I have an unpopular theory about popular music (pun intended): We all secretly listen to it, but few of us would openly admit it.
Hence, I haven’t interviewed many artists repping the pop genre for this blog, either.
So when an opportunity presented itself to chat with Venice Qin and test my theory, I didn’t have to think twice. Especially since her debut album is an intriguing fusion of cultural influences, presented in a quirky, sugary sound that will have you singing along the minute you hear it.
PART 241 OF “AM I EVER GONNA SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN?” A RANDOM COLLECTION OF UNKNOWINGLY OBVIOUS FACTS ABOUT THE AUSTRALIAN MUSIC SCENE
Venice Qin lives on a musical planet built from contradictions — East meets West, Erhu meets hyper-pop, heartbreak meets turbo BPM. And this extraordinary melting pot stems from her background.
Hailing from Auckland, Aotearoa (or New Zealand, as you might know it), she now lives in Sydney, but her parents come from Mainland China. So, Venice has always navigated the limbo between different cultures, in life and in her creative pursuits.
Her musical education is an unexpected fusion of influences, too. She’s classically trained in singing and plays various instruments, piano, guitar and bassoon. Yet, her earliest musical memories are of a Chinese pop star, Faye Wang, and listening to Disney CDs. She almost became an opera singer and was into musical theatre for a good while.
Funnily, a song she released to streaming platforms in 2018 with no publicity at all steered her in the direction she’s consistently been following ever since.
Today, she’s inspired by the modern divas, like Lady Gaga and Caroline Polachek. What she shares with them is the belief that self-acceptance is a unique strength. So, she narrates relatable topics in her songs, including love stories gone wrong.
“If you’re a pop fiend like me, this one’s got it all — big sounds, big feelings, bigger fantasy. I’m not here to make chill background music. I’m here to serve alien-girlie realness with no fear of going full camp, full brat, full heart.” This is how Venice Qin summarises her aesthetic.
A great example is one of her more popular releases, “Asshole”, from 2022. That’s when Venice introduced herself to wider audiences, following the successful single with the 2023 Alien EP, and a stand-alone cheeky tune, “Rodeo Star”.
On September 19th, 2025, she revealed her debut album, 奔月 MOONLANDING. Released via Sony Music Australia, it’s an intriguing musical combination of her roots, stories about transformation and learning how to feel.
“I’ve always struggled with identity and questioned where I sit among cultures, social groups and especially in music. However, in 奔月 MOONLANDING, I’ve found my footing. (…),” confesses the singer.
“Ultimately, it is the journey of me wrestling between multiple parts of myself, and finally accepting that it is the combination of all of these things that makes me who I am. From classic heartbreak to club-night delusion, this record holds all my phases. All my mess. All my magic. There’s chaos, there’s catharsis, there’s even a warped Dannii Minogue moment because, of course, there is.”
The album’s title, 奔月 (literally “rushing to the moon”), draws on the same mythology celebrated each year during the Autumn Moon Festival. Mooncakes are shared under the glow of the full moon in honour of reunion, longing, and the legendary flight of Chang’e, the moon goddess.
For Venice, it’s more than folklore. It’s a metaphor for escape, transformation, and finding a home in the in-between. In the interview, she explains in more detail how that Chinese fable ties into the record’s main theme. And she shares her opinion on the actual landing on the Moon in 1969, too.
The rising pop star has consistently delivered cinematic visuals across this project. She explains that each one is “a vivid expression of the woman I’ve become, steeped in identity, reflecting the profound, mystical journey of the personal and artistic transformation I’ve been on.”
But in our chat, she also reveals funny behind-the-scenes details and other secrets related to shooting videos for the singles from the album. The location of one of them was a typical New-York apartment, while she travelled all the way to a ghost city in Inner Mongolia (China) for the last single, “Angel”.
Shooting that clip was a pretty special moment for the singer. It was like coming back full circle to her roots.
The song’s story also perfectly matches that desolate scenery. The lustful, volatile track inspired by a toxic relationship she fell into after relocating from New Zealand to Sydney is combined with a world full of empty deserts, roads, buildings, and town squares built for love, and never inhabited. It’s the perfect stage for a song about isolation after heartbreak, and taking ownership of both the good and the messy parts of it.
There’s a trusted circle of collaborators behind Venice Qin’s debut album. Amongst them are Maribelle a.k.a Vetta Borne (George Alice, Young Franco, Allday), Lucy Blomkamp (6LACK, T-Pain, Khalid) and Antonia Gauci (Ke$ha, Troye Sivan, DMA’S). Supported by this incredible team of collaborators, the pop artist has truly made an impressive music industry landing.
As the debut album arrives, Venice Qin launches into a new age with unshakable clarity. She’s not here to play it safe, to tone herself down, or to deliver anything less than her most authentic, most outrageous, most fully realised self. Hear it from the pop star herself on my Silly Talks Music podcast:
This isn’t one small step for Venice Qin. This is the giant leap that will, hopefully, propel the rising pop star to new heights and convince you that there’s nothing cringy about loving pop music.
I, for one, will definitely keep an eye on what musical planet she lands on next.
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