BiB: Vienna Vienna – How Pete Wentz Changed My Life & the TikTok Song That Started It All

0:00 What is going on? It is Adam. Welcome back to Bringing It Backwards, a podcast where both legendary and rising artists tell their own personal stories of how they achieve stardom. On this episode, we had a chance to hang out with Jay of Vienna Vienna over Zoom Video. Jay was born and raised just outside Fresno, California in a small mountain town and talks about how he got into music. His mom was a performer and a dancer and his sister is also very musical and artistic, so he kind of followed her footsteps. He got a guitar at a very early age, started to perform at open mic nights while in middle school, started writing his own songs in middle school and through high school. And that's kind of where the Vienna Vienna project started. Jay talks about going to Belmont in Nashville to go to college. He went there for two years before being contacted by Pete Wentz, a fallout boy.

0:55 He signed to Pete Wentz's label and has been living in LA for a little over a year now. But Jay talks about releasing his first songs as Vienna Vienna Blame it on us. And we talk about the release of his EP Wonderland, all about the most recent David Bowie cover he released, John I'm Only Dancing. And all about the new music coming up and the big tour that Jay will be on with K Flay coming up as well. You can watch our interview with Vienna Vienna on our Facebook page and YouTube channel at bringing it backwards, it'd be amazing if you subscribe to our channel like us on Facebook, follow us on Instagram X and TikTok at Bringing Back pod. And if you're listening to this on Spotify, Apple Music, Google podcasts, it would be amazing if you follow us there as well and hook us up with a five star review. We'd appreciate your support. If you follow and subscribe to our podcasts, wherever you listen to podcasts, we're. Bringing it backwards with Vienna Vienna.

2:04 Bringing it backwards. Bringing it backwards. Bringing it backwards. Bringing it backwards. Bringing it backwards. Bringing it backwards. Hey, what's up? How are you? Good, man, how are you? I am great. Thanks so much for doing this. Yeah, happy to be here. Amazing. Do you go by Vienna or Vienna Vienna. How do you. How do you want to do it? You just call me Jay. I just change it to Vienna Vienna. Just for the ease of the viewer. But love it like the letter. Right on. Right on, Jay. Well, I'm Adam. Very nice to meet you. Thanks for doing. Nice to meet you, Adam. Yeah. Cool. So this is about you, your journey in music. I know you just released an ep, but I also saw you have a new Song out as well.

2:55 You just put out. So I'd love to chat with you about all that. Absolutely. Sounds good. Cool. I always kind of start with your, you know, origin story, if you will. Where were you born and raised? I was born in Fresno, California. Okay. I kind of grew up around Prather, California, though, which is like little mountain town near Fresno. Okay. My area. And then I went to school in Fresno. Oh, did you go to where, Fresno State or whatever or for. No, I went to. In high school, I went to Fresno Christian, and then in college, I went. I moved to Nashville, actually. Oh, you did? That's where I'm at now. Oh, cool. Yeah. No, how do you like it? I love it. It just snowed, actually, over the weekend, so.

3:45 Yeah, there's. So it's still got snow outside. Yeah. It's crazy. Nashville was amazing. I loved living in Nashville. I'm in LA now. Okay. Man. I. Safe. I mean, damn, there's a lot going on there. No, yeah, I'm chilling. I'm, you know, I was. I was like close to an evacuation zone, but not quite in one. So I, you know, we packed everything up and then I, you know, just sort of waited it out. Okay. Sunset fire was crazy. Okay. But you spent time in Nashville for college? Yeah, I went there for two years. I went to Belmont and then I dropped out because P. Wins was calling, so. Makes sense there. Yeah, I guess. I live in LA now. All right. Right on. So you grew up Fresno area? Fresno's like central California. I'm from San Diego, but I moved to Nashville, you know. Yeah, no Central Valley, for sure. Yeah, for sure. So you said you lived out in the mountains, though? Yeah, Bakersfield area. Tell me about growing up there. You said a small town, though. Like, you lived in the mountains part because. Yeah, people. People think California is just like the coastline, but there's. It's massive. There's so much to it.

5:03 Yeah. Fresno is sort of like. So there's like a few adjacent cities. There's Fresno and then there's Clovis. And then the closer you get to, like, Yosemite and the national park up there, the more little mountain towns you get. So I grew up in Prather, which I think. I think has population 1400. Oh, gosh. Crazy. But then, yeah, close to Fresno, which is like, pretty big, actually. I mean, I think, at least for me, it kind of was a small town mentality. But, yeah, it's like the fifth biggest in California, which is definitely sizable.

5:46 There's definitely stuff going on. Yeah. You know 100%. What about music? How do you get into music? Do you come from a creative household? My mom is a dancer and a dance teacher. Rad. And then, yeah, definitely. My sister and I both grew up just, like, loving theater and art and music. And so I think we, like, fed off of each other a lot growing up. I think I just wanted to a little bit. Part of me was just like, I just want to do what she's doing. She was doing a ton of theater, and so I started there really young. I think my first show, I was like five. Musical theater or just like, acting theater?

6:30 And I think I just. Yeah, I really fell in love with the stage. I think that was like. There's nothing really like it. So that was kind of pretty immediate. And I was like, oh, there's nowhere else I really want to be except for there. And then as I got older, I got really into guitar and writing, and so started playing, like, a bunch of open mics in Fresno, like, local shit. And I don't know, I just. I couldn't. I couldn't get away from the feeling. It's just so good to be on stage and just to play. Music is very. I don't know, it's like it's home in a way. I've just always been doing it and, yeah, it's. It's the best. It's the best thing, truly.

7:21 Yeah. So you were. You still in high school and you started doing the open mics? I was earlier a middle school. Yeah, so. So I started doing. Writing your own songs in middle school and everything. You're trying to. Trying to. I was writing a lot, and then there would be a few where I'd be like, yeah, I could maybe play this at the. At the restaurant gig. But I would, like, go from restaurant to restaurant and be like, I kind of just want to play. You don't have to pay me. Maybe just like, some food after the show. And they would be like, cool. So I would just, like, play. And then the, like, little restaurant gig, I would play where they're mostly wanting, like, background music. Sure.

8:05 A little food after. And I was like, this is great. I could do this, no problem. Yeah, that's amazing. Did you have a band or anything in high school? Or is it mainly just doing your own thing? No, I didn't. I've never actually. I never actually was in any bands because I couldn't. There weren't really a lot of other people doing music until I got into, like, high school, and then I was in, like, church bands. And stuff. But, yeah, there weren't a lot of bands, so it was always a solo show, which was cool. And then now, like, finding my band has. Yeah. For the live shows has been amazing. Just really amazing. But, yeah, no, always playing with other musicians, but never, like, properly in a band. Got it. Okay. And then you ended up attending Belmont and here in Nashville, and did you go on as, like, what did you go there to take? Was it musical theater? Were you still doing musical theater at that point, or.

9:02 No, no, Yeah. I. I majored in songwriting. Okay. Which was awesome. Honestly. Like, I really love Belmont, and I really loved Nashville. Like, I, I. I'll sing its praises. I think that program's awesome for connecting with other writers and just, like, building community. I feel like I was. It was so, so much easier for me to find people that I. I wanted to connect with. So, yeah, Belmont was amazing. Natural. Were you. And you were writing songs, obviously. And did you. You said Pete Wentz was calling. That's what took you away from Belmont. But, like, did you have this project going on when you're in Nashville or. No.

9:48 Yeah. So I think it really. I mean, I'd been doing it the whole time, you know, like, all of high school, junior high. And then when I got to. I don't know, I think after I graduated high school, I was like, okay, there's some songs here. I really want to make a proper project. And at the time, it was an album, and then I kept kind of condensing it and, like, you know, forming the pieces. And then I would say in the last two or three years, I was really piecing things together.

10:28 So, like, the name of the project, the songs I wanted to, you know, put together, and then I was coming to LA in the summers and playing, like, shows and shows and shows and shows of the new music. And that, I think, was actually really kind of key to all of it, because I feel like a lot. You figure out a lot more about the songs and about what you want to say and how you want to present the project on stage, or at least I did more there than I did, like, in my notebooks. And so, yeah, eventually, I don't fully know how, but I think a friend of Pete's or something was like, yo, like, check this out. And I think, sure, he gets sent a lot of stuff, and he was just hyped on it. And I took a meeting, and then I was like, okay, I'm gonna move to Los Angeles.

11:25 And then I. I did. And here we go. You know, what year did you guys connect. Like, was that recent? Oh, God. I think the first time we met would have been. I'm so bad at the timeline of it. Oh, sorry. 2020. Maybe the very tail end of 2023. Okay, so you've only lived. You've been in LA for, like, what, a little over a year now? Yeah, probably a little over a year because I moved before. Like, I was certain that I was gonna stay here, so I. I was like, I'm just gonna try it out for. I took a semester off, and I was like, I'm just gonna try it out for a semester. And then it just snowballed, and I never left.

12:13 What song of yours did you. Did you know a song of yours Pete heard and was stoked on, or was it just. I think he might have been sent everything, But I remember in our meeting, he was like, yeah, I heard sex, drugs, whatever, and he was really hyped on that. And then there was a new one that had come about in the time after we'd met, and I sent it out, and he was like, oh, okay. Sick. And that was. Everything's fine. Okay. Right on. Wow. So, like, you had. So you had songs out. I mean, you were doing things obviously, at that point, because, I mean, Blame it on this was the first song that you had ever released, at least on Spotify, Right. So you said you had what, like, a catalog of. You wanted to do an album after high school. And then at what point do you just say, okay, I'm just gonna do this one? Like, put out that one song? Or was that already out at that point? Well, yeah. So Blame It On Us came about. I was writing it in.

13:15 Yeah. Probably tail end of high school. I was writing it and then working and getting it produced. And then, gosh, yeah. Freshman year of college, I filmed the music video with, like, a friend in the parking garage at the school. And then, yeah, I, like, posted stuff on TikTok, and it just kind of grew. It was really special. Like, that hadn't happened to me with anything before. And so I was like, oh, like, this is really cool. I'm so thankful for Tick Tock for that. I feel like I. Yeah.

13:56 Yeah. So Tick Tock was. Yeah. Was getting you. You had a video that does well, and then people start coming to your page and start listening to your music, and then you what? We're just kind of slowly growing a fan base, and then once this call from Pete Wentz happens, then that must have just changed everything. Yeah. So, I mean, Blame It On Us came out and Then I, I don't think this EP came out. I mean, it was like three years in between that. So after Blame, I was like, okay. That was when I was like starting to pull songs from, like, what I'd written and put ideas together. And that's when I was really forming what was going to be an album. But then I, I was looking at it and I was like, you know what? I actually think it's just these songs. It's just these ones, these ones are the ones that I'm, I'm really excited about. So I put it together as an EP rather, which I just think felt better as a, I guess an opening statement.

14:57 Sure. Are you talking about the EP Wonderland or. Because you had other songs out before that, right? I mean, you had, I did Beauty Queen, Fuck Me. Like that. You had prior. I put some, I did like some warm up singles because it been so long since I had put anything out. So I was like, okay, well, maybe I should like warm things up again and get people like used to getting into the music. And then. Yeah, and then the ep. Okay. And what's with the ep? Did that come out with Pete's label? It did, yeah. It came out on Pulse and DCD2.

15:37 Okay, so, so you get this phone call or you, you, you find out that he has heard the songs. What was that day like? Oh, dude, it was like, it was trippy. It was really trippy. I, I, I just, I had, I had managers at the time from doing all my shows in la. And my manager called me and was like, yo, Pete Wentz just hit me up. I was like, what the, What? Why? How? Like how? Why Is everything okay? And he was like, yeah, no, it's great. I was like, okay, cool. And then all day I was just like, well, I hope more comes of this. And then I took a meeting. And then like, I think like, like five more months passed. Really? So you met, you took a meeting with P. Wentz and then what? He just kind of just discussing what you had going on or whatever. Or what? Yeah, I guess just like an introduction. See what the vibe was. And we talked about like, yeah, we talked about like, you know that hardcore show clip where they're in a Denny's? Huh? He's like, what the fuck is up?

16:56 Dennis chatted about like that and I played music for him. Yeah, it was a weird. And then I left and I was like, well, shit, I really do hope, I hope we hang out again. Sure. Yeah. It's something. Yeah. And then it took five months. Were you Kind of like, at what? You know, during that time span, you're like, I guess, well, nothing's really going to come of that. You know, you never know because it feels like things move really fast. But then also I was hopeful because sometimes it takes a minute. Yeah. You know, And I was like, you know what? Pete's a busy guy. It's fine. I'm patient.

17:38 And then, yeah, it came to be, but I was rolling either way. Like, I was gonna put the music out, label or no label. Yeah, I was, for sure. I mean, I was ready. I was getting ready too, and, like, teasing a lot of songs on TikTok. And then. Yeah, and then label stepped in and it all came to be. That's amazing. When. At what point do you decide to move to L. A? Was it after that first meeting with him? No, I moved to L. A because of the TikTok buzz, I think. You know, like, I'd been teasing songs and then I was like. I was also like. Because I grew up in Fresno, I was coming back and forth to LA a lot as a kid too, just trying to, like, I guess, network as like a 14 year old, I was like, get out there. And then I.

18:37 So I was playing a ton of stuff out here too, trying to pull it all together. And then, yeah, I think it was that after I'd finished everything, I was looking at the body of work and, like, the show that I wanted to put on and I just wanted to do it in la. So I just took the semester off and I came and I lived out here and it happened. Yeah. You've been here since, right? Yeah. In your sense. All worked out. Wow. So after getting, like, signing with. With Pete Wentz's label, like, how did that change things for you? Was it just like, okay, now you kind of have some. You have a legitimate person backing the project or, like, you know, I mean. It definitely changed stuff. Like, the music didn't change, the show didn't change. I think what. What changed was my organizational structure and how, like, how it was to, like, have a team of people that were on board.

19:42 I think it was also really affirming, you know, because I'd been doing it kind of on my own and there were like, there were people. People on the team, no doubt. And tons of people who were like, hype. But then once, like, Pulse Records and Pete stepped in, I was like, oh, man. Okay. So, like, I'm. I'm right to be doing this, I think. Yeah, there was like a label, like a validation. Yeah, it was totally Validating. That's the word I'm looking for, is just like, oh, shit. Okay. Cool, cool, cool, cool. I. This is the right move. This is the right play. Yeah, Just hype. It was good. It was exciting. And, you know, I got my own place and I fucking started doing my shows. And. I'm so grateful. God, there's so much to be grateful for. It's truly.

20:35 It's amazing. I. Man, saying it all, like, in order, like this. Really, really touching. My heart feels good. Like, wow. So much luck and joy and gratefulness. And I'm not very religious, but it is. It's a blessing, I suppose. I don't know. It just feels good, man. It feels good. I love to hear that, man. That's awesome. I love. I love having moments like that where, you know, to see somebody go, wow, there's a lot of shit. I did. A lot of cool shit. Yeah. I'm very proud of what I've been able to accomplish so far. It's pretty magical. It's pretty magical. And to, like, meet fans for the first time since putting out music. Like, I'm playing shows and people know the words. Yeah, what's that like?

21:23 I mean, that must have been such a big change. I mean, you've been playing for so long, right? I mean, since middle school. And then you're working at this thing, and then you start to get a fan base, and people are showing up for you to hear your songs, and they're singing them back to you. Like, what? Like what? Tell me, do you remember, like, our first show that you remember that happening? Like, wow. It's not just some friends that I know now. I was in Montreal opening for Valley, and I was singing. It was the middle of the set, and I was singing the song Wonderland. And I looked up and there was, like. There were, like. I think I hadn't really had a chance to look up yet in the show, but I was, like, off the guitar and just me and the mic, and I looked up and I was like, oh, shit. What the. What the hell? Like, there are these little pockets of people at the Valley show that, like, know.

22:21 Know my songs. They're singing them back. They're singing them with me. And then in Halifax, it was even more. And so I. I don't know what this run's gonna be like when I have my big North American tour with Kay Flay, but it's probably gonna be crazy. Cause I've been doing all these shows, but none of the music had been out. And so it's just like, what? Yeah, it was really surreal and awesome to meet everybody. Surprising amount of people. They're just like, yeah, man. I just. I loved the show and I loved the ep. And it's good to be. It's just crazy. It's so wild. I love that aspect of music, is getting a chance to connect with people, because I've expressed myself, you know, in the music and in the show. And then people come to me and they're like, you've been a vessel for my expression, which is amazing.

23:18 It's like a really magical thing that. Not to get too into the weeds with it, but, like, it's like an ancient human ritual of connecting with people. And to be a part of that long history of music is something else, man. It's something else. Yeah. You're influencing new artists, right? Like, as you were influenced by. I mean, the. The most recent song you put out is a David Bowie cover. So I'm sure David Bowie's probably made an impact on your life. And then to do the same thing that he's done for you, for somebody else, it must have been such a surreal experience. 100. 100. I think that was, like, sort of what I. You know, I think, like, in. In terms of, like, the dream, you know, I love making music. That's why I. I do it, is because I love making music and I love connecting with people. But there's that vision of, like, somebody else making music because you made music. You know, that's really exciting. That's really exciting to think about because there's so. I mean, the same thing that happened to me, you know, somebody was making music and I was listening to it, and I was like, I think I should do that. Yeah. And then I did. That's awesome. Yeah. And that. And then maybe, you know, that's really, really cool, dude. You're doing a tour with Kayfly. I love K Flay. Oh, she's awesome. She's the best. We've actually been writing a lot as of. Have you

24:49 really? That's awesome. Yeah, I've had her on my show twice before. I've also had Valian, who you've toured with, as well. They're great. Great band. But. Yeah. 100. Yeah. But K fly. That's awesome. So you've been riding with K Fly? Yeah, yeah. We're doing our thing. She's the. She's cool. And I. She's, like, just great to hang out with. I feel like we have a lot in common. Yeah, she's awesome. Well, so you have the Bowie covers Covers the most recent one. Why did you decide on that song? I.

25:30 You know, it's sort of a. It's a little bit of a deeper cut for him. And I think I've just always loved the writing on that song. I think my favorite. I think it's. It's a pretty interesting story that I don't think you get in. There's like, not any other songs that I can think of that capture that feeling, you know, or that. Very specific. Yeah, it's just. It's such a. It's such a Bowie song. It's very Bowie. Right, right, right. Bowiness to it where I'm like, yeah, man, like John, I'm Only Dancing. She turns me on, but I'm Only Dancing is. I would kill to write that. And I think that was part of it because I was like, man, to have thought of that, true or not, to like, dreamed that story and captured it. And I think the production, like, his production on that, I think is so fucking awesome for the time too. Oh, dude. Yeah. Just so special, man. Bowie.

26:41 That's awesome. What about your. Do you have a new. Are you working? I mean, you said you're working writing with Gay Fly and stuff, but do you have your own, like, new. New stuff that's done and ready to come out anytime soon? I know the episode. That old by any means. I don't know if it's properly announced. I've started posting about it on TikTok just because TikTok's gonna be gone soon. Because it's gonna be gone on Sunday. Yeah, I'm trying to take advantage of it, but yeah, there is a new song coming that I'm really excited about very soon, actually, and that I think I wrote around the same time. It's the punctuation. It's the exclamation point at the end of Wonderland, I think. Awesome. So, like, kind of is gonna wrap up that cycle for me where, you know, I'll feel like I've wrapped up that era. And then I've been working and writing a ton of this year and I'm really, really excited about the new stuff. I'm really excited about it. And like, my. My friends are hyped too. They're like, oh, shit, this is cool. So it's gonna be good. I. I don't want to. I don't wanna spoil it, but yeah, hell yeah. Well, I'm excited. Jay, thanks for doing this, man. I really appreciate your time. Oh, yeah, absolutely. No, thanks for having me, man. It's good to meet you. Yeah, nice to meet you as well. I have one more question for you before I let you go. I want to know if you have any advice for aspiring artists. Oh,

28:16 I'll use a Bowie quote, but then I'll also add my own thing, the Bowie quote that I love. That is pretty popular, so you may have heard it before, but it's like, go a little bit out of your depth. And just when you feel you're working in an area that's not. I'm not quoting it exactly, but go a little bit out of your depth and work in an area where you don't feel comfortable yet. And that's when something really exciting can happen, which I totally agree with is like, right when you think you're like, no, I'm not. Not me. I can't do that. That's right when you're in the spot to do something really cool.

28:58 And then also I would say to live it. You know, like, if you want to be a songwriter, you're a songwriter now. So go do all the things that you think a songwriter does. Go sit in the cafe and have your little coffee and write out on the napkin and aestheticize it and just go fully live that. And a lot of magical things will happen to you, because you're not aspiring to be a songwriter. You're already a songwriter. So go write the songs and write every day and play shows. Play shows as often as you can. And don't stop. Because you never know. You never know. There's no point in, you know, oh, you know, I've been doing it for a minute.

29:49 Like, I started when I was 13. You know, you got. You gotta just keep going. Just don't stop. If you really love it, don't stop. I love it. Love it. Thank you so much, J. I love that advice. You want to be a songwriter? You're. You are a song. You're a songwriter now. Go. Go be. Songwriter does. Go do the things a songwriter does. Yeah. That's so good, man. And also, one more thing is, like, directly for songwriters is 10 minutes in the morning. Do some object writing. Can you give an example, like, about object writing in the sense of, like, I'm gonna write about this cell phone? Yeah. No, it's. It's a good practice, I think, where, like, you literally find an actual object and write about that object in its totality, the sensory experience of using it, what it's used for. It could be an object in your house, but those 10 minutes, it's really. I don't remember what book I read this in.

30:55 But the first few times, you're like, man, 10 minutes. Oh, God. And then the next few times, you're like, oh, shit, 10 minutes is not enough time for me to write everything I want to. And then because you're hitting that exercise every day, all day long, your brain is primed to be a writer. Everything you see, like, the interactions you have, your brain is primed to do the same thing. So object writing is awesome. I love that. Great tool. That's cool. It reminds me of, like, the artist's way, where the. The morning pages where you have to just write your brain dump out every. But yours is more. There's more a point to. I feel like. Like, I don't know, you're actually working instead of just dumping out every thought you have.

31:41 It's trying to be creative in a way of describing something. Like, I'm holding a paperclip. Like, you could spend $10. Yeah. No, I love it. That's really cool. I've never heard. I don't know what book I. I used to read all these, like, books on songwriting in school, and I don't remember what book told me to object. Right. But since I started doing it, like, oh, man, it's awesome. Bringing it back backwards, bringing it backwards, bring it backwards, bring it backwards, bring it backwards.