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We’re very excited to be speaking today with acclaimed singer and songwriter Heidi Vincent; greetings and salutations, Heidi! Before we dive into the Q&A mosh-pit, how is the freshly-minted autumn of 2023 treating you?
Hi! I’m so glad to be here, thank you for having me!
My autumn is looking great, a lot rainy but that is typical for Vancouver BC, at this time of year on the West Coast of Canada. It’s why we are so lush & green the rest of the time!
Congratulations on your beautiful new single Dear ADHD! Starting at the very top, what inspired this pop-country anthem?
Thank you so much, I appreciate that! It’s one of my most personal & transparent songs thus far.
I was late diagnosed with ADHD and suffered, as many undiagnosed ADHD’rs do, with extraordinarily negative messages from those I trusted implicitly as a child and into adulthood. My school reports contained so much judgement & shaming but no offer to help. My mental health was being severely and systematically damaged and no one really knew better, there wasn’t as much support or knowledge then. 71% of the teachers to this day are not educated to recognize the symptoms of ADHD, which are different for each person.
The Child Behaviour Clinic has reported findings in 2023 from researchers, by the age of 10, kids with ADHD receive 20,000 more negative messages and critiques than their peers without ADHD, 20,000 more negative comments. Over the course of 10 years, that’s more than 5 negative comments PER DAY MORE than their peers.
And, The American Psychological Association has found: “in the 10 years leading up to the pandemic, feelings of persistent sadness and hopelessness – as well as suicidal thoughts and behaviours have increased by about 40% among young people.” “We’re seeing really high rates of suicide and depression, and this has been going on for a while.”
As someone who lives with ADHD yourself, what are some of the common misconceptions which many folks have about struggling with it?
A lot of people think that ADHD is just distraction or “shiny things,” hyperactivity or forgetfullness etc. Humour & creativity are really great ways to lighten the burden of being ADHD. There are a lot of memes about ADHD and some of them are superbly funny I have to admit!
There are so many AMAZING qualities about ADHD such as lateral thinking, massive amounts of creativity, hyperfocus (on things we love lol), courage, innovation, expression/connection skills, empathy, abundant energy, resilience and my favourite “Spontaneity.”
But, there is a dark side many don’t know. People with ADHD have overwhelming emotions and rejection sensitivity, engage in higher risk behaviours, experience self shame, relationship struggles and often have overlapping symptoms or comorbidities with other disorders.
Who was your producer on Dear ADHD and what did the collaboration between artist and producer look like in the studio while working on the new song?
Winston Hauschild was the producer, we worked out of Tree House Studio’s on Bowen Island. He is a very talented musician and singer-songwriter himself. He made the whole process very easy for me coming back into a studio after many years. He played all the instruments on the song with the exception of the drums which Flavio Cirillo lent his talent.
In your humble opinion, what differentiates Dear ADHD from the Distinguished Competition on the 2023 music scene?
There are so many amazing and unknown talented artists out there, artists on numerous levels. I love Dear ADHD because it has a specific message; a message for those like me as well as for neurotypicals. I am attempting to generate some understanding of ADHD challenges and how it affects us as well as inspire compassion for those struggling with it.
You’re based out of Vancouver, British Columbia. How do those roots inform you as an artist and as a person?
Vancouver is such a culturally diverse group of humans. We are at the bottom of 3 mountains and at the beach at almost every location! We are all typically active outdoors people. Getting our in nature is my fuel & my healing. My adventure hashtag is #ibelongoutside
Who inspires you musically?
I grew up on a steady diet of Outlaw Country (Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Loretta Lynn, Patsy Cline) as well as 50’s & 60’s as both sets of my grandparents played a large part in raising me, my Mom was quite young. ❤️ I fell in love with Queen, Bowie, Joplin, Eurythmics, Marvin Gaye, Elvis, Elton, Fleetwood Mac, The Stones, Neil Young to name a few lol. I loved the 80’s/90’s and now some of my favourites are Radiohead, Coldplay, The Muse, Wilco, Chris Isaak, Blue Rodeo, Foo Fighter’s etc. I feel like I’m doing a disservice to the plethora of artists I haven’t mentioned.
In the wake of the September release of Dear ADHD, can fans look forward to an EP or LP release from you in the near future?
Yes! I have 2 more songs waiting in wings! One is about heartache and the follow up is revenge.
As that rare bird known as a singer and songwriter, which generally comes first for you in the creative process: The lyrics or the music?
I’m feel like I’m a music first in the process. I start playing some chords on my guitar, then string some bars together, with the music I start to feel emotion and the lyrics flow from the feelings I have. Often it’s like a movie, what the song is about, it rolls like a movie in my head and I follow that story line.
How is Dear ADHD similar to some of your past music? How is it different?
Dear ADHD is similar from a music standpoint, pop/indie with a bit of country but the significant difference is the entire song is about me “life-ing” with ADHD and the explicit emotions. It’s very personal. And, that is different for me.
