Vessna Scheff - MERGE (Single)
“MERGE” is the new single from San Francisco Bay Area-raised, Philadelphia-based singer, songwriter, producer, and visual artist Vessna Scheff. The track is the fourth single taken from the upcoming LP ‘Never Mind the Moon’; a concept record tracking a dreamscape that takes place throughout a night at the roller-skating rink.
The album took inspiration from the freedom and joy of movement Scheff found during challenging times. Through the dips and swells of the journey, alongside production from long-term collaborator Lee Clarke, the result is an iconic debut of mesmerising, era-defying sound.
The track was initially inspired from a fortuitous moment while driving. As a car began to merge into Vessna’s lane, she sung to herself “would you just merge already”. In the context of writing the album this lyrical loop and the hesitation of the person trying to merge reminded her of the first coy moments of meeting someone when you least expect it. “This song leans into driving metaphors and sounds (turn signal clicks, cars speeding on the freeway, and a tire screech) to convey the emotional ride of crushing on someone you weren’t expecting to meet during a night out”, Vessna adds. MERGE is the thing you want someone to do. Whether it’s smoothly in your lane while driving, or romantically into your heart.
Musically the track speaks to Vessna Scheff and producer Lee Clarke’s mutual love of classic funk. Clarke takes on electric bass and guitar, bringing a bouncing energy as a backdrop to the story of “MERGE”. Moments of suspense and drama are created as the beat drops out during pivotal lines in the lyrics. Sitting in the compelling groove of the track, a vocoder is layered, saturating in an electric energy that perfectly captures the initial feelings of connecting with someone.
‘Never Mind The Moon’ takes its name from a quote from the Questlove-directed 2021 documentary ‘Summer Of Soul’. Recalling the events of the incredible Harlem Culture Festival in 1969, a clip from the time shows a newscaster asking festival attendees about the moon landing. “Never Mind the Moon, what we need is investment in Harlem”, one attendee replies. This phrasing struck Vessna Scheff, as she considered the hopes, dreams and aspirations that are so often wrapped up in the idea of the moon. She explains, “to say ‘never mind the moon’ implies the power and love that is found right here, right infront of us. We don’t ned to go anywhere to find that – it can be found right here”.
Vessna Scheff is known for her pin drop performances and enrapturing vocal harmonies that leave audiences swooning. Her debut album ‘Never Mind the Moon’ is a shimmering synth-ony of buttery sounds that evoke the sound of the skate rink, and the irresistible strength of intimate connection and community that she conveys through her lyrics. She delivers an acquired awareness of self-love grown from caregiving, inspiring an appreciation of deep joy and embodiment.
Disrupting divides between visual and performing arts with a Masters from the Rhode Island School of Design, Vessna Scheff is a multi-hyphenate artist who breathes visuals into vocal runs for immersive performances and recordings. Her recent artworks have seen Vessna exploring the relationships between watercolours, texture and sound. Raised on R&B, Hip-Hop, Folk and Classical music in the San Francisco Bay Area, Scheff’s sonic repertoire expanded through collaborations with Lee Clarke to include beats, Jazz, and the Soul swaying sounds of Philadelphia, where she moved in 2017.