BIO
With a style that is a unique mash-up of old school soulful tones, infectious melodies and LOTS of energy, Viv May is an Artist/DJ that is sure to grab your attention.
Breaking the mould, Viv is known not just for her signature vocals but for her skills behind the decks. An in-demand DJ, she can be found spinning the hottest hits, remixes and cherry-picked gems in venues across London such as Golden Bee, Roadtrip & The Workshop and McQueen, Shoreditch to name a few.
Already on the radar of some major players, Viv’s songs have been supported by the likes of Radio 1, Ministry of Sound Radio and sister label of Shogun Audio, SGN:LTD.
“For me, it’s all about the listeners. It’s my mission to make people forget everything for a few minutes and just get lost in the music.”
Viv’s love for the listeners is clear not just in her own songs but in her song selection when DJing – adapting to each crowd to take them on a journey across every inch of the dancefloor.
Recognised for her vocal and songwriting ability, Viv was selected to write and record a remix of Zero T’s song ‘Refusal’ which is used as part of the Drum & Bass Course at the award-winning Pointblank Music School.
Following this, Viv went on to catch the eyes and ears of over 100,000 viewers when she took part in the Ableton Push Challenge: Alongside renowned producer Ski Oakenfull (Joey Negro), Viv wrote and recorded an undeniably clever and catchy song in less than an hour, all whilst being broadcast live on YouTube.
Viv also partnered with Native Instruments at the world’s largest event dedicated to DJing and Electronic Music Production, BPM 2014, where her smooth vocals were used to showcase the new Maschine Studio.
Explaining where it all began, Viv recalls childhood memories of standing on a chair in the living room singing songs by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston along with her favourite dance classics by the likes of Baby D, Corona and N-Trance. “I feel like those songs have really influenced me as an artist.. I’ve grown up listening to and loving soulful tunes and dance music so I’ve got those guys to thank for my voice and energy!” Viv says grinning.
Fast forward some years, Viv found herself juggling university, many late-night recording sessions and working part-time teaching English to underachieving students. It was during a life-changing conversation between Viv and a student that the penny dropped about her own destiny: “I felt so strongly about how important it was for the students to believe in themselves, I used to go on and on about how they could achieve any grade they wanted and be anything they wanted [laughing] I’m sure they thought, ‘here Miss goes again with her speech’ but it dawned on me when I was talking to this one student that, here I was telling him he could do and be anything he wanted and I wasn’t giving everything I could to what I was really passionate about, music.”
After this, Viv decided to focus on pursuing her passion and it seems that success is following right behind her.
The summer of 2014 saw Viv release two songs: ‘Lost’, with Incognito, which was supported by Radio 1 Xtra and Ministry of Sound Radio, and ‘Albatross’ with Phase, which was released on Demand Records and reached No. 36 in Beatport’s Top 100 Drum & Bass chart.
Viv followed up with two releases on Dispatch Recordings – featuring on DLR’s ‘Seeing sounds’ album in March, 2015 and Amoss’ ‘Shadow Theories’ E.P. in October of the same year.
2016 saw Viv headline at the prestigious Notting Hill Arts Club and close the year with an incredibly popular remix competition endorsed by Samplephonics, KV331 Audio (SynthMaster) and Pointblank and supported by media powerhouse Data Transmission – the hottest upcoming producers remixed her original acapella ‘Don’t Make Me Say It’.
Now, having experimented with different styles and dabbled in production, Viv promises that there is exciting music just around the corner.