Up Close with Levi Randall from VACAY

VACAY is a solo singer songwriter project for Levi Randall compared to his work with Cardinals, the Juliets and even Netflix! He hit the stage at WestFest this year in the heart of Westdale Village just before thousands of first year students and reps strolled through in the annual Pajama Parade. Westdale always lights up with spirit and community connection during this time of year, and we were happy to have Levi on board to experience it with us.

Rachel: What does VACAY mean to you and how did this project spark?

Levi: Well the name has no deep meaning, I could lie to you and say that it did but my manager and I saw it on a t-shirt in H&M and it worked. We needed a name because I was on a TV show and we didn’t want the acting world and the music world to collide too much.

Rachel: You’ve also done extremely well on Spotify, and VACAY really has blown up online. How do you feel about streaming?

Levi: I definitely don’t take credit for any codes that have been cracked on Spotify. I just write music and I’m so happy that it is connecting with people. I have a really great team behind me and they’re smart with the timing of things and marketing. I’m just really blessed to have them, I just think great songs that resonate with people and just hope that they will go somewhere.

Rachel: Do you have advice for musicians who are thinking of getting a team behind them (ie. Managers, Publicists) and when’s the right time to ask for help versus being DIY?

Levi: I think that you can do it both ways. You can go a long way without a team but I think that when it becomes valuable is when they bring things to the table that you don’t have. Like resources! My manager is so smart with marketing and I just don’t. My brain just doesn’t work that way.

Rachel: With all of these projects that you’re working on, how did you find  VACAY’s voice?

Levi: Yeah, it took a lifetime. Like, up ‘til now. I’m still trying to find it. You change all the time as a person. It’s a strange thing. My voice now is going to be different - lyrically and what I’m saying - will be different than a year from now. How i found my voice up til now is my experiences, all I’ve been through, the bands that I was in along with everything that I’ve learned.

Rachel: Shoes is definitely one of my favourite songs off the latest EP which just came out in May. Aside from the obvious message, what was this written about?

Levi: I actually worked with someone that I had a little bit of a crush on, and then I found out that she was engaged. So it sounds really heartbreaking, but I think our job as songwriters is to make people feel. So I just expanded on that in the song.