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Erin Rae

Erin Rae

Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

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Erin Rae Talks 'Putting On Airs' & John Paul White erin-rae-talks-exploring-new-sounds-putting-airs-working-john-paul-white-newport-folk

Erin Rae Talks Exploring New Sounds On 'Putting On Airs' & Working With John Paul White | Newport Folk 2019

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"It is my first Newport and I've been having the best time. It's special for so many reasons," the powerful singer/songwriter told the Recording Academy at Newport Folk Fest
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Jul 29, 2019 - 1:42 pm

Tennessee native Erin Rae has been on a roll lately and is grateful for it all. The catalyst seems to have come from, at least in part, her latest album, 2018's Putting On Airs, with she recorded with a small team in a remote monetary-turned-creative-workspace in Wisconsin.

Reflecting on the collaborative process, she reveals it has helped her hear sounds differently, saying, "For me, it was a jumping off point into this new creative realm."

Erin Rae On New Sounds Of 'Putting On Airs'

More: Maren Morris, Natalie Hemby & Amanda Shires Of The Highwomen Are "Redesigning Women" | Newport Folk 2019

The album was released on Florence, Ala.-based indie label, Single Lock Records, which Rae was signed to earlier that year. GRAMMY-winning singer/songwriter John Paul White, who runs the company, met Rae at a show in Florence, which she was opening for now-labelmate The Kernal.

From the "surreal" moment of connecting and working with White to playing her first-ever Newport Folk about a year later, the Recording Academy caught up with the powerful vocalist/lyrist at the festival to hear about it firsthand.



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@lauraepartain continues to amaze me as we grow. She is incredible and her dedication to her craft inspires me to no end. This is from our session with @amazonmusic & Matt Ross-Spang. Link is in the bio to hear our version of “Last Thing On My Mind” by Tom Paxton. Today I play the Museum Stage for @ritahoustonwfuv and her show The Future Is Female here at Newport Folk Festival. Pinch me. 4:00

A post shared by Erin Rae (@erinraemusic) on Jul 26, 2019 at 6:35am PDT

"It's my first Newport and I've been having the best time. It's special for so many reasons," Rae said, smiling. Check out the rest of Rae's Newport Folk Festival interview above.

Behind The Board: Matt Ross-Spang On Why Memphis Is The Reason He Produces

Dermot Kennedy

Dermot Kennedy

Photo: Recording Academy

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Dermot Kennedy On 'Without Fear,' Bon Iver & More dermot-kennedy-without-fear-bon-iver-coachella-close-personal

Dermot Kennedy On 'Without Fear,' Bon Iver & Coachella | Up Close & Personal

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The Irish singer/songwriter talks new music, gratitude for his growing fan base, love of Bon Iver and more in a recent interview with the Recording Academy
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Sep 16, 2019 - 10:53 am

Dublin-born folksy singer/songwriter Dermot Kennedy has had a great run recently, and he's just getting started. This year alone, he's shared his smoldering vocals and uplifting lyrics with major performances at Coachella, Glastonbury and on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, to name a few. Later this month, on Sept. 27, he'll drop his debut full-length album, Without Fear.

Dermot Kennedy On Debut LP, Bon Iver & More

The "Power Over Me" singer recently stopped by the Recording Academy headquarters for our latest episode of Up Close & Personal to share what fans can expect on the new album, as well as insight into the story behind one of its lead singles, "Outnumbered." He also spoke to his biggest influences, which include David Gray and Bon Iver, and how he stays fresh while on tour. You can watch a portion of the conversation above and read the full interview below. You can also visit on our YouTube page for a longer version of the video, as well as for other recent episodes.

You're releasing your debut album, Without Fear, soon. How are you feeling about it?

Excited. These are a bunch of songs I've known for a long time, for the most part. I've struggled with that for a while, the patience you need to have if you've got a certain song that you are super proud of but need to wait because it will exist on a project. So this is that moment where all of the things I'm most excited about get to come out. And up until now, there's been so much singles and EPs and stuff, and I'm excited to have a body of work out in the world.

What was your favorite part about working on this project in terms of that it was a full album?

I think that's always been really, really important to me. I think it would be very easy to just work away and find the songs that click and then put them all together and have a project of these songs, but any time I think about artists that I'm inspired by, like Kendrick [Lamar] or Hozier and stuff like that, I think about these bodies of work that are cohesive projects and every song works with the next and all that kind of thing, so that was really important to me to do that. I think it's like another thing where you put a bit more pressure on yourself, but it's worth it, for sure.

One of your most recent singles is "Outnumbered," which, to me, feels very powerful and empowering. Can you talk a little bit more about the backstory on that song and then the video that came with it?

They line up in a way. I wrote the song quite a while ago, and it was one of those lovely things that kind of came together in a day, almost. It was this really organic thing where—my favorite days in studios are when you don't second guess everything. I didn't know it was going to be a single, and I didn't know what the plan was for it, so I guess it was a good thing I was just there to make music. If it worked, happy days, and if not, then it was fine.

It was a different stage in my life, I guess, and a different set of circumstances. What it meant for me was just I wanted to almost send a message of comfort to somebody and to just remind someone that despite how difficult things might be and how. You know that feeling of being in a rough patch, and realistic-you knows there's the next chapter, and that will end and you'll be on the other side of that. But when you're in it, it's not very easy to see that. It was me trying to remind somebody that there is that next part where that bad patch has just gone away.

Then, I guess it was written by me for someone in particular, but on a bigger scale that message could translate to anybody.

It feels like that for sure, especially with the music video specifically, as there are different people in the video.

For sure, yeah. I thought that was important. We did that with the video for "Lost" too, because, again, it was like, be aware of everybody because everybody's got their own thing going on. You might think you've got the worst set of circumstances out of anybody, but everybody's got their own struggle. You know what I mean? I think that's a big part of my songwriting, to try and just provide comfort to people.

I think if even one person can relate, you know?

Oh, exactly. I'm sure, through the ages, so many artists are thinking of one specific person when they do that, but you end up writing a song that can work for a lot of people, hopefully.

Once the album comes out, then you'll be touring in the U.S., and then Europe and U.K. this fall and winter. What are you most looking forward to with this tour?

The venues. The venues are getting better and better all the time. It's this really lovely way of gauging how your career is going, too. It's really cool. I try not to take it for granted because I know some people can come and tour the U.S. and play to 10, 15, 20 people, and so I've been so lucky that gigs sell out. It's that lovely thing of you play to, say, three hundred people and then come back in a few months and you play to a thousand people. It's this beautiful way to watch the rooms grow.

This tour, I'm just excited. I feel like there's certain things on the journey that you figure out. Currently I'm fixing the way I sing to have proper technique locked in, things like that. I can't wait to not be exhausted after a gig. And I can't wait to play all the new songs. It's constantly evolving, yeah. It's this lovely thing of always, when you finish a tour, you're like, maybe this could have been better, so you address that next time. But then you are on to a new set of things that you think you could improve, so it's this cool thing to chase.



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Thank you Glastonbury! For showing up, for your energy, for singing with me, and for making my first time to play this iconic festival so memorable! Lots of love X . by @lucyfosterphoto

A post shared by Dermot Kennedy (@dermotkennedy) on Jul 1, 2019 at 5:48am PDT

Speaking of big shows, you did Coachella and Glastonbury, which are both epic in their own right. How did those two experiences feel for you when you were in them?

Coachella was awesome because I was shocked by the amount of Irish people there. Obviously, you do the two weekends, and the second weekend I was quite sick. I was like that guy before I went on stage with my face in the steam, trying to melt everything here, so that was a tricky one. But I went out and it was just a lot of Irish flags. So many Irish people go to things like New York and Boston, but I didn't know if people went to Coachella from Ireland so it was this really lovely boost to get when I walked out onstage.

Then, Glastonbury was amazing because leading up to it you just realize it's a really important thing to be a part of. Even if you never do it again, you've had your little moment of Glastonbury history where you play your part and do your best. It was just fun.

I think one of the things that touring a lot does for you is it means I don't necessarily—I'm sure this is case-by-case—but I don't get nervous before I go onstage. I get excited. Obviously, there's a certain amount of nerves, because if it goes wrong, that's a bad thing. But it's mostly just excitement.

Also, things are so fast-paced, so I like that you play Glastonbury and then literally you're back on a bus and you go play a different festival. I think that's something that is quite difficult. Sometimes you don't get to let things sink in and you just move on very quickly. To play Glastonbury, if you told me that eight years ago, not in a cheesy way, you would not believe it. To do those things now week in, week out and then move on so fast, you've got to check yourself and take a moment.

When you are on tour, is there anything that you do to keep yourself grounded?

I think two things that are really important when you're on tour is obviously to stay in touch with home. I think that would keep me grounded, for sure. And then I think it's also important to try and stay active creatively because it's very easy to fall into a routine of bus, venue, gig, bus, sleep and just be like, "Perfect. This is what I do for a month," and not necessarily feed yourself any art.

If you have a day off, to go to a museum or go to the cinema or something. I feel like that stuff is really important, if you don't, when you come off tour and go to the studio its like, oh, I haven't used this part of my brain for a long time.

It's a very strange bubble to live in. We're really lucky because everybody's close in our crew. It's not this thing where I show up to the venue and then we do a show and then we all split up. Everybody spends all day, every day together, so it's this lovely thing. That's really important in terms of if you're down, just knowing there's people to lift you up and talk to and that kind of thing, so I am really lucky with the crew I've got too. There's a lot of things that have fallen into place in a really nice way.

Last year, you worked with Mike Dean for your collaborative mixtape. I was curious if you had any other dream collaborators, be it producers, songwriters, other vocalists.

There's a few, for sure. There's an act from Ireland, it's not traditional Irish music, that's where its roots are, but it's this really interesting, sort of a step on from that, and they're called The Gloaming. I won't even try and describe it, but it's just this super ethereal music. It's just really magic. They play the National Concert Hall in Dublin. I've seen them like five, six times, and it's just the best. The [Irish] President always goes to see them. They are the best at that.

And then in terms of people who, say, influence me, I would love to ever be in the same room as Justin Vernon or anybody from Bon Iver and just be involved in that. When I watch interviews with him and when I watch things about Bon Iver, I just realize they've been so successful but just maintained the same values the whole time. It's always only been about music, and that really appeals to me.

I would love to get way outside my comfort zone too. If I could be involved with the likes of Stormzy or J. Cole or anything like that. Yeah, stuff like that would blow my mind.

Speaking of musical influences, who would you say are your biggest influences to this day?

I started off wanting to do the acoustic thing, like to play in theaters with just a guitar and a piano. When I started out it was like David Gray and Glen Hansard were the people I wanted to be, basically. Then, obviously, that evolved. Again, Bon Iver were instrumental for me. The reason I wanted to do that [acoustic performance] was because lyrics were what impacted me most, and when I saw someone telling a story through a song, it just hit me. It was this really potent thing. That's why I love hip-hop so much, because to me it's the same type of thing.

I figured if you put too much music around that or if you had these big arrangements, you'd lose that intensity or that intimacy and the power of the lyrics getting across. Bon Iver were huge for me in terms of realizing the amount of people on stage can grow, the arrangement can grow, and you can still keep that closeness between you and whoever's listening. That helped me get out of my own way and start working with musicians and wanting it to grow. I was lucky enough in the last few years to start working with producers who could bring that to life.

I would say it started off like acoustic, lyrics; folk music, basically. Then the Bon Iver thing happened, and then hip-hop started influencing what I do, in a way, so it's just this big mess of things.

What was the first CD you every bought and first concert you attended?

The first CD I ever bought, it was a live album by an Irish band called The Frames. Do you know them? It's Glen Hansard's band from when he was like 19 to this day. Every now and then they'll play a show in Dublin, they're the best. Couldn't tell you what age I was, maybe 11, 12, I saw them on TV. I barely even owned a guitar yet, so I hadn't awakened that part of my brain where I would judge music, but just whatever Glen Hansard was doing, I was locked in to him expressing himself. I was so drawn to that, so I bought the album the next day. Just incredible.

It's so funny because even when you tour, and every night you're like, oh, my vocals were okay but not on it. But if you listen to that album, it's like every single thing is perfect. It's super demanding music vocally and he just nails it. And the first concert I went to, which I won't talk about much at all, was Westlife. It was because of my sister, I had to go.

Victoria Kimani Talks New Album, Repping Kenya, Dream Collabs With Lauryn Hill & Rihanna | Up Close & Personal

J.I.D at Lolla 2019

J.I.D at Lolla 2019

Photo: Josh Brasted/FilmMagic/Getty Images

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J.I.D On Lolla Debut, J. Cole & Dreamville jid-talks-lollapalooza-debut-working-j-cole-dreamville-new-music-more

J.I.D Talks Lollapalooza Debut, Working With J. Cole & Dreamville, New Music & More

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"I've been doing a lot of shows this year, but this has been one of the best festivals," the Atlanta rapper told the Recording Academy while On The Road at Lollapalooza 2019
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Aug 7, 2019 - 5:09 pm

Rising hip-hop artist J.I.D, part of J. Cole's Dreamville Records powerhouse squad, has been on fire lately. Late last year, just in time for his Halloween birthday, the Atlanta rapper released his sophomore album, DiCaprio 2, which is filled with big collabs and even bigger energy throughout its 14 tracks.

Just minutes after making his Lollapalooza debut, he explained the mood behind the album, saying: "I wanted it to be a festival-like project… So I made these songs specifically for energy, for working out, for cardio."

J.I.D On Lolla Debut, J. Cole & Dreamville

He also talked about loving the crowd at his epic Lolla show, as well as working with his Dreamville labelmates and Cole on their recent masterpiece album, Revenge Of The Dreamers III. The Atlanta native also discussed the rich music scene in his hometown, his biggest influences and his eclectic list of dream collaborators—Beyoncé, James Blake and Little Dragon all make the list.

Finally, he teased some new music, telling the Recording Academy, "The first one was the introduction to me, second one was all about performances, energy and all that stuff. The next one, you guys will see." Check out J.I.D's interview in full above.



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Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza lolla Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza (that was a someone in the crowds hat) Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza Lollapalooza lollapalooza

A post shared by J.I.D (@jidsv) on Aug 7, 2019 at 11:40am PDT

Looping Guru FKJ Talks Improvising "Tadow" With Masego & Being "A Melting Pot"

Alesso at Lolla 2019

Alesso at Lolla 2019

Photo: Daniel Mendoza/Recording Academy

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Alesso On Lolla, "Sad Song" & Returning To Roots alesso-lolla-2019-progresso-volume-1-making-new-hardcore-dance-music

Alesso On Lolla 2019, 'PROGRESSO VOLUME 1' & Making New "Hardcore Dance Music"

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"For [the PROGRESSO VOL. 1] EP it felt great, kind of going back to my roots. I'm going to put out another one this year," the GRAMMY-nominated DJ/producer told us
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Aug 4, 2019 - 11:24 am

Swedish DJ/producer Alesso has been turning up clubs around the world for the better half of the last decade. The GRAMMY nominee has released an extensive amount of big dance tracks and worked with a diverse group of big-name collaborators, all the way back to his 2012 breakout single, "Calling (Losing My Mind)" with Swedish House Mafia's Sebastian Ingrosso and OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder.

Between Las Vegas residencies and headline sets at festivals across the globe, Alesso doesn't get to slow down too often. We sat down with him a few days after his headline set at Tomorrowland in Belgium and just a few hours before his set at Lollapalooza 2019. In addition to telling us about his experience at both fests, he also talked about his latest music—including "Sad Song"—and the banger-filled PROGRESSO VOL. 1 mixtape.

Alesso On Lolla, "Sad Song" & Returning To Roots

You're about to headline here tonight. How are you feeling?

I feel pretty good. A little bit jetlagged, but I think I played the stage at the exact same set time four years ago, three or four years ago, and I love it so I'm looking forward to it.

I'm sure the crowd's going to be packed. What's your biggest hope for all the people at your set tonight?

I just hope that everything works in the production. We added a lot of production to it that cost a fortune, so it better be working. That's what I'm hoping, and obviously that people enjoy the show.

Do you get to enjoy Chicago or Lollapalooza at all while you're here?

Not really. I mean for the time I'm playing, that's pretty much what I get to see because then the festival is done. Today I had meetings and other stuff to do, but one day, hopefully. I mean, I would have stayed but I have other shows tomorrow and Sunday.



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BEST CROWD OF 2019

A post shared by Alesso (@alesso) on Aug 2, 2019 at 8:33pm PDT

Making the most of the set then.

Exactly. I'll be like, "Can we stop? I want to go to this other stage."

Speaking of big shows, you recently played Tomorrowland, which looked pretty epic. What did the energy in that crowd feel like for you?

It changes a little bit every year. Sometimes it's great. Sometimes it's even more great and sometimes it's all right, but this year it was really good. I think it just kind of depends on what set time you have and how the weather is, and obviously what kind of music I play, of course. But I felt this year was one of the best ones.

That's awesome. One of the recent songs you put out was actually a remix of "Sad Song" that you did with TINI. What was it like working together and what was your creative vision going into that song?

I wrote that song like a year ago, with some really great songwriters in L.A. It's a [type of] song that I've never put out before. I've never put out that kind of style and just wanted to experiment with it. I think she had a great voice. She barely speaks English and she nailed it. And in order for me to play it on my shows, it needs to be more of an amped version so I remixed it myself, and I love that version, to play it out, especially. I'm going to play it tonight. Even if you don't know the song, I think you'll still appreciate the remix because it has so much energy and pretty cool melodies.

You remixed it so you can play it at your shows.

I mean I try to make originals original, and then if they need to be adapted to my shows I'll change that. Because before it used to be, you're trying to do both, both have a song the way it is, and it works on your shows. Or I mean, sometimes the song needs to be the way that it is and not trying to push it into another direction.

And one of your other recent projects, the PROGRESSO VOL. 1 EP, is super progressive house. It feels like some of the stuff you're probably bumping at your shows.

Definitely.

Was that project sort of, "These are like the dancefloor bangers I want to play at my shows"?

Yeah, exactly. I hadn't put out anything that sounded like what I've been known for in a while, and we live in this time where we think hits is everything that matters, especially for musicians. But now I feel, especially in dance music, what we need to do is go back and make club bangers and festival songs, because it needs it. That's why, honestly, I have way more effect in making those songs—I mean, I shouldn't say that because it's different with every song. For that EP it felt great, kind of going back to my roots. I'm going to put out another one this year. A lot of new music is on its way that's hardcore dance music.

Listening to it, it feels like this is where you started. Not going backwards though, just kind of like to the root of it.

Yeah. Thank you. It does so much for my live shows. It's like those are the ones that really take off when I play them.

Chicago DJ Whethan Talks New Music, Working With Longtime Faves Strfkr & More

GRAMMYs

King Princess

Photo by Jacklyn Krol for The Recording Academy

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King Princess On Remixing Meryl Streep's Scream king-princess-talks-working-master-sound-mark-ronson-remixing-meryl-streeps-big-little

King Princess Talks Working With "Master Of Sound" Mark Ronson & Remixing Meryl Streep's 'Big Little Lies' Shriek

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"'Mary-Luiz (Plz Plz),' honey, is going to be the next theme song for 'Big Little Lies,'" the rising singer/songwriter/producer tells the Recording Academy before her Thursday night Lollapalooza set
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Aug 2, 2019 - 9:55 am

If you haven't heard of King Princess, aka 20-year-old Mikaela Straus yet, it's a great time to get to know the rising pop singer/songwriter/producer. Her debut album, Cheap Queen, is due out this fall on Zelig Records, Mark Ronson's label, and she was featured on Ronson's recently released breakup album, Late Night Feelings. The child of engineer Oliver Straus (Melissa Etheridge, P!nk), King Princess practically grew up in the studio, and as a result is learning to trust her intuition when it comes to her own work. 

Working with Ronson, the seven-time GRAMMY-winning superproducer, has been a major confidence-booster, too. "[I've learned] that my instincts are probably right," she exclusively tells the Recording Academy before her Thursday night Lollapalooza set. "I think that [Ronson] is really respectful of the fact that I have the perspective of a young, queer woman and I'm a young person. That meant the world to me."

Below, King Princess sits down with the Recording Academy to chat about her forthcoming debut, recording at Rick Rubin's famous Shangri-La studio, her love of crafting dance tracks from all kinds of strange sounds (one of the most recent is Meryl Streep's now-iconic Big Little Lies shriek), her dream collaboration and more.

Let’s go miss Lolla <3 wearing a custom lil fit based on my parent 92’ Lolla shirt pic.twitter.com/qoaWARkflo

— King Princess (@KingPrincess69) August 2, 2019

You're about to perform here at Lolla. How are you feeling?

I feel really good. I've been playing shows a f**k ton this year, and it feels like these moments like Lolla, Coachella, Gov Ball, just like really make me emotional. Because these are the big ones. You dream about this, and you hear about your parents going, and my family's from up in L.A., so Coachella for them was a huge deal. Gov Ball was huge for me. It's really like, those are the moments you're like, "Oh, man."

That's awesome. Living the dream. 

No, it's truly, truly living the dream. I have amazing slots, and the stages have been great, and everything's great.

What are you most looking forward to about the festival?

I am most looking forward to my show, and then probably walking around and seeing some other people. Because I love to have those moments after your show where you're like, "I did it, bitch. Let's go walk around, take a breather. Enjoy the festival.

You also performed at a Lolla Aftershow last night, correct?

I did a venue show at Thalia Hall. The sound was amazing, and the kids were like f**king losing it. It was just so much fun. Cautious Clay opened for me, who I'm a huge fan of. I was just like, "What a great way to kick off the weekend." Pretty much a practice for what's going to go down on stage.

Do you have a different approach for a festival stage versus a more intimate venue?

Yeah. I feel like any time you play something like this, you just have to account for the fact that you're outdoors, and you're at a festival where most people are drunk, and moving around. It's a different energy you really project, in a way outside, that you don't even have to in an intimate space. Because people are paying to watch you, they're paying to stand there at your specific show. It's more like you're winning attention at a festival, which I like because it's a challenge. It's a challenge to play really good and have your band be really tight. 

What's your biggest hope or vision when you come off the stage in a few hours?

Just that, like, everyone who watches it, whether it's on the internet, or live, is just so thrilled to have seen it, and like they saw a great show that day. Because it's like the worst when you want to go see someone and then you don't feel compelled. I love my band, and I love the way we play live. People seem to be really like happy and pleased to have seen us afterward. That's all I care about it. I just care that they like it. That's all I care about it. 

I really liked your feature on Mark Ronson's album. What was it like working with him, and on that project?

Him and I have a really interesting relationship, because I think he probably thought that I was more of an artist and less of a producer. It turns out I'm probably more of a producer and less of an artist. I think my brain functions in the studio like a producer's. It's just like working with him, is like sometimes we butt heads, and sometimes we clash because I'm like an apprentice producer under him. That's kind of like our relationship.

He's a master of sound. So, we get in these weird tiffs about how long he takes to get the perfect sound. I'm just like making everything so fast, and he's like, "No, b**ch. You have to wait, get everything right." Which I appreciate because it teaches me how to slow down and really take time to make something because then you get a record like his record that sounds tailored.

So, that song that we wrote ... I wrote a couple songs, and he was like, "They're not good enough, not good enough," and I'm like, "F**k you." Then I sat down, it was like 3:00 am at [Rick Rubin's] Shangri-La, and I wrote that song with my engineer, Mike, on the piano, in this big white room. I wrote it, and I was like stoned as balls. I was like, "Mark, I think I got it." I played it for him, and he was like, "Yep." That was the biggest challenge, just being like, you know, "It is your record, you produce it." 

What was the biggest thing you learned from working with Mark, so far?

That my instincts are probably right. It's like I think that he is really respectful of the fact that I have the perspective of a young, queer woman, and I'm a young person. He's just always been like, "That's the sh*t that people listen to." People listen to "1950" because you feel like you're in my shoes, and that's a hard thing to do when you're trying to appeal to a demographic of people who are completely different from you. He was just like, "I felt it." That meant the world to me, just hearing that my instincts about my production and sounds were right.

Do you have another favorite song from Mark's album? 

"Why Hide" with Diana Gordon. It's like the most beautiful song, I think, on the record.

Do you have any other dream collabs you want to speak out and manifest?

I've been saying this a lot, but I want a song with Jack White. I don't know. Somebody should make that happen one day.

How'd you come up with your artist name?

When I was young, it was like, I didn't even realize the true meaning of it. Because I feel like it was just something we kind of joked around about. Like in the studio with my friend, Doug, he'd always call me "King Princess." Later in life, I was like, I just cannot believe that my young self created a name and a concept that was so beyond where I was at with my gender, and my sexuality at that point. Then to look back, and be like, "That is me, I'm the intersection of these two things, these two extremes."

I love that. I feel like our young selves are—

More intuitive than we think, right?

Right. You've put out other music this year, some really great songs, including the title track for your upcoming album. What's your main hope for this album?

That it's just a great album start to finish. All the songs are different in different ways, but the production and my voice is the through-line. I really want people to listen through start to finish, and listen to the story when I'm singing, and the words. Because as much as I love production, it's like production is just kind of like the clothes that are worn by the lyrics. Really my goal is to have everything feel like it was meant to be. There's fast songs, there's slow songs, and all this other good sh*t on there. There are songs that are more conceptual, and songs that are pop songs, and that's kind of how I write, I just let it come out. 

Are you producing, or co-producing, on the album?

Yeah, I produced the whole thing. My co-producer is my engineer, but I produce everything. A couple people came by and helped out on songs. My friend Tim Anderson helped produce "Prophet." My friend Tao has a song on the record. He's a really talented producer, young and grew up in the studio with Mark, kind of, a little bit these last few years. He was around for that whole thing, so it was just really cool that people in my direct community worked on the record.

What's your favorite part of the collaborative process?

When you call someone you know would be good at something and just say, "Hey, can you come in and do your work, do what you do?" I think the problem with collaborations is when you end up overextending yourself, and neither party has a specific thing to give. I love bringing in people very specifically, like, my band when I need somebody to come play a ripping guitar solo, like I'll get Jonah to come out and play.

When I really want some incredible live instrumentation, Mark sets up a session with Tommy and the Dap-Kings for me. That sh*t is really special. My friend Tobias Jesso, Jr. sang on a song. That was like a real last minute, like "I need you to come sing on this thing. I need your help." He just came and f**king killed it.

Last question. I can't not ask about the Meryl Streep scream techno. What inspired that? Are you going to make more techno-leaning tracks?

I have so many [remixes], on SoundCloud. I have a whole folder full, it's called "Remixes." My music is so sad and serious, that there needs to be some sort of creative output that's funny, and gives me joy, and makes my friends laugh. This was this thing that I started to do, that I was just like, "This would be so f**king funny." It started with a "Jesus Take the Wheel" remix that I've actually never leaked. I meant to put that one out. So, the first one was a "Jesus Take the Wheel" remix. It goes very hard. I was reinventing these stories that these songs told. I love to do that such a thing. With Meryl, that one for me was just like, the minute I saw that scene, I was like, "That's my next remix." The scream is incredible, tonally. "Mary-Luiz (Plz Plz)," honey, is going to be the next theme song for Big Little Lies. 

 

Adia Victoria On Making 'Silences' & The Pain & Love Behind "Different Kind Of Love"

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