Viji – real name Vanilla Jenner – is pioneering a new scene of indie sleaze.

Born and raised in Vienna, Austria, at age 16 Viji travelled first to the US and then to Brazil, before landing in the UK. By her own admission there was no alternative music scene in Vienna while she was a teenager, but that didn’t stop her from having an emo punk rock phase aged 13. Her father being a luthier, making and repairing renaissance stringed instruments, there were always lutes and violas available for her to play - she even built her own mini-harp as a kid. Pretty soon she was begging her older cousin for use of his rehearsal room where she’d play electric guitar with a drummer friend as a two-piece, who eventually performed in school much to her teacher’s disdain.

On arrival in the UK, Viji came to Brighton to study music production. After finishing the course, she moved to London and started to figure out her own sound. Releasing a single and an EP in 2022, Viji built a loyal fanbase which pushed her onto the radar of leading cultural figureheads. She received support from the likes of the FADER, DIY, NME, NYLON, BBCR1 and BBC Introducing, as well as playlist support on Spotify from Lorem, Fresh Finds, Our Generation and more.

Now signed to Speedy Wunderground, Viji cites many of her friends and label mates as part of the current scene in London. Referencing the easy, fuzzy sounds of the 90s, her debut album “So Vanilla” is filled with layered guitar melodies, paired with pop hooks and slow, soulful soliloquies. Lead single “Karoake” was hand-picked by DJ extraordinaire Michel Gaubert to feature on the Chanel SS 2024 show.

Coming up with the visual concepts for the video elements of her music stretches her creativity even further, making most of the treatments herself. Indulging in the weirder side of her ideas ensures that there is a fun and playful element to making music. Her approach to shoe-gazy rock, raw instrumentals and vocal delivery makes her stand out as one of the most exciting UK artists to watch, pioneering what rock music can sound like in the modern era.