“A gifted songwriter and storyteller with 80s influences” - When The Horn Blows
“Fuses old-school storytelling with a contemporary lo-fi indie sound” - The Queerness
“Brilliantly blends elements of pop, electronic, and indie” - DIVA Magazine
“Must-listen indie/bedroom pop” - Girl Gang Music
“Aberdonian indie-pop auteur” - The Skinny
“Brilliant” - Roddy Hart, BBC Scotland
Born and raised in Aberdeen, Heff has been playing in bands since she was a teenager, often alongside the raft of Scottish indie boys that flooded her native scene. Moving to London in her early 20s, she formed an electro-pop duo that went on to amass a decent following, before going solo to explore the more personal and reflective aspects of her creative output. As an artist, VanSaints seeks to combine queer culture with themes that are universal and part of the human condition.
Combining elements of pop, electronic, and indie with 80s influences, VanSaint’s music traverses the liminal space between frank honesty and hopeful optimism, with the songwriter interested in exploring environments that challenge fixed definitions, exploring the inherent messiness of being human.
Naming iconic songwriters such as Bruce Springsteen, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young as her main influences, she uses songwriting and storytelling as a prism through which to make sense of life’s experiences from her unique perspective, drawing inspiration from her love of artists with an androgynous image and energy, like The XX, Frank Ocean, St Vincent, and of course greats like Prince and Bowie.
With previous releases spanning themes of unrequited love, loneliness, the cost of living crisis, and navigating life as a creative person in London, VanSaint channels her experiences as a young creative living through challenging times into her melancholy but hopeful material.