The Loop
Julianne Beffa
VASSY: The Australian Star Redefining Dance Music with Soulful Ballads and Festival Roots
- By: Adriana Bolanos
Hazy…
Before the tours, festivals, and global dance hits, VASSY‘s love for music started in the most unassuming way, at home, listening to her siblings blast ’90s house tracks on the radio. “The energy, the melodies, it just made me feel alive,” she recalls. “I didn’t know it then, but that rhythm was already shaping my path.”
Born and raised in Australia with Greek roots, her sound was shaped by contrast. “It gave me balance,” she says. “Australian openness with Greek soul. I grew up hearing bouzouki and going to parties where everyone danced. That duality taught me to fuse energy with emotion, and that’s really the core of my music.”
While her career took off with high-energy festival bangers, her latest single, “HAZY,” marks a shift. It’s moody, stripped-down, and deeply personal. “After years of making tracks that lit up dance floors, I wanted to go inward. ‘HAZY’ is about pulling back the curtain and revealing who I am underneath the beats.”
She describes the track as “warm melancholy.” “I was in this space of uncertainty, questioning everything, missing something I couldn’t name,” she shares. “But it wasn’t heavy. It felt like remembering a dream you didn’t want to leave—a kind of bittersweet calm.”
The track was co-produced with UK legend Colin Emmanuel, whose subtle approach gave the song its emotional depth. “Colin brought this beautiful sense of restraint. He didn’t try to make it a banger. He just let it breathe and grow into what it was meant to be.”
Released under LESIXTYNINE MUSIQUE, the song represents a new chapter of creative freedom. “They gave me room to be myself, no commercial pressure, no expectations. Just real support for making the kind of music I’ve always wanted to release.”
That freedom made a difference. “When you’re truly supported, you stop trying to be perfect. You allow vulnerability in. That’s where the real beauty comes out.”
With its soft bossa and jazz textures, “HAZY” pulls from unexpected inspirations. “João & Astrud Gilberto, Billie Holiday, and Erykah Badu. Artists who brought emotion without forcing it. That laid-back, soulful vibe was exactly what I needed.”
Earlier this year, Rolling Stone named her one of Australia’s top electronic acts. An acknowledgment that felt like a turning point. “For years I was behind the music but not the headlines. That recognition felt like someone finally saying, ‘We see you.’”
Now, she moves between festival anthems and vulnerable ballads. “With big tracks, I focus on energy and euphoria. With songs like ‘HAZY,’ it starts with a story, just me, a piano or a guitar, and whatever’s real in that moment.”
And this is only the beginning. “I’m in a season of exploration. ‘HAZY’ opened the door. Expect more genre-blending, more honesty, and more music that finally sounds like me.”
Photos by Fidel Gonzales, Jake Shiedler, and Prerak2
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