
VASSY: From ‘Wrong Voice’ to EDM Icon: The Untold Story Behind “Bad” with David Guetta and “Secrets” with Tiesto
On the Record with Poppy ReidShow Notes
Poppy Reid is in LA with one of the most groundbreaking artists in dance music: VASSY. Kicked out of her school choir for not having the “right voice”, VASSY went on to defy expectations, clocking over 3 billion streams and becoming the first woman to win the EDM Icon Award.
In this intimate and wide-ranging chat, we revisit the decade-defining hits she wrote and sang, including “Bad” with David Guetta and “Secrets” with Tiësto, and unpack the real stories behind their creation.
We also dive into:
Why VASSY stepped away from EDM to return to her jazz roots The hidden costs of success and early exploitation in LA What it means to be a female artist in a male-dominated genre How generative AI threatens songwriter incomes, and what can be done Her role as an advocate, mentor, and voice for creators’ rights
Multi-platinum artist VASSY joins us to go On The Record about the decade-defining EDM hits she created, including “Bad” with David Guetta and “Secrets” with Tiësto, her jazz roots, and the real-life challenges behind global success.
📌 Episode Highlights 00:01:00 – Kicked out of school choir: turning rejection into fuel 00:10:00 – Starting from scratch in LA: surviving the hustle 00:18:00 – The making of “Bad”: meeting David Guetta 00:23:00 – “Secrets” and touring with Tiësto 00:33:00 – From EDM queen to BossAcoustics: returning to her roots 00:40:00 – How AI is threatening songwriters’ livelihoods 00:52:00 – Advocacy, inspiration, and defining success on her own terms
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