From making song covers to making money moves, Vannah is the topic of discussion on and off the internet, but don’t get it confused, school comes first.
“I’ve always been focused on school,” says Vannah. But when you’re the daughter of famed celebrity jeweler JimmyBoi, clout is inevitable – which doesn’t seem to pose a problem for the independent minded megastar. “I wasn’t doing it for the clout to begin with,” she admits.
Unless you’ve been socially detached for the last 5 years or so, chances are you have bared witness to Vannah’s internet savvy disposition when it comes to song covers. By her 9th birthday, Vannah had already amassed a cult-like following on Instagram for her viral lip-sync rap videos. Donning a BAPE ensemble, with a hefty load of cash in hand, Vannah was ahead of the curve – creating TikTok-esque videos before the platform came into existence. As the years have passed, the ‘Yea Yea Yea’ composer has garnered acclaim from a bevy of industry tastemakers, including: Drake, French Montana, Cardi B and Roddy Ricch, who performed at her 13th birthday last year in Houston.
Bouncy drums kits and West Coast-inspired synths lay the foundation for Vannah’s cash-rich rhyme scheme. Beyond the cash, drip and social media stardom, Vannah is your average teenager. The Montessori scholar has a devout appreciation for pancakes and loves to binge watch one of her favorite Netflix shows, Riverdale. “Bingeing Netflix has become a number one hobby for me because of quarantine,” Vannah shares how she has been managing to pass time since news broke of COVID-19.
She loves to play basketball and volleyball, but priorities are of crucial importance, and education is the focus.
Vannah’s latest single, ‘Holy Moly’, greets listeners with her signature charm, leaning on moneyed mentions to provide insight behind the Houston native’s flex-rap sequence. With a ‘Stuntin’ Like My Daddy’ outward bearing, in terms of style, Vannah and JimmyBoi are cut from the same cloth. She’s a boss in her own right, setting the standard for what it means to be young and in charge.
In this over the phone conversation, I had the opportunity to catch up with Vannah to discuss Montessori schooling, her rampant social media success, and life through the eyes of a teenager growing up during a global pandemic.
Read our exchange below.
Do you consider Vannah and Ling Ling to be the same person?
Absolutely. Vannah and Ling Ling are the same person, they’re both a part of me.
Ling Ling is more of a persona, you know – like something that we do for fun.
I think you were 9-years-old at the time, in your “A Day in her shoes vlog”, you mentioned some of your favorite hobbies, which include – playing tennis, singing, dancing, and watching TV. With watching TV being your favorite pastime, have you picked up a favorite show or series since quarantine has kicked off?
Bingeing Netflix has become a number one hobby for me because of quarantine.
I’ve started watching Riverdale, I really like that show.
And then there’s this one show, it’s an anime called Haikyu!!.
It’s about volleyball, and I play volleyball and basketball.
Does this concept still apply to your life at home – how much you read equals how much TV you watch?
No, not at the moment, especially since quarantine has been going on. I still do read and keep up with my academics and such.
Have you really been in school since the age of 2!? I see you made reference to Montessori schooling during a past interview.
Yes sir, I’ve been in school since the age of 2. More specifically, I’ve been to Montessori and private school since I was 2, but yeah.
Montessori is all about individuality and independence.
Moreover, I also read in an interview with your dad (JimmyBoi) that buttermilk pancakes are your favorite breakfast food. With this in mind, what do you consider to be the perfect pancake?
Wow. The perfect pancake (haha), I’m going to say it has to be the perfect golden.
You know, like a perfect piece of toast, I consider the same thing with pancakes.
You can be honest here. Personally, who has the better sense of style between you and your dad?
Dad, if you’re hearing this, I’m sorry – but, I have to say I feel like I have the better sense of style. Him and I, we’re very different.
What inspired the transition from doing song covers to making your own music?
It was really just me having fun and something that just so happened to gain a lot of fame.
Just me being myself with my dad.
Ever since I was younger, I’ve always loved music – music was a big part of my life growing up.
It was really just time for me to put my own music out there.
Instead of covering other people’s songs, let me cover my own.
Do you consider yourself to be the world’s youngest flexer?
I don’t consider myself to be the youngest flexer, I know that I’m the youngest flexer.
How do you manage having this much clout at the age of 14?
Honestly, it hasn’t been that hard. I wasn’t doing it for the clout to begin with, I’ve always been focused on school.
It doesn’t really get in the way of my priorities and such.
I noticed the hashtag #Live2help is included in your bio. What exactly does that mean to you?
Ever since I was younger, before fame, before the clout, before everything, I’ve always had this thing in me where I like to help; people, communities, people that I love, just everywhere around the world.
I actually had a clothing line called ‘Hope’, and half of the profits went to charities.
Since my dad’s company was called Live2Hustle, I thought why don’t we call it Live2Help.
Speaking of hashtags, I’ve also noticed the #ItsVannah tag plastered on your page pretty frequently. Curious minds can’t help but wonder, can we expect a potential EP or project soon?
I’ve been wanting to drop my music for a long time now and I think it’s coming out piece by piece.
We don’t want the whole surprise to get out
From a teenagers perspective, how have you been managing to deal with COVID-19?
It’s honestly given me more time to spend with my family and really just focus on school.
With cyberbullying gaining a lot of traction in today’s world among teenagers, do you have any advice or words of encouragement for people that may struggle with blocking out the hate?
Cyberbullying really is a huge problem in the world today, and I know that people go through it often.
Be yourself and don’t listen to anybody. I know sometimes that’s hard to do, but I feel like people should stay to themselves and don’t listen to what everyone else has to say.
Do what you want to do.
