Page 28 - ION Indie Magazine JanFeb 2021 Issue

Kiki Plesha: I feel like I’m catching up with an old friend…a friend that I’ve
(literally) been through a battle with. LOL! Of course, I’m referring to ‘The
One – Indie Music Battle’ on REELZ. What did having that opportunity to
expose your video ‘I Can Do This’ to a potential viewership of almost 70
million households mean to you as an independent artist?

VUE: It meant the world to me because I never expected to get recognition of that
caliber for my music. It’s a true blessing because there was a lot of competition
in the battle and I was fortunate enough to make it in the top 10 and then fight my
way into the top 4. One of the best days of my life is when you reached out to me
in regard to my video, ‘I Can Do This.’ Every week of the battle I was overwhelmed
because there are a lot of good indie artists that people don’t know about. It gave
indie artists the exposure that they needed.

KP: Like so many talented artists, you acquired your passion early in life.
One could say that music was bred into your blood. Talk about your parents
a bit and how they influenced your musical path.

V: My mother, Merlene Spencer, was a singer in college and was pursuing her
singing career. At one time in her career, she was chosen to sing for Ray Charles
as a backup singer and her father wouldn’t let her go. My mom pursued her
singing career as a local and surrounding area. My father, Ossie B Spencer,
owned his own night club in Chicago where The Jackson Five performed live. His
job transferred to New Mexico, and when he came to New Mexico, he brought all
the music he had from the night club with him, such as Sam Cooke, Al Green,
and Marvin Gaye, just to name a few. With a combination of gospel from my mom
and RnB soul from my dad, VUE was created.