Celebrity

Victoria Duffield Speeds Toward Stardom

She opened for The Backstreet Boys, snagged a VMA nomination and her new album drops on June 3, but Victoria Duffield is still just getting started

By Kirsty Chan /

Credit: Courtesy of Warner Music

Abbotsford star Accelerates with new album

Victoria Duffield was born only a year before The Backstreet Boys’ debut album was released, but on May 20 she found herself opening for the legendary boy band at Rogers Arena. The 19-year-old local first caught the eye of Warner Music, one of the biggest record labels in the world, when she was only 15. Her first album, Shut Up and Dance, was released two years later and so began the path to Duffield’s superstardom.

The concert at Rogers Arena was the final show of the Canadian leg of The Backstreet Boys’ In A World Like This Tour. Duffield opened for them at 12 Canadian tour dates with her high energy, dance pop set. Born and raised in Abbotsford, the hometown show proved to be extra special for Duffield.

“I always love doing hometown shows. It’s a different energy onstage knowing that your friends and family are out there and also a lot of the fans that were here from the start when I was performing around the community before I was even signed.”

Being in Vancouver may remind Duffield of her roots, but with her second album, Accelerate, coming out on June 3 she won’t have much time to relax. After about a week at home in Abbotsford she’ll be setting out again to promote the new album. The first single from Accelerate, More Than Friends, has already earned a MuchMusic VMA nomination and even spawned an accompanying app.

Written and recorded over the past 18 months, Accelerate marks a new era in Duffield’s career. The album showcases the vocals and songwriting abilities of a maturing artist discovering her own sound. Accelerate was Duffield’s opportunity to infuse her music with her own personality and draw on her life experiences.

Still, despite the growth Duffield has gone through, she’s made an effort to remain relatable to her many young fans. The result is an album full of catchy bubble-gum pop insta-hits inspired by themes relatable for followers of any age. Luckily for her ever-expanding fan base, this dynamic young talent shows no signs of slowing down.