Today we’d like to introduce you to Ann Polednak.
Hi Ann, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
During the summer of 2017, my sister’s ex-boyfriend helped me rip a copy of Ableton suite so I could make Witch House, which was having a resurgence as a movement through bands like IC3PEAK, but I guess you could say I was late to the party. I adopted the name VIDEL as a way to separate myself from the art and give it its own life. I always tell people that “I” am not VIDEL and that VIDEL is the spirit I invoke through my art. Music is my religion, so it’s very important to me it comes from a place of honesty. If an artist stretches the truth to make themselves seem larger than life, oftentimes those fantasies end up manifesting themselves. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve written a song and didn’t discover its meaning until later down the line, so be careful what you wish for. I released my first single as VIDEL in the Autumn of 2019 with El Cuco Recordings and started doing shows shortly after, where I met my friends and co-conspirators NMX, PVTY KERRY, and SCYTHE, who introduced me to the underground scene. I had been hanging around on the LA goth/industrial circuit for some time, but the parties at CLUB FALLOUT matched my energy better. Dark, edgy, soulful, and above all else, alive. I’m all about pushing the envelope and accepting everyone for who they are. No dress codes, no holier-than-thou attitudes, just pure, honest force.
Outside of VIDEL, I’ve lived so many different lives. I work as an undertaker. I play North Indian classical music. I do fire performance. There’s so much that goes into being an artist that goes unseen to the listener, but the experiences shape and inform the story that’s being told. It is a beautiful thing to let music shape your life. There was a point in time when all I had was a laptop and a notion, now here I am 9 albums deep living the life I envisioned all those years ago. It’s not always easy keeping up with the wild fantasies of a younger me, but it’s brought me to some seriously outlandish places that, even then, I couldn’t have dreamed of, and if I had to do it all again, I wouldn’t change a thing.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
VIDEL was the gemstone born out of the most troublesome time of my life. I was 21 years old, the girl I moved out to LA with had just broken up with me, a drunk driver totaled my car and I had to move back in with my parents in Las Vegas. Whenever I’m in my hometown, and I have a lot on my mind, I like to decompress on my favorite rock at Calico Basin (a local hike on the back side of Red Rock Canyon). While I was climbing the tall rocks, I took a dramatic fall and severely fractured my left ankle. Some nearby hikers heard my screams and carried me to an ambulance. I remember biting onto a towel in the hospital sometime in between my three surgeries, praying for the greatest pain I had ever felt to subside. Still, that was nothing compared to the painkiller withdrawals and traumatic recovery that left me in a wheelchair for months. It was in that dark hole that I found my greatest treasure. VIDEL became my armor and my strength. Whenever life’s pain becomes too great to bear, your music will always be there for you. I feel it would be amiss to explain the obstacles of being an artist without mentioning the internal struggle we face as individuals whose job it is to be vulnerable and publicly deconstruct our emotions so that others can relate and empathize. My path as an artist has led me into a journey of gender expression and redefinition. I live a life of radical self-acceptance, and as VIDEL, I am formless, unconstrained by the limitations placed upon me by society. Free to exist in any space here, there or elsewhere so long as liberation remains at the center of my being. In a world where the artist’s purpose is exploited to sell merchandise, authenticity is met with brutal opposition. I have quite literally been handcuffed and dragged off stage mid-performance, but because of my dedication to the truth I am willing to go to any length to ensure my message is heard.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Music is the paint that colors the mind. It is the highest form of language and communication as its expressive capabilities are limitless. The uniting power of music is what pushes me to explore its many aspects and styles, so basically, I make whatever kind of music I want. I draw a lot of influence from the internet wave aesthetics of the twenty-teens like Vaporwave, Witch House, Bedroom Pop, Cloud Rap, Phonk, Lo-Fi, Hyperpop, Nightcore, and Synthwave, but every release is different. Some of my songs are super mellow and lyrical, and sometimes I make super loud and in-your-face rave music. It all depends on how I’m feeling in the moment. I’ve considered creating multiple egos to accommodate my eclectic personality, but I spend enough time managing just the one. Besides, following me on my musical escapades is part of the fun of listening to my music. I don’t think an artist should be held to one style, especially with the power of the internet at our disposal. At the moment, I’ve been getting hyped on the different dance genres popping up on the world’s stage, like Jersey Club, Baile Funk, Ama Piano, and Bhangra. I’m about to release my tenth album, “Playing With Water,” on 2/26/2024. It’s an instrumental wave project I started a couple years ago full of lush synth landscapes and organic textures. For so long, I’ve been pushing boundaries to impact the culture, but with this project, I’ve been focused on making my music accessible to everyone. I want to make beautiful music that even my mom can listen to and enjoy that reflects my sensitive nature. Music that really takes you somewhere.
The core message of VIDEL is decolonization and divination of the spirit. There are some seriously messed up things happening in the world, and sometimes, as individuals, we feel powerless in the face of things, but by connecting through the music, we have a chance to be heard. Live your truth if you can because for every person who is able to, there is someone who cannot, but for everyone who does, there is another who follows.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Be true to yourself. Music is important and should be treated as such. It has great value that transcends fame and riches. If that’s what you want, there are easier ways to get it. Music is the glue that holds the culture together, and whatever you put into it decides the future for the next generation, as we are the product of our influences. No pressure or anything. Have fun dance your way through life. Just remember the sacrifices made by those before you so that you can do what you do and know that one day, you will have to make sacrifices of your own if you decide to walk this path. There is so much real, local art coming from all walks of life. People come to LA from all over to tell their stories, and you might just pick up a free game if you know how to listen to it. So, get active, eat a concha, speak to an elder in the park, come to a house show in the valley, whatever you do, be right here and try not to get swept up in nosy melodramatics.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/yesvidel/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yesvidel/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yesVIDEL
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@videlwitch4091
- SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/yesvidel
- Other: https://linktr.ee/clubfallout
Image Credits
Raymond Loy
Israel Angeles
