Vana

Based in Auckland after spending part of her childhood in the United States, Vana, born Yvonne Winckel in California, has been developing a musical project that bridges alternative metal, dark pop rock and alternative rock since the early 2020s. Her songs bring together melodic choruses, heavy guitars and electronic textures without settling into a single style. Vana began releasing music under her name in 2022, following up with the singles “Foggy Windows” and “Crawling” before releasing the EP Die for Me! in 2023. That record established a world shaped by gothic imagery, stories of desire, symbolic violence and lyrics informed by her religious upbringing. In 2024, Vana brought the metalcore side of her sound to the fore with “Clandestine”, then drew together several facets of her aesthetic on the EP Trial & Terror, released that same year. It combines pop impulses, metal tension and more hybrid sounds, notably on “Playboi” with Sophie Powers. Her career has also included collaborations with SXMPRA, RedHook, Magnolia Park and PLVTINUM, as well as support slots on the English-speaking rock and alternative scene. Signed to Sumerian Records in 2025, Vana went on to release “Pray”, followed by “In Your Name” and “Bleeding Heart” in 2026, continuing a more direct approach in which visual and thematic darkness remains central to her identity.