INTERVIEW: Violette Rain’s “Follow the Crows” Invites Listeners Into a Dark, Mythical World

As the air turns crisp and the veil between worlds thins, Violette Rain returns with “Follow the Crows,” a hauntingly beautiful ode to transformation, grief, and the gothic magic of autumn. The track marks one of the darkest chapters yet in her year-long musical odyssey, all leading to the eventual release of her album Charting the Stars in Her Eyes. Blending folk-pop with medieval and vintage influences, Violette continues to carve out a sound that’s as cinematic as it is intimate, with each song sounding like it’s plucked straight from the pages of a fairytale.

We caught up with Violette to talk about the darker side of her artistry, the myths that inspire her, and what it means to build a universe one song at a time.

Congrats on the release of “Follow the Crows”, which is perfect for the start of October! This song is a bit of a departure from previous releases. Tell me about that.

Thank you so much! You’re absolutely right, Follow the Crows definitely leans into a darker, more macabre side of me. All of the work I’ve released this year are part of my debut album, Charting the Stars in Her Eyes. I would describe each song on the album as a door to a different world- “Starshine” the door to a mermaid lagoon, “Forget-Me-Nots” the door to a moonlit dark fantasy… All of these doors are an introduction to me, and I intend to explore these worlds over the course of my career. “Follow the Crows” is no different in that regard, I may very well write a whole gothic album in the future haha.

I have to say you have one of the strongest brands I’ve seen! Your music blends folk-pop with medieval and vintage influences which is SO specific and yet a perfect description, which you carry out in your social media, music, and photos. What drew you to those sounds and was it intuitive learning to incorporate them?

Ah, thank you, that’s so kind of you to say! I’ve always been drawn to a wide range of sounds and aesthetics, and I have to give a lot of credit to my mother and grandmother for shaping my sense of style and taste in music. My parents are both musicians, so I grew up surrounded by everything from Bob Dylan and The Who to Katzenjammer and ABBA- and I think those unexpected blends of folk, humor, and pop reflect through my sound.

Visually, my style is very much a blend of my mother’s love for gothic, darker aesthetics and my grandmother’s affection for glamorous 1950s vintage fashion together, they really shaped how I express myself as an artist.

The imagery in “Follow the Crows” is incredible. It is SO atmospheric. What role do myth, folklore, or gothic themes play in your music?

Thank you so much! Myth is everything in my storytelling. I feel that my love of storytelling was born from the connections I’ve formed with characters in myths and literature that I’ve found misinterpreted, sometimes even by their own author! In my songs, I hope to amplify the voices that are often drowned out by time, and connect them to modern audiences who might see themselves in these timeless stories.

Tell us your favorite myth or folklore.

I’ve always loved the story of The Green Ribbon. My favorite adaptation is by Carmen Maria Machado, it appears in her short story collection Her Body and Other Parties. The tale itself dates back to at least the 19th century and has appeared in many variations over time. One of the earliest versions places it during the French Revolution- a young woman always wears a black ribbon around her neck, and it’s later revealed to be hiding the mark of the guillotine. The version most people know was popularized in Alvin Schwartz’s In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories from the 1980s, where the original black ribbon turns green. I love how this story continues to evolve, shifting its meaning depending on who’s telling it.

“Follow the Crows” is part of your larger album, Charting the Stars in Her Eyes, which reflects the emotional seasons of a year. How does “Follow the Crows” fit into that bigger story?

Charting the Stars in Her Eyes traces the seasons of grief through a world of fantasy and myth. It’s about rediscovering the magic that loss takes from you. “Follow the Crows” in the traditional terms of grief is anger personified-a vengeful spirit trapped between past and present, unable to rest. I’ve found grief to be nonlinear, which is why anger haunts the later chapters of my year long story… but I can promise that the album’s final chapter, set to release this December, ends in acceptance.

Speaking of, you’ve been releasing one track per month throughout 2025. I really applaud that kind of consistency! What has that process taught you about storytelling, momentum, or connecting with listeners?

Thank you! It’s been a challenge, but one that feels deeply tied to the heart of the project- releasing each song in its proper season gives the story its rhythm. I feel the playful romance of “Courtly Love” in February, I feel the bittersweet nostalgia of “Pumpkin Pie” in September, and I wanted to share that with listeners in real time. The biggest lesson has been learning to adapt. I’m so grateful for everyone who listens to my music, I carry such tenderness for them in my heart and I want my little magical realm to be a safe place for them to land. No matter what twists the road brings in real life, I’ve learned how to adapt and I’ll keep building these worlds- no storm will stop that.

Sharing a release date with Taylor Swift is no easy task, but of course the music is wildly different. It does bring up an interesting question though- who is your dream tour, where you perform, made up of?

I swear it was an accident! Haha, I wanted to release “Follow the Crows” the first Friday of October, and didn’t realize that it was Taylor’s release date before it was too late!!

There are so many artists I’d love to open for, Sierra Ferrell comes to mind immediately. I adore her gorgeous, folkloric storytelling and the way she creates a world with every song.

But if we’re really talking dreams, I can see my own tour so vividly. Every ticket would include a little bouquet of flowers-a symbol of the grief each person carries, since loss is such a central theme in my music. You’d step into my realm: a small market of local vendors selling their whimsical wares, an opportunity to sell that opens for local artists of each city. On stage, the backdrop would be the night sky, with twelve constellations overhead, one for each song. As I sing, they’d light up one by one, ending the show with the most star kissed night sky. That’s my dream.

If listeners could walk away from “Follow the Crows” carrying just one feeling or thought, what would you want it to be?

I am one of the souls who lives for this time of year- the crisp air, classic Halloween movies, ghost stories, soup, haha. Despite its macabre nature, there’s something deeply comforting about Autumn’s darkness. It speaks to those of us who don’t quite fit into the brightness and conventional warmth of Summer.

I hope “Follow the Crows” becomes a companion to all the witches, vampires, and whimsical souls who come alive in this season. May it find a home beside your favorite October rituals- for this year and many Octobers to come.

Is there anything else you’d like to add?

I’m endlessly grateful to everyone who’s stepped into my little universe this year. As Charting the Stars in Her Eyes comes to a close, new constellations are already forming. There’s a whole new realm waiting to unfold in 2026- new magic, new spells, and maybe even distant stages calling under the same night sky.