VASSY on Plan A, Navigating Challenges and the Long Haul

VASSY just might have the Midas Touch.

Late last year, the EDM star scored big time when she performed on the hardwood for a Denver Nuggets home game, an opportunity reserved for only a select few VIPs. 

Fast forward to tomorrow, Friday (June 2) Australia time, and the tip-off for the 2023 NBA grand final series, which sees the top-ranked Nuggets hosting the Miami Heat at Ball Arena. The Colorado franchise has never progressed this deep into the Association’s post-season.

Coincidence? There’s no such thing.

With a growing collection of hit records and awards, the Australian artist is a star in her field. And, for the Nuggets, a good luck charm.

Earlier in 2023, VASSY carved a slice of history when she was awarded Icon status at the 2023 EDMAs, becoming the first-ever female recipient.

Raised in a Greek household in Darwin, VASSY (born Vassy Karagiorgos) made the leap to the United States in the early 2010s for a fresh start. The punt paid off when she became the first Australian artist to hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart with her solo number “We Are Young.”

It’s one of her six leaders on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart, including “Bad” (with David Guetta and Showtek), which has raced past one billion streams, earning inclusion in APRA AMCOS’ The 1,000,000,000 List (she’s an ambassador for the performing right society).

Next up, a headline slot at Sonoma County Pride. And, later, a return to Australia to headline Darwin Pride 2023, for a performance with a live band, featuring local musicians and drag queens.

“It’s a big deal,” she explains, adding “it’s going to be a special show.”

There’s new music in the works, including an EP that’s “dropping soon,” and VASSY’s busy schedule includes a massive EDM cruise in NYC and more NBA dates in the northern fall.

Throughout the journey, VASSY has navigated challenges and crossroads. The Music Network caught up with the homegrown singer for a glimpse at her roadmap to the top.

Don’t be bossy, be a boss:

I want to inspire other people that you can do it, you can really follow your dreams. And not just in music, in anything. If you believe in yourself.

And the rejections will come, but then redirect.

People will blow you off — ‘you’re not supposed to make business decisions, you’re not supposed to be in the front line.’ All these things I’ve had to face over the years.

So I always say to the ladies, be a boss. Don’t be bossy, but be a boss and know what you want, and what you don’t want.

Forget Plan B, it’s all about Plan A:

Over the years, I kept getting asked and told, what’s your Plan B? When I left Australia, I had this dream to move to America to pursue my dreams, because I knew I had artist qualities from a long time ago; it wasn’t just about me wanting to dance or be on social media. I’m just a real genuine artist.

I think that my secret ingredient has always been sticking to Plan A. If I had a Plan B, I would compromise my Plan A, and that every single rejection I’ve received in my career has truly been a blessing in disguise.

Rejections are simply redirections.

In fact, when you get rejected, actually be like, ‘Oh my god, wow, that’s awesome.’ Actually congratulate yourself.

This is gonna sound dorky, but I believe in manifesting. It’s about hard work, perseverance, putting the time in. Because success doesn’t happen overnight.

Everything happens for a reason:

When I left Australia, it was really hard. I was touring and things were going well, I was doing all the TV shows, and then my team got fired. Everyone got let go. I lost all the people that believed in me. And then I was just lost in the shuffle.

Everyone was prioritising American artists. And so as an Australian artist, I didn’t fit the box. I wasn’t a Delta Goodrem or Missy Higgins. Like, I wasn’t this blonde, cute Australian chick. I was exotic, and my sound was, you know, quirky.

It was just very frustrating for me, and I just felt abandoned a little bit in my own country.

So in my head, I thought, ‘ah, maybe I’ll be taken seriously If I go to America and have success.’

I really miss home. I think maybe if my team stayed in place, things would have been fine. I probably would have stayed in Australia. So everything happens for a reason, I guess.

Icon and ambition:

I just feel really proud because I’m the first woman to ever receive an Icon Award. It really is so special to be recognised by my community. And I think about that really carefully.

I came to this land of dreams and I just start building a story again, one by one. I was young. And I learned a lot through the way. I got burned, I got exploited, you know, made mistakes wherever I was. And here I am now, like an Icon.

The dance genre is so male-driven, I mean, it’s a boy’s club, let’s be real. And it’s a DJ-driven genre.

And a I’m not a DJ, I’m certainly not a boy.

I just want to open that door now for other artists. We’re not DJs but we can also be icons.