WTONI FM RADIO ON IHEART INTERVIEWS SINGING SENSATIION! VAN HECHTER!

Born French-Georgian, Van Hechter is a Montreal-based pop artist with an edge; he is funny, cutting, at times political, yet his tracks are catchy and always easy to dance to… — He grew up between Canada, France and the U.S.A., studied opera, literature and cinema in college, then dropped everything to become a punk singer, joining a locally successful band which he renamed Audiobing. After disbandment, Van focused on writing and music production, but in 2017, he returned to his first love; singing, releasing ”Van Unlikely”, which reunited him with Montreal/Toronto/Miami crowds…

In June 2019, he released ”Love Elastic”— a hyper-uplifting song about love in the 21st century… Slogan goes like so; ”Because true love isn’t possessive, it is flexible, it morphs through time and doesn’t break. It is elastic…”
The music video did very well on YouTube and got the track radio airplay in the UK.
This got the attention of NYC record label Lafayette Street Records's president Iggy Kizil, who signed Van to a 7 track EP which was released on July 15th 2020.
Already 2 singles are being played on NYC, Miami, Detroit and Latin American radio stations--- and MTV will feature ''Love Elastic'' in August/September.
When asked about the core of his art, Van's response is;
''My music is about self-mockery. I believe in the power of humor and dance! I glamorize everything--- especially my darkest sides, to make them look even more ridiculous. I tell you about my silliness, expose myself for the fool that I am in each song. Hopefully you will relate and laugh!! -- That’d be my greatest ambition; to help someone, somewhere take themselves a little less seriously. If I do that just a few times in my life; I’ll die a happy man!'

Episode Transcript

(00:03):
Hey guys, it's your girl.DJ tierre reporting in Live Today from WTONI
on iHeartRadio, and today we areinterviewing music artist Van Hector born French Georgian.
Van Hector is a Montreal based popartist with an edge. He is
funny, cutting, at times political, yet his tracks are catching and always
easy to dance to. He grewup between Canada, France, and the

(00:26):
United States. He studied opera,literature and cinema in college, then dropped
everything to become a punk singer,joining a locally successful band, which he
renamed Audio Being. After disbandment,Van focused on writing and music production,
but in twenty seventeen he returned tohis first love singing, releasing Van Unlikely,

(00:48):
which re united him with Montreal,Toronto and Miami Crowd. In June
of twenty nineteen, he released LoveElastic, a hyper uplifting song about love
in the twenty first century. Goeslike so because true love isn't possessive,
it is flexible in mores, throughtime and doesn't break. It is elastic.
The music video did very well onYouTube and got the track radio airplay

(01:11):
in the UK. This got theattention of New York City record label Lafayette
Streets Records president Iggy Gazille, whosigned band to a seven track EP,
which was released on July fifteenth,twenty twenty. Already two singles are being
played in New York City, Miami, Detroit, and Latin American radio stations
and MTV will feature Love Elastic inAugust September. When asked about the core

(01:34):
of his art, Van's response ismy music is all about self mockery.
I believe in the power of humorand dance. I glamorize everything, especially
my darkest sides, to make themlook even more ridiculous. I tell you
about my silliness, expose myself withthe food that I am in each song.
Hopefully you will relate and laugh.That'll be my greatest ambition to help

(01:57):
someone somewhere take themselves a little lessseriously. If I do that just a
few times in my life, I'lldie a happy man. And with that
being said, welcome to the show, Van, Hey, how are you?
How are you today? With you? It is a pleasure, A
definite pleasure, all right. SoI'm going to dive right on in.

(02:17):
I want to go back to yourslogan for Love Elastic because true love isn't
possessive. It is flexible and morethrough time and doesn't break. It is
elastic. How did you come upwith that? I came up with that
out of a personal experience. Imean, you know you're right about You're
right about what you know. Ithink that's the rule of thumbs. You

(02:39):
know, if you're right about whatyou know, you're probably going to be
more relatable and probably you'll speak moretruth. So I had to let go
of a great love because I wasin the way of their bigger dream and
I couldn't. I couldn't let thathappen. And I just thought, oh
wow, that's I guess maybe thatwhat is what true love is about,

(03:00):
when you think about the others,you know, bigger picture, rather than
your own steady possessiveness, which isthe first instinct. But I don't think
that that's that's you know, Ithink that that's that's that's maybe not right.
I think that when you really reallylove, you let the other one
just be free and and and youwant them to become their most you know,

(03:23):
wonderful person, and sometimes that meansbeing without you. And I don't
I don't believe in jealousy. Idon't believe in saying you are mine and
I am yours, and I don'tbelieve in any of that. So that
that I just I was sitting onthe beach one day and I wrote that
sentence, and I thought that wasa good start for an album. Wow,
there you go. Yeah, that'sa really good way to look at

(03:44):
it. Especially it gives you adifferent insight on our relationships. And I
love how you said. You know, you don't look at jealousy or possessiveness,
So I think that gives you thatsecurity. Really, like when you're
very jealous, it's not so muchthat's not love. That's just you being
insecure with yourself. I mean,you know, love doesn't love is free.
You know, I love it.So the video first did very well

(04:10):
in the UK. Now the USis warming up to you. So who
would you say are your fans.I'm very surprised and I'm so happy at
the same time, you know,the pleasant surprise everyone who's like, we
see the demographics now and it's justit's people who aren't my age at all.
You know, there are people betweenages sixteen and thirty. That's you

(04:32):
know, I'm much younger people,and I'm really happy about that. And
I know from the fan male.Now I'm kind of having an idea.
I'm drawing a picture of my typicalfan and it's usually something to do with
being an underdog, and I lovethat, you know. It's it's always

(04:53):
people. Yeah, it's young peoplewho don't feel that they fit in and
then somehow through my sense of humorand they find a form of inspiration.
And you know, I couldn't askfor more because that's really what I was
setting out to do. I justnever thought that it would actually really come
about at one point. And Ithink, now I'm onto something. And
I love the letters that I'm getting, you know, I love it.

(05:16):
So speaking of the video, whatwas the idea behind the videos concept?
Well, it's always about me tryingto make me look like a fool,
you know. It's always about metrying to look as stupid as I can,
and you know, to me,so we thought, let's do you
know, we had this time inFlorida and we had the beach and this
and that, and I said,Okay, I'm going to be a male

(05:40):
mermaid, you know, and it'sgoing to be stupid, but I still
wanted to look good. I thinkthe video is very pretty. Ras thought
is the guy who filmed it.I think he made nice images. But
there's that sense of humor in it, you know, like come on,
what guy rolls around in the sandand like that. You know, it's
just it's yeah, there you go. Definitely makes you laugh. I definitely

(06:06):
with that. So Love Elastic wasactually a team effort. So who else
was involved in a project? Well, I have to mention them, And
I'm happy that you asked the question, because it's never, you know,
the front man always gets the attention, but that's never, you know,
it's you can't do anything alone.You can't do anything good alone at least,

(06:28):
So all right, I've got EricWiseman, who's my my, my
main producer, and now I wouldsay him and even his wife have become
fantastic friends. And so now it'sbecause it's a little you know, it's
a little unit the three of usand I write lyrics, he you know,
he writes tracks, and we justgo back and forth, we bounce

(06:49):
from each other. And then there'sthe wife. Once in a while hoopops
in and she has opinions, andthat's just a beautiful it's like a beautiful
balance. So we have that,and and then and then I four leve
elastic. Specifically, I really wantedtrumpets, and you know, I wanted
horns, and instead of getting apop guy or instead of doing our own

(07:11):
horns, I thought, I knowof a great jazz player. He's in
Montreal and in the US. Hisname is Stephen Menil. He actually actually
has an album out right now justthat just came out, called on the
night Bus. He's a great jazzplayer. And I called him up and
I said, you know, Iwant I know you never do pop,
but you know, could you justcome over and and just do some trumpets

(07:32):
on this track and it'll give usa whole new vibe, you know.
And he came in and he wasdelightful, and he gave his doll and
I actually, I think the trumpetsare my favorite part, you know,
that is what I prefer of thesong. So I'm glad. I'm very
happy. Wow. Well, thatis amazing, And I really appreciate you

(07:54):
giving everybody a shout out, becauseagain, it is all about teamworking and
that is a plus. You recognizethat there's so many moving wheels to help
the car run so that's great.So you've said many times that you feel
at home but in different ways inNew York City, Florida, and Montreal.
So how do you still in each? I would say that Montreal is

(08:18):
my base and and you know thatthat's where I have my studio with Eric
who lives there. I have godchildren here, I have you know,
I have childhood friends here. Mindyou, I have childhood friends everywhere,
but it's just this, this wouldbe my base. And then but it's
it's it's a it's a very lateback city, which is something I enjoy.

(08:39):
But I also being an entertainer,I like a little I like a
little glit, you know. Ilike to dress up and I like to
and I don't ever really do thatin Montreal. The only I have one
event here. It's a monthly Iwe haven't done it for COVID reasons,
but there's I have a night anevent called hester Fever at a bar called
District Video Lounge, and that onewe do here. But aside from that,

(09:01):
I'm a very quiet Montrealer. Youknow. When I get to New
York, that's like so that's homein a way. And then when I
get to New York, New York. I feel like that's my stage home.
You know. I dress up andI'm out all the time, and
I want to perform and i'm youknow, and I just want to be
part of everything. And I feellike a fishing water there too. And

(09:22):
then of course Florida is my placeto relax. It's just kind of like
where I recharge my batteries. I'vebeen going there my mother. My parents
took me there. I went therewith my mother a lot, and I
just always return. I've kept friends, and it's just you know, I
wrote Love Elastic, for instance,on you know, in Florida, on
the Florida Beach. I would goback there. Yep. Yeah. So

(09:43):
it's like three homes and really threedifferent ways. I love it. So
I have a really really unique questionthat I want to ask you. Do
you really wear your grandfather's clothes?Okay, well, well yes I do.
I do, as a matter offact, because he was a great

(10:03):
dresser. And yeah, he wasfantastic. You know, he was like
I think he was. He hadhe had a thing for you know,
the Hollywood Golden era. You know, he anything he bought was like very
high quality, and and and andI think that. And he was a
bit of a he might have calledhim a at his you know, when

(10:24):
he went out, when he wentout, he was really always dressed as
in nines. And so before hedied, he just said, hey,
little guy, I know you liketo dress, so just take anything he
wants. And I did. Ihave. I have coats from Brooks Brothers
from the fifties. I have,you know, I have silk scarves and

(10:46):
this and that. So I'm alwaysthere's always something of his in my outfits.
You know, on stage, I'malways wearing something of his. And
it it feels good too, becauseyou know, it feels like he's still
a bit alive. That is odd, yes, And I mean how can
you you don't throw away beautiful stuff, you know, it's just his taste
was impeccable. So there you go. Yeah, vintage. I mean,

(11:09):
you know, we see stuff allthe time. They could comeback, and
when you still wearing stuff from theseventies, the eighties, sixties even for
sure. So I kept his fiftiescoaked and I wear it when I actually
when I go to New York,I wear it and people are I'm told,
like I'll be stopped on the street. Wow, that is one hell
of a coat. And I'm like, I know my father and my grandfather

(11:31):
paid like three hundred dollars for itin fifty two. Wow. So it
gives you your uniqueness too with yourvintage because you know no one else want
to handle. So I love it. I love it. So when we
speak of like work do you findfriendships and work do you make friends?

(11:52):
Or I'm lucky, I think thatI was really and I don't I don't
mean to dwell or pull out theviolins here, but I did go through
a horrible slump at one point inmy life, and I think that at
some point I was really unlucky andthat luck turned and I don't know what
the hell I did. But inthe last few years, I've been so

(12:15):
lucky. And actually, yes,most of my friends now, my new
friends are all amused. Like Iseem to become close friends with almost anyone
I work with, and that's veryprecious. I mean, I told you
about Eric before. There's Eric,there's his wife, but then there's just
it's just I've got my vanettes.Also, they don't always appear with me,

(12:39):
only you know they caught. Vanettesare basically glamour girls who are very
pretty and who sort of accompany meat parties and and you know, I
develop I don't hire anyone. Youknow, there's a screening process, and
I just as it turns out,my little Vanette family. I've noticed that
I've only hired people that I actuallylove and we have very specific friendships.

(13:05):
I feel very much like I have. I've created a musical family. And
that's that's wonderful. That's I neverexpected that from life. It was a
you know, you would have toldme that ten years ago, and I
would have said that, No,I don't think that's ever gonna happen.
So it's beautiful, that definitely is. It's you know, it doesn't happen

(13:26):
all the time. Yeah. Yeah, you got the best of both worlds,
really really and there's no you know. So and I know that this
is a very you know, Ialways think this is a golden time for
me. I realize it's exceptional.I know that that's not the norm.
So I'm trying to appreciate it asmuch as possible while it's here. Got
it. So you speak really openlyabout surviving Testler cancer. How to cancer

(13:50):
change you? And what do youhave to say to men about it.
I'm first going to tell you whatI have so men about it. I'll
tell men what I always say this, I repeat it all the time,
but I think it's important. Imean, you know, you don't want
to repeat yourself too much in life, but this is too important not to
just repeat, repeat, repeat,I want to tell any guy who doesn't

(14:16):
check themselves. You know, takethe example of women who have been doing
it. You know, you girlshave been checking your breasts for decades now,
and it's integrated. You just doit, and it's a part of
your almost your routine, and you'rewell aware. Guys don't. They just

(14:37):
don't pay attention. And so weneed to copy you girls. We need
to be more like you in thatregard. So I said, just check
yourself, check yourself, check yourself, and if ever you feel a lump,
you do not hesitate to see adoctor and see another doctor if the
first doctor doesn't say, you knowit is skeptical. Just check yourself.

(14:58):
I'd be dead if I hadn't.And then how did it change me?
Well, you know, hey,you know what, I'm not dead,
So that's how it changed me.I mean, it's just anything now is
just more, you know anything,I feel like I'm on borrowed time almost
I was saved and now I getto do what I love. I'm still

(15:18):
singing, I'm still making music.It's just it makes me appreciate everything a
lot more. Wow. Yeah,definitely. So what's the difference between the
van we see at home and thenthe one we see on stage and on
camera. Well, I don't wantyou to see I don't want you you

(15:39):
specifically you. I don't want youto see that. I don't want you
to see him now he's I mean, it's just I think that I do
have to my My mother used totell my father I have two sons,
So I think that that's really whatit is. She knew before I did,
you know? She said I havetwo sons. And she says that

(16:00):
little guy as soon as you givehim a little you know, a suit,
or as soon as you put asuit on him, or you do
you do, give him an accessoryof some sort a prop he turns into
someone else. And I think theguy at home is very very quiet,
and I'm very reserved, and Idon't I don't make much noise. And
then and then the guy the artistis cant and is sometimes even maybe aggressive

(16:29):
and angry, but not in anegative way. It's just angry at injustice
and angry at manything and and andhe wants to give everyone a thrill or
he wants to get a reaction,so he'll go as far as he can
to provoke. But the guy,Yeah, at home, nothing at home,
I'm boring as hell, nothing butthe safe haven, what you can

(16:53):
relax. So and then the realI always say, if you know,
if I'm if you're seeing me inmy sweatpants and I'm boring, then it
means I really love you, becauseit means you're really part of my intimacy.
I love it. So what wouldyou say is your number one rule

(17:14):
in life? Sometimes I change itso, but I think I'll stick to
my main ones. Never try tonever ever take yourself seriously. I just
remember how trivial it all is,the only thing there are just you know,

(17:37):
there are real tragedies in this world, so don't you know, don't
start making a whole drama about stupidthings, and don't take anything too too
seriously. That's that's my that's myrule. I try to live by that,
and we all get carried away.You know, we all tend to
complain and be all all God andthis, and then we shouldn't really,
because so long as we're alive andeating every day, nothing else didn't matter.

(18:00):
I really think we need to rememberthis all the time. Absolutely well.
I must say I have had theabsolute pleasure of interviewing with you today.
I learned so much. I tellyou something, can I tell you
something. I'll tell you something.I actually really like you specifically, Yeah,

(18:22):
yeah, okay, it's true.This is fun. Thanks so much,
so again, Thank you so much. It has been a pleasure,
and we are actually going to getthe opportunity to listen to your hit single
love Elastic good. Great, Thankyou so much for everything. Thank you

(18:45):
all right, I guess they tunefolks for Van had just hit single up
next Bye.