singer, who cites Spears' tune "Stronger" as her favourite, said. "She's the one person who I actually fear I might cry if I ever get to meet her. I hope that if I ever do, that it's when I'm in a place where my career is standing at a point where I've accomplished a lot and can thank her for influencing and inspiring me when I was younger."
Check out Duffield's newest clip "Break My Heart" featured below and look for her on tour next month.
Check out her new track featuring Simpson, "They Don't Know About Us, " and look for Duffield on tour next month.
