Teen songwriter set to release second album

AT sixteen years old, Evie Charleson is forging a faster music output than many her age with a debut album under her belt and a follow-up on the way.

Performing under the pseudonym Véndetta, Charleson released her album sweet starlight in August and since then she’s been at work on her 16-song second effort titled Romanticise.

She said the new LP is showcasing a different direction for her.

“It’s more experimental than the first one where I was trying to go in this pop way,” she said.

“For the second one, I’m trying to make it sound more rock, alternative with 50s, 60s vibes, something a bit different.

“It’s more acoustic and natural than the other one with less effects. It’s nice to record by myself because I can be alone with my thoughts without people suggesting other things.”

Charleson started work on her 14-track debut in 2020 and recorded the songs in a DIY fashion from her home.

“It was recorded just at my house with my laptop with a microphone filter I’d taped to my desk,” she said.

Recording through Logic Pro on a laptop she’d spent two years saving up for, Charleson’s second album is set to release on digital platforms by July next year.

Inspired by artists like Pink, Guns N’ Roses, and Alanis Morissette, she began writing songs at age seven and performing them at school before starting work on her first album in 2020.

As well as her first release, this year also saw Charleson host her first songwriting workshop in late November through the City of Ballarat’s Youth Services.

She said she hopes to continue delivering workshops on all things music.

“The next one I want to do will be on production. I mainly taught myself how to do it just by messing around with it heaps and heaps,” she said.

“I feel like I’ve got a pretty good idea of writing songs so I wanted to share that and hopefully inspire people to start because I know some can get a bit scared about writing and performing.

“I was really nervous to start with but everyone was really nice and I know some of the people are still working on the songs they started writing for it.

With her second album upcoming, the next year will also see Charleson perform as part of Midsumma Festival in early February with her sister Bella, who creates music under the name Bratzilla.

“That’ll be the biggest gig I’ve played so far,” Charleson said. “A lot bigger than Irish Murphy’s.”

Charleson’s handful of live performances as Véndetta thus far include gigs at Irish Murphy’s, a Sonika open mic night, and an art exhibition at her school.