VV Brown (real name is Vanessa ) can now add “fashion muse” to a resume that already includes singer, songwriter, producer, pianist, trumpeter and guitarist..’For starters, the 26 year-old pompadoured Londoner of Jamaican and Puerto Rican decent hopes to top the Billboard charts when her debut album, “Traveling Like the Light,” drops in February on Capitol Records. On top of that, Brown  also wants to make inroads in the fashion industry with her new online clothing outpost, VV Vintage. And, oh yes, with all the spare time she’ll have, she hopes to land some ad campaigns with the help of her new contract with Select Model Management (at 5-foot, 10-inch she is a designer’s dream)

She describes her look as “Fifties glam couture,” though it’s actually made up of thrift store finds and the occasional ready-to-wear piece by houses that include Balenciaga, Viktor & Rolf and Chanel her favorite designers.  Brown who launched VV Vintage, an online shop in June in which  all items retail for less than $50, the site is stocked with the kind of mix-and-match pieces Brown would snap up at thrift stores. Brown insists the same goes for her self-described “doo-wop indie sound,” which has drawn obvious comparisons with Amy Winehouse and Duffy. She is a huge fan of Grace Jones and David Bowie but relies on gospel infused in her music because she was raised in the gospel church. This Los Angeles transplant is definitely one to watch.

— Ramlah Boadi