Vanessa Brown was born in Northampton, England. She is the eldest of six siblings. Her mother is Jamaican and her father is Puerto Rican. She attended Overstone Park School near Northampton, which her parents own and work at. Brown learned to play the piano, developed her vocals and took classical and jazz piano lessons at a musical arts school. Brown was given her name "V V" from her peers as an MC nickname when she attended her middle school. Her love for hip hop and artists such as J Dilla and Q-Tip still exists. Brown studied violin at the age of 9 but gave it up because she found she was better at the piano and trumpet. She completed her grade 8 jazz trumpet at the age of 16 and went on to play in jazz bands up to the age of 21.
Growing up, V V listened to jazz artists like Ella Fitzgerald and Dizzy Gillespie. Brown earned four "A" grade A-Levels, studying at Kingsthorpe Upper School (now Kingsthorpe Community College) a year early; she was offered places at five top UK universities to study law including Oxford, King's College London, LSE and York. She declined the offers to follow a career in music. V V Brown was first offered a deal by Gut records when she was 14 but due to educational commitments she decided to finish her studies. She was then offered a deal by Danny Simms, the manager and mogul associated with Bob Marley. Brown declined to finish her studies. She joined a punk band at 15 and had the opportunity to tour Japan. Subsequently, P. Diddy attempted to sign her to his record label Bad Boy Records.
At 18, Brown was invited to an open audition for "VH1 Divas" by friends and was stopped outside the venue by an executive from London Records. Brown was offered a development deal by London records. The development soon came to an end and, at 19, Brown was offered a deal by Polydor records in the UK and A&M records in the US. She left her deal with Polydor and A&M in 2006, with just one single - "Whipped" - officially being released, and a planned album titled "Back to the Music" never materialising.
Brown moved back to London and began performing in bars and clubs around London. She was rediscovered by executive Darcus Beese and signed to Island Records. "Traveling Like the Light" was then recorded in 2007-2008. Brown said that most of the lyrics on the album were about a failed affair Brown endured. The album was promoted by four singles: "Crying Blood", "LEAVE!", "Shark in the Water" and "Game Over". "Shark in the Water" charted in the British, French and American charts, and was certified gold in America and France in 2009.
On September 14 2011, Brown announced that the first single from her then untitled sophomore album would be "Children" featuring Chiddy of Chiddy Bang. The song was released digitally on September 20 2011 (the release was limited to the US, Canada and Mexico as her UK deal with Island Records expired). On October 4 2011, Brown announced that the album would be titled "Lollipops & Politics" and released on February 7 of the following year.
Weeks before its planned release, a digital preorder for the album on Amazon was removed, leading to Brown announcing that the LP would be pushed back in order for a worldwide release to occur and to add more songs. However, she eventually confirmed that the entire release would be scrapped and a new album released in its place, with news also emerging that Brown had left Capitol Records and set up her own label, YOY Records (You Own You).
"Samson" was released as her second album proper's lead single on July 14 2013. Brown announced that the LP would be called "Samson & Delilah" and released on October 8 in the US and September 9 in the UK. The second single, "The Apple", was released on August 25 in the UK, with a third single, a remixed version of album track "Faith" featuring Bloc Party's Kele, following in March 2014.
Brown commenced recording of her third album in mid-2014 exclusively with producer Nearly Native (James Leggett), who she had found on SoundCloud. The project, initially planned to be an EP, expanded into an album, with a planned release date of March 2015 being pushed back. Brown filmed 3 music videos for the songs "Shift", "Instincts" and "Lazarus" in March, with the former song's video leaking in June.
The next month, Brown announced that she would be adopting a new stage name, V V, made her album available for preorder on Pledge Music, and shared the video for "Instincts". "Shift" was released officially on August 7 exclusively to streaming services, with its parent album "Glitch" expected in autumn.
The Apple
V V Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Take my heart
Hold me captive
Tear me a part
Make me better
Consume my soul
Cross the water
To another world
In the middle of the night I see you go
We have grown apart into lonely souls
Don't testify me
Don't bring me down
Don't hold me captive
Not the apple of my eye
See, don't patronize me
I'm not your clown
Don't cause me suffering
It's over now
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Hold my soul now
Inside your box
Make me loose
Psychological locks
Baby I'll find, something better
Maybe we could try and predict the weather
In the middle of the night I see you go
We have grown apart into lonely souls
Don't testify me
Don't bring me down
Don't hold me captive
Not the apple of my eye
See, don't patronize me
I'm not your clown
Don't cause me suffering
It's over now
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Our love crashed before our lives
Like the ocean paralyze
Our love crashed before our lives
Don't bring me down
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Don't bring me down
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Don't bring me down
Oh oh oh oh
Oh oh oh oh
Don't testify me
Don't bring me down
Don't hold me captive
Not the apple of my eye
See, don't patronize me
I'm not your clown
Don't cause me suffering
It's over now
The lyrics of V V Brown's song "The Apple" speak of a toxic and imbalanced relationship where one person is constantly controlling and consuming the other. The singer is pleading with their partner to stop holding them captive and tearing them apart, to stop being patronizing and causing them suffering. The line "Not the apple of my eye" is a metaphorical way of saying that the singer no longer holds their partner in high esteem, and they want to be free from their grasp. The imagery of crossing the water to another world suggests a desire for escape and a fresh start.
In the second verse, the singer acknowledges that they have grown apart and become lonely souls. They express a desire to break free from their partner's psychological grip and find something better. The line "Maybe we could try and predict the weather" is a metaphorical way of saying that the singer wants to regain control over their own life and not be at the mercy of their partner's emotional storms.
Overall, "The Apple" is a powerful song that explores the complexities and struggles of a dysfunctional relationship. It speaks to a universal human experience of wanting to break free from someone else's control and find your own path.
Line by Line Meaning
Keep me down
Don't let me thrive or succeed.
Take my heart
Steal my love and affection.
Hold me captive
Keep me imprisoned and unable to escape.
Tear me a part
Break me down emotionally and mentally.
Make me better
Help me improve and become a better person.
Consume my soul
Take away my identity and individuality.
Cross the water
Travel to a different world or reality.
To another world
To a different reality or existence.
In the middle of the night I see you go
I realize that you have left me, usually too late to stop you or change the outcome.
We have grown apart into lonely souls
Our relationship has deteriorated to the point where we are no longer close and are both feeling isolated and alone.
Don't testify me
Don't use evidence or information against me, especially in a court of law.
Not the apple of my eye
Not the person or thing that is cherished above all others.
See, don't patronize me
Don't treat me as if I am inferior or childish.
I'm not your clown
I'm not here to entertain you or be the butt of your jokes.
Don't cause me suffering
Don't inflict pain or hardship on me.
It's over now
Our relationship has ended, and it's time to move on.
Hold my soul now
Take care of me emotionally and protect my innermost desires and needs.
Inside your box
Within the confines of your comfort zone and expectations.
Make me loose
Help me break free and let go of my fears and worries.
Psychological locks
Mental barriers or obstacles that keep me from being happy or fulfilled.
Baby I'll find, something better
I believe that I will eventually come across someone or something that is more suitable or fulfilling.
Maybe we could try and predict the weather
Perhaps we should focus on more straightforward and rational pursuits rather than trying to force an unpredictable relationship to work.
Our love crashed before our lives
Our romantic relationship ended in a sudden and dramatic way.
Like the ocean paralyze
The way I feel about this situation immobilizes me emotionally and mentally, like being stuck in the midst of a sea storm.
Don't bring me down
Don't worsen or exacerbate the current unpleasant situation.
Contributed by Jordan L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
KillboyMetalhead
as you can tell by name, I'm a bit of 70,80 metal head, but saw you perform on J. Holland...absolutely fucking mesmerizing! bought the song right away. keep it up..
me too
OMG the beats are enthralling! The intensity ferocious! I'm held prisoner in this gothic chorus!
Victoria Alison
I discovered V V about 4-5 years ago, through a late programme on Channel 4.. Crying Blood pulled my attention and I soon bought the album. Although, I wasn't overly impressed with it, there were a few good tracks, but THIS album, oh my days! One of the best i've heard in a long time. She has definitely upped her game, big time and it's definitely the right direction for her. Big love V V, thank you for this magical album!Â
eri ylor
I agrees with you 110%!!!
G S
Love this I can't stop playing it
Ruba Mu.
This is incredible. Love it.
Joe Piz
This song is BRILLIANT ! So innovative ! and the French version is GREAT too ! That's what I call GREAT music !
Tucker
I absolutely love this! This and Samson have completely blown me out of the water. Samson & Delilah is my most anticipated album this year!!
fun-with-acid
This song is becoming dangerous. The other day I woke up, and within a millisecond The Apple was running in my head.
Clara Avila
popo ipon nn