From singing Coldplay covers in her bathroom to becoming their opening act, get ready to meet Valentina Ploy as she’s here with us today on LSA’s Digital Cover March 2024. 

Pursuing a career in music is a challenging task for every artist. However, for Thai-Italian singer Valentina Ploy, who moved to Thailand a few years ago, things have been different. Valentina made her debut in 2019 with her digital single “See You In Life” and later joined Warner Music Asia. Since then, the 30-year-old has achieved great success in her musical career. She has released her latest song, “Mr. Heaven Blue,” has gone on tours, and even performed as the opening act for Coldplay.

In this interview with LSA, Valentina shares her journey from not knowing who she was as an artist to overcoming stage fright and later manifesting her all-time performance. Let’s hear what Valentina has to say about her life and her next big chapter as a rising star.

Valentina Ploy’s journey from manifestation to performing with Coldplay

People have said that you seem more suited for performing concerts due to your free-spirited vibe rather than competing in competitions. What is your opinion on this?

I’m more free-spirited. Throughout my journey, I needed a lot of time to find myself as an artist. When I competed in The Voice Thailand and in singing competitions in Italy, I didn’t even know who I was. I just knew I like to produce and sing music. However, I don’t enjoy being up on stage where people stare at me, but how does that work- to want to perform but too scared to sing on stage? I had to find a way to make these things work so I could be more comfortable. 

The way I solved my shyness was by attending acting classes. It was a long process. But when it comes to acting classes, it’s like going to the psychologist. It helps you know more about yourself because they ask why you are shy. Did something happen when you were a kid? Do you have any triggers? They’ll poke at you so much that you might even cry. You also get to do things you’re afraid of, which basically unlocks this whole new you. It’s an entire process where you discover all your emotions and why you feel a certain way. When you understand how you think, you’ll be more confident because it’s giving reasoning to your emotions.

With all of the experience I’ve acquired after being in this industry for a while, plus having the chance to perform in festivals, I finally found myself. Now I know who I am as an artist and what I need to do to feel happy on stage. 

Is it true singers can’t sing in the morning?

Yes. Well, we can sing, but it might be a bit weird. The best time for me to sing is in the evening because my voice is warm.

Tell us how you got the gig to perform in Coldplay.

First of all, I’d like to thank my team for pitching me. But when it comes to how it began, I don’t even know how it happened. So, I would call it my team’s effort, which I’m very thankful for. Plus a miracle. It was very crazy when I discovered I was opening for Coldplay. During that time, I was overthinking and scared, like what if it didn’t happen? So, I had this ongoing energy of trying to make it happen, and in the end, it did happen. So that was magic.

How was hanging out with Coldplay and talking to Chris Martin? What is he like?

I was extremely thrilled when I met Chris. He was exactly who I imagined him to be, but even better. I have been a big fan of Coldplay for a long time, and they serve as a great source of inspiration when I’m producing music. I have also covered their songs since living in Italy, and I used to sing them in my bedroom. I love them. 

Chris appeared to me as a genuine and honest person who is not snobbish. He is very humble and in touch with his spirituality. Every time I watch his interviews at home, I feel inspired, and when I finally met him, Chris was just like that. He has no ego. However, I noticed he might get uncomfortable when people would look at him all excited because he prefers being treated like a normal human being. We didn’t even take any photos, as he would say, “I’m here with you, just be here with me. There’s no need for photos.”

So when I first met him, it was with the other 19 artists when Warner Thailand organised a session where we went to Studio28 in Bangkok. We all sat in a circle at the session, and Chris was in the middle. Everyone was talking and showing their demo to him. He’s very sweet, kind, and genuine with everyone. He sat and listened to our music for 3 hours and gave us comments and advice like we were friends. 

When I played my demo, he asked why I wouldn’t play it at the concert tomorrow. I responded, “No.” The song is called “When You Almost Give Up.” During that time, I was so stressed. I could produce as many songs as possible, but no one listened. It was tough. Then, when I heard the news, it’s like when you almost give up; that’s when the magic happens. So when Chris listened to it, he told me to perform this song so everyone could know the story. 

The first day, I didn’t sing it because I was scared since it was just me and my guitar. However, when the second day came, I sang it, and it was really nice. After the concert, the first night I went to the after party and met him. He was very nice. We were just hanging, eating French fries, chatting, and introducing friends. 

Did you notice something about Chris that people might not know?

Yeah. Something people might not know is I noticed he likes to walk barefoot? I saw it in some pictures, and then when we all met him and he wasn’t wearing shoes, it made me even forget about my own. It’s also nice how he’s connected to his higher self and very grounded. I feel like at his level, when you’re that famous, to be so humble and connected with yourself is fantastic. 

Your set list began with “Berlin,” “ Really Wanna Know Ya,” ” Mr. Heaven Blue,” “See you in life,” and “Bla Bli Blu.” Why did you have to start with this order for both days?

I saved myself because I am a very emotional person. Most of my songs are very heartfelt and emotional. However, I am often too scared to perform them live because I don’t know how I will feel on stage. Will my voice shake? Will it be difficult to sing? Will I cry? I know I will probably cry (laughs), so I chose to sing the songs I am most confident in. Therefore, my setlist was a mix of popular songs people like to hear and, of course, my new song, “Mr. Heaven Blue.”

Tell us about your new song, “Mr. Heaven Blue.” 

Blue is my favourite colour. I love the sky. Before, I used to post the sky on my IG story all the time. I even have a highlight of the skies. So when I wrote this song, I wanted to produce something not too deep- something that’ll make me dance. And for the name, I like that you have hopes and dreams when you look at the sky. It generally makes you feel happy. So that’s why it’s called “Mr. Heaven Blue.”

Can you describe your experience as Coldplay’s opening act for two days? Did you notice any differences between the two days?

The first day after my performance, when they played “The Scientist,” I just cried. I was thinking, “Am I really here? Was I really on the same stage as Coldplay?” However, on the second day, it finally hit me in the head like, “Oh my god, I’m actually doing this. It is happening.” 

Although it’s exactly the same show, those two days were so different. I was so scared, stressed, and overwhelmed. However, the experience was magical. When the second day came, it was like the first day had already passed. After receiving good feedback, seeing people enjoy themselves, and Chris being very nice, I started feeling more confident. I hesitated to play “When You Almost Give Up,” but I thought, “This could be the last time in my life that I get to perform on the biggest stage.” I felt so lucky. I was full of happiness and joy. I feel so grateful. We prepared for many months, so it felt so good to accomplish this. 

Being able to be the opening act for Coldplay, did you manifest this? 

I think so, but honestly, I’ve never tried to manifest something this big because I didn’t know it could happen. Of course, I’ve dreamt of being a supporting act for a huge artist, but Coldplay is beyond. When I heard it could be me, I was scared. What if it didn’t happen? But then I thought, I had to believe I already had the gig if I wanted it. I was a bit delusional, but I told myself the gig was mine, even though it wasn’t confirmed.

Also, when I heard about Coldplay that summer, I met Ed Sheeran and went on holiday with him. I was invited to an island and Ed was a family friend of this friend that invited us. That’s why he was there too.

Do you personally believe in manifestation?

I believe in the law of attraction. I usually have a positive outlook on life. But before knowing about Coldplay, I was going through a rough time. However, I trusted the universe, and it gave me good news. 

Lastly, what other things will you manifest in the future? 

In the future, I want to be the supporting artist for Ed Sheeran or Taylor Swift. It feels too big, but I’ll try my best to work hard and manifest