"The fire in the rearview is smaller the further we get," Andy Hull sings near the end of his band Manchester Orchestra's new project What a way to sum up the march of time in the wake of staggering loss — the inferno burns as bright as ever, but you've pushed yourself past it.

Of course, music about grief is manifold, but Manchester Orchestra's dispatch in this department feels more believable than many.

The Valley of Vision, which arrived in April, is a brisk 25-minute project, but it's capacious and majestic, implying a vast panorama of feeling through sheer negative space. Electric guitar fuzz, prevalent in their past work, has been dialed back to almost zero; tunes like "Capital Karma," "Quietly" and the aforementioned closer "Rear View" seem to hover in orbit. 

"I wouldn't say it's a light listen, but it is certainly supposed to feel like you're floating and in this place of calmness and acceptance and meditation," Hull tells GRAMMY.com. "This was like, How do we still have the same dynamics of our band, but really take away everything we've used before?"

Manchester Orchestra may have consciously stripped back elements of their sound, but they've augmented their approach in other arenas.

Specifically, they released a full-length film to accompany The Valley of Vision, directed by Isaac Dietz. In the stunning film, indoor scenes and natural scenery commingle in dramatic shots, making thunderous statements in and of themselves; the camera lingers for gravitas.

Let the Valley of Vision film whet your thirst for the Manchester Orchestra live experience proper; they're headed on a North American co-headlining tour with Jimmy Eat World that begins on July 11 and stretches into late August.

Read on for an interview with Hull about the genesis of The Valley of Vision — which was named for a Puritan prayer book of anonymous origin — and how the project is a "bridge to where we're going next as a band."

This interview has been edited for clarity.

Tell me how you became aware of VR as a viable storytelling tool, and decided to incorporate it into your artistic expressions with Manchester Orchestra.

Probably like everybody else, we were in a studio and somebody brought one in. We were shooting aliens and getting sick to our stomachs, not having our balance and trying to sort it out.

The initial idea, though, came during [our previous album, 2021's]  The Million Masks of God. I felt everybody was so starved to have an event, and something to do, and needed to be taken out of reality, in a sense. So, I had this idea that maybe we'll have a cool visualizer for that album. That people can go into record stores and experience it and not have any distractions.

Obviously, that wasn't a great idea — to be sharing headsets during that period of time — so we shelved it and gave it more time to incubate. It became a bigger story as we started working on The Valley of Vision. I made friends with Isaac Deitz, and he and I both wanted to make a movie that was connected with an album.

The more [Deitz] got into it and started to figure out how to do it, and the tricks that we could do, it ended up just being a really cool 2D film, just because it's shot with this really interesting camera.

I'm a huge fan of technology in general, in any form. I think all musical instruments are a form of technology, so it's a love/hate thing. So, I was trying to find an interesting way that people could hear the record.

The film looks stunning even on YouTube. Can you tell me how you executed it on a storytelling, aesthetic and technical level?

Well, it was definitely the mission to make something that didn't have a hyper-narrative to it, but still had something that was flowing through it. Because you run the risk of the movie distracting from the music, or the music distracting from the movie.

The discussions were like, "Is this a story, and are there people in it?" And the more we thought about it, it was like, We also don't just want it to be a screensaver. We want it to be something a little bit more intense and deep than that.

So, what you're seeing is really interesting. Why it looks so different is the frame rate, first of all, but [also] what this camera is able to capture as far as width, and the information that it can take and then present on screen is just larger and wider than a typical 2D camera.

The reason we love Isaac is because he really cares about what he does in a deep way. That dude just basically took off for a year and found the weirdest spots across the country and started filming at all hours of the night.

He started to put together, essentially, the story, that's about family. It's represented in a series of really interesting-looking trees.

What were the locations involved?

There's a couple in Colorado, there's a couple in Oklahoma. A lot of it's in Georgia, in our backyard. If you're ever been to Georgia, it's an incredibly green state. When you fly in, you're flying into the forest, so we thought it would be cool to nod to the forests of George as well.

To rewind a little bit, can you tell me how the specter of grief came into your lives via your guitarst Robert McDowell's father.

Rob's dad is not just Rob's dad; he's a really, really big, impactful figure in my life — in all of our lives. He supported our band from day one. 

When I was playing coffee shops for four hours for 20 bucks, he was the guy who would encourage me on my breaks: "That song's really cool, and you should try doing more of that." I'd never tell him that I was covering a Damian Jurado song; I just acted like that s— was mine. But he recognized that I had something, or felt that I had something.

Robert and I have been making records since Rob was 13 and I was 16, and he had a studio in his basement. So, when he died of cancer at such a young age, and after such a long battle, it was impossible not to write about it. It was also impossible to write about it in a lot of ways, so it was a really delicate thing.

What a pivot point for the band. He was foundational from the beginning.

I've been writing about Robert's dad since [2017's] A Black Mile to the Surface, because he was sick for such a long time. Narratively, the album is connected to The Million Masks and The Black Mile; all three are part of the story, and the story's not done yet.

How did this resonate with the title of the Puritan prayer book you found?

This book that the album is titled off is called The Valley of Vision. It's this book of prayers my mom gave me for Christmas one year, and I kind of thumbed through it here or there. 

But an interesting thing about these Puritan prayers: it's uncredited; we don't know who wrote them. But it is the destruction of ego and the falling on your face and I need help. I'm asking for help. I'm not ashamed to say that I need help. It just felt like, Man, that's exactly sort of what this is saying.

Rob's my best friend; he understands how I process things. So, it was making this record actively while his dad's dying, and then his dad did pass. His dad is on the cover of A Million Masks. That is his silhouette, walking into the great beyond.

*Manchester Orchestra. Photo: Shervin Lainez*

Take me through the next part of the story.

So, that happens in 2019. We make that record, and continue to work on it throughout the next year.

I don't want to say in any way that it is easier, but I think that the way you look at grief after time is different than the raw emotion that it is immediately. There was a bit of a calmness — still incredibly sad, but like I said, less of a raw nerve and more kind of acceptance of it. We watched Rob go through that, and all of us just figured out what that looks like.

I think this record represents that in tone, lyrics and storytelling. It really serves as a bridge to where we're going next as a band. It was essential for us to make this album in order to start making other stuff after it.

**As a musician myself, I know that no artistic work can be boiled down to just one theme or feeling — in this case, grief. Music has to be a salable thing, with a quick bite of a concept. So what else was floating around in the ether that you guys picked up on?**

Musically, it was about trying to continue to do the wrong thing, and put things where we wouldn't normally put them. 

Try things we normally wouldn't try. Delete things that we normally would think are important in a song, and then start basing a song around maybe the seventh idea that we added onto something and deleting the first six and starting over from that sense.

Thematically, it was a really healing process. It felt really rewarding to put something out into the world that has been, as far as I can tell, really well-received by folks.

Manchester's always dealt in these themes, and sometimes the ending isn't always happy or tied up in a bow. But it did feel really great to commit to like, No, man, let's put something into the world that deals with this stuff that everybody [deals with]. 

We are not the only people who deal with these themes, but hopefully that could help some folks. A lot of time, music's medicine. So, for us, it was medicine — the creation of it. We hope that that same feeling of medicinal value for the soul, heart —or whatever it is — is translated to the listener.

What foundational albums give you that sense of refuge?

My favorite songwriter of all time is John K. Samson, who was the lead singer of a band called the Weakerthans. He has two solo albums that do that for me. They make me cry, just the way he says a sentence describing an abandoned army surplus store, and that kind of feeling. 

I love words. So that would be not really genre-wise, but that's always one for me.

Music-wise, it was definitely a record that was influenced by newer, interesting, sort of off the wall hip hop records, kind of focusing in on substance and drums that weren't really normal for us to use.

I really try not to listen to a lot of music that sounds like anything we are doing while we're making something. It's especially hard when something comes out from someone I really love; I have to wait until I'm done making it in order to listen to it, because I don't want to start stealing from it, because I know I would. Or, I don't want it to change my direction of what I'm going for sonically.

The Valley of Vision feels soothing and panoramic, like a big hug. Aurally, how did you want it to leap out of the speakers and impact the listener?

It's about openness, I think. When you write things and record things, you leave a ton of space. It's a hard thing to do instinctually, because in my youth, it was like, Well, how does it get bigger? You just add more stuff to it; you turn it up. You think that's what loudness is.

So, this was like, How do we still have the same dynamics of our band, but really take away everything we've used before? There is not a distorted electric guitar on this record other than maybe one time — that's on "Quietly," and a little bit at the end of "Rear View."

When it's so open like that, and your foundation is vibey immediately, then you can really nerd out and start to just place things like tiny little Easter eggs everywhere. It's definitely a headphones album where there are just things that are popping up everywhere. I love records like that.

**Such as?

I love the Kid As and Yankee Hotel Foxtrots and Grandaddy's Someday* and *Sophtware Slump records. Just these interesting albums that have great songs, but also just a ton of wacky, weird stuff going on.

I love what you said: it's a big hug. That's what we were going for — not making it too muddy, and letting the song speak for itself.

"Rear View," the last track on the record — that was a folk song that was written and a dropped tuned acoustic and had a folk swing to it. We loved that song, but it just was boring, just the way that I was playing.

It was just a live take, and we sat on it forever and tried to change the guitar out, and tried to do this, and tried to do that.

Finally, it was stumbling upon a Prophet patch on the keys. Then, we deleted everything else that we had done, started from scratch with that vocal, and started building a cinematic scene around it.

While a good magician never reveals their secrets, you mentioned those Easter eggs, which I live for. Anything you'd like to shout out that might not be immediately perceptible?

There's a really cool moment where my son, River, is yelling in "The Way." 

I haven't seen anybody pick this up yet, but it's the same yell from a song called "No Rule" that we released last year. There's this call and response from my son yelling, and then an immediate, loud, thunderous voice responds to him. It's actually our drummer, Tim [Very]. There's stuff like that everywhere.

Back to Robert's father: you lost a pivotal figure as Manchester Orchestra is about to turn 20. That's bound to kick up some feelings.

That's insane. I don't know how that happened.

I just feel really, really grateful that I am still deeply engaged and trying to get better and don't feel we've really scratched the surface of what we can achieve and do. I'm really, really fortunate that the band is so tight as they are now, and every member is deeply trusting of each other and open.

When you have people who are talented and good at their jobs and also take that ego and put it aside — myself included — it's the thing I wish we would've learned from day one. 

But you can't learn it until you fail at it. You don't have to be right. Let's all work in service of the song and the album not in service of ourselves or our ideas. Who cares whose idea it is? It really doesn't matter as long as it's right for the song. So, I feel great about that.

As long as I'm around, I want to be working on a Manchester record the week before I move on to the next thing, as far as life and dying. I want this to be a long, long story that we're telling with this band — and feeling that's possible is really exciting.

Coheed And Cambria's Claudio Sanchez On The Reaction To Vaxis: Act II — A Window of the Waking Mind & The Future Of The Band

For the 26th year, KROQ-FM's flagship summer concert, the Weenie Roast, is returning to Southern California.

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On April 23, the popular concert event revealed its 2018 lineup, which includes Blink-182, Panic! At The Disco, Rise Against, Dirty Heads, Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda, Cold War Kids, the War On Drugs, AWOLNATION, Bishop Briggs, Alice Merton, Manchester Orchestra, James Bay, Nothing But Thieves, and Mt. Joy.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeenieRoast?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeenieRoast</a> 2018: May 12th at StubHub Center feat. <a href="https://twitter.com/blink182?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@blink182</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/PanicAtTheDisco?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PanicAtTheDisco</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/riseagainst?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@riseagainst</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/dirtyheads?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@dirtyheads</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/mikeshinoda?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@mikeshinoda</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ColdWarKids?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ColdWarKids</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/TheWarOnDrugs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheWarOnDrugs</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/awolnation?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@awolnation</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/thatgirlbishop?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@thatgirlbishop</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/AliceMerton?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AliceMerton</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ManchesterOrch?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ManchesterOrch</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/JamesBayMusic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JamesBayMusic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/NBThieves?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBThieves</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/MtJoyBand?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MtJoyBand</a>! <a href="https://t.co/raLxIYB2da">https://t.co/raLxIYB2da</a> <a href="https://t.co/UEH2GdocYm">pic.twitter.com/UEH2GdocYm</a></p>&mdash; KROQ (@kroq) <a href="https://twitter.com/kroq/status/988424005488013312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 23, 2018</a></blockquote><script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

As with past roasts, this year's installment will benefit two charities: Heal the Bay and The Surfrider Foundation.

The concert will be held May 12 at the Stub Hub Center in Carson, Calif. Tickets go on sale starting April 27 via AXS.

Catching Up On Music News Powered By The Recording Academy Just Got Easier. Have A Google Home Device? "Talk To GRAMMYs"

GRAMMY winners Jack Antonoff and Common, along with BloodPop and Manchester Orchestra are participating with five universities in Pandora Challenge: Music & Social Impact events, held in conjunction with Real Industry.

The hands-on workshops provide students with access to data from Pandora's Artist Marketing Platform and Next Big Sound and coaches them through outreach and communication strategies to make a difference for important good causes.

Common will be at New York University's workshop on Oct. 11. On Oct. 21 Antonoff's workshop will be held at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell to promote The Ally Coalition for LGBT equality. Other workshops in the series included BloodPop's Oct. 4 event at University of Southern California and Manchester Orchestra on Oct. 9 at Middle Tennessee State University.

The Oct. 9 event promotes the 1 Million 4 Anna Foundation's work on behalf of Ewing sarcoma cancer sufferers. "It's about being a part of something that is bigger than you can even comprehend … helping people," said Manchester Orchestra lead guitarist Andy Hull.

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A fifth workshop is scheduled for Nov. 19 at the Stanford University Innovation Fellows Conference.

"The energy and love of music the students possess is an incredibly powerful combination," said head of Next Big Sound Alex White. "With help from our partners at Real Industry, we're not only harnessing that combination for a good cause but also giving students experience and knowledge they can use to jumpstart their careers in the music industry."

Roger Lynch Talks Pandora's Future, Guitar, Streaming Competition

Heat! Thunder!

No, we're not talking about a hell-spawned weather phenomenon, but rather the 2012 NBA Finals, which pits the Miami Heat against the Oklahoma City Thunder beginning tonight with game one. In the wake of a near-disastrous 2011–2012 season shortened by a lockout dispute, professional basketball fans are looking forward to one of the most exciting NBA Finals matchups in recent memory.

Of course, sports and music stars have always had an affinity for one another, so we asked several musicians and artists for their NBA Finals predictions and a brief summary of how they see the series panning out. The artist predictions are in, but first some background on the teams.

The big drama surrounding this year's finals centers on Miami Heat small forward LeBron James. A three-time Most Valuable Player, James is always a groomsman, but never a groom — he's reached the finals before, but has never won. James will now face tremendous pressure to win a championship and silence his critics.

Expectations aren't quite as high for the Thunder. Formed in 2008 from the ashes of the late, great Seattle SuperSonics, the Thunder continue their remarkable ascent. Though shooting guard James Harden and point guard Russell Westbrook have contributed greatly to their team's rapid rise, it is three-time NBA scoring champion and All-Star Kevin Durant who raises the stakes. If the Thunder win the finals, sports experts will surely crown Durant the NBA's greatest active player, a situation that could be problematic for the Heat's James.

Without further ado, let's see where the musical sports experts stand on either side of the court.

Artist: The Game (aka Jayceon Terrell Taylor)
Position: Rapper/songwriter
Favorite NBA team: Los Angeles Lakers
2012 NBA Finals prediction: Oklahoma City Thunder in six games

"The Thunder [have] got [the] complete package. I feel they have an answer to everything the Heat has got, plus more. To me, Kevin Durant is the best player in the NBA today. He can score at-will. He's got a jumper, a three-point shot [and] he can post up. LeBron is a beast, but I don't think he's a better complete player than Durant."

Artist: Chris Carrabba (Dashboard Confessional)
Position: Singer/songwriter
Favorite NBA team: Miami Heat
2012 NBA Finals prediction: Miami Heat in six games

"I'm [going to] go with the Heat because of this seemingly new attitude from LeBron James. If he can stay as aggressive and focused as he was in the last few games of the semifinals … then I call six games. I don't really remember a series like this where you had the No. 1 and No. 2 players going head-to-head. You know that James and Durant are going to elevate each other's play. You might see Durant playing at a defensive level that he hasn't before."

Artist: Bow Wow (aka Shad Gregory Moss)
Position: Rapper/actor
Favorite NBA team: No preference ("I just love great basketball.")
2012 NBA Finals prediction: Miami Heat in six games

"This is LeBron's third time to the finals, and the third time should be the charm. He has a veteran mindset to the point that he should know how to get it. He and the rest of [the] Heat are tired of the media scrutiny, and LeBron knows what's at stake. He cannot lose to a 23-year-old Kevin Durant. You've got two of the top NBA players who are both signed to the same sports apparel company, which is Nike, so it should get kind of interesting."

Artist: Anthony Hamilton
Position: Singer/songwriter
Favorite NBA team: Charlotte Bobcats
2012 NBA Finals prediction: Miami Heat in six games

"I don't think it's going to be a blowout. I love both teams, but [I want] Miami to win it. I think LeBron's mentality has changed. He's not really concerned about all the judgment that's against him. He's really focused now. Kevin Durant is very versatile … and he's going to bring his A-game, but I take Miami."

Artist: Jermaine Paul
Position: Singer
Favorite team: New York Knicks
2012 NBA Finals prediction: Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games

"I think Kevin Durant brings the best out of LeBron, but I think Durant is going to pull it off. I'm just a fan of Durant — the way he carries himself [and] the way he plays the game. I think it's going to be a matchup problem with the Heat when it comes to [the Thunder's] James Harden. As far as scoring, I think Harden is going to be [the] big difference maker."

Artist: Andy Hull (Manchester Orchestra)
Position: Singer/songwriter
Favorite NBA team: No preference
2012 NBA Finals prediction: Oklahoma City Thunder is six games

"This is definitely my ideal finals [series]. I think Kevin Durant [against] LeBron James is pretty much the best matchup you could have in the finals. It's just the kind of basketball and competition that I like, which is generally fast-paced. If either one of these teams wins, I'm happy … but I think it will be the Thunder. I've watched both teams play a lot, and the Heat just doesn't have the bench. It'll be interesting to see what happens if LeBron doesn't win."

Artist: Blair Taylor (Speakers)
Position: Singer/Producer
Favorite NBA team: Los Angeles Lakers
2012 NBA Finals prediction: Oklahoma City Thunder in seven games

"Both teams are playing smarter and a lot harder. Ball movement, consistency … everything is on point. But straight up — I don't like LeBron. I've got to go with the Thunder. [Oklahoma City] has just brought it out. It's going to be a real tough matchup. I feel like the series is going to go back and forth, and home court advantage is going to play a really big part, but I'm taking [Oklahoma City]."

Artist: Joe Deninzon (Stratospheerius)
Position: Singer/violinist/songwriter
Favorite NBA team: Cleveland Cavaliers
2012 NBA Finals prediction: Miami Heat in six games

"The Thunder will put up a fight. They're an up-and-coming team and they're definitely going to be on the map for a long time to come, but the Heat is my guess. As a sports fan growing up in Cleveland — and getting used to having your heart repeatedly broken and ground into a fine powder — I, as well as most of my fellow Clevelanders, have a deep, deep hatred for LeBron James. It would be nice if the Heat had their a**es handed to them. Do I get prize for this?"

The artists have weighed in with their predictions and it looks like the odds are split straight down the middle — four picks for each team. Who do you think will reign supreme in the 2012 NBA Finals? Leave us a comment below.

(Bruce Britt is an award-winning journalist and essayist whose work has appeared in The Washington Post, USA Today, San Francisco Chronicle, Billboard and other publications. He lives in Los Angeles.)

Twenty-six-year-old rapper Anycia truly lives in the present. The Atlanta-born artist describes her most viral hits as if they were everyday experiences — she's simply going out of town on "BRB" and mad at a partner in "Back Outside" featuring Latto. 

Despite her calm demeanor and cadence, Anycia is a self-proclaimed "firecracker" and credits her success to her long-held confidence. 

"I [command] any room I walk in, I like to introduce myself first — you never have to worry about me walking into the room and not speaking," Anycia tells GRAMMY.com. "I speak, I yell, I twerk, I do the whole nine," adding, "I see tweets all the time [saying] ‘I like Anycia because she doesn’t rap about her private parts’... are y’all not listening?" 

With authenticity as her cornerstone, Anycia's genuine nature and versatile sound appeal broadly. On her recently released sophomore LP, Princess Pop That, Anycia's playful personality, unique vocal style and skillful flow are on full display. Over 14 tracks, Anycia keeps her usual relaxed delivery while experimenting with different beats from New Orleans, New York, California, and of course, Georgia. 

"I'm learning to be myself in different elements. I'm starting to take my sound and make it adapt to other beats and genres," she says. "But this whole album is definitely a little showing of me dibbling and dabbling.

The rising hip-hop star gained traction in June 2023 with her sultry single, "So What," which samples the song of the same name by Georgia natives Field Mob and Ciara. When Anycia dropped the snippet on her Instagram, she only had a "GoPro and a dream." Today, she has millions of views on her music videos, collaborations with artists like Flo Milli, and a critically acclaimed EP, Extra. On April 26, she'll release her debut album, Princess Pop That, featuring Cash Cobain, Luh Tyler, Kenny Beats, Karrahbooo and others. 

Ahead of the release of Princess Pop That, Anycia spoke with GRAMMY.com about her influences, maintaining individuality, working with female rappers, and using her music as a therapeutic outlet.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Where did the title Princess Pop That come from?

Princess Pop That is my little alter ego, and my Twitter and finsta name. It's kind of like a Sasha Fierce/Beyoncé type of situation. 

The cover of your album gives early 2000 vibes. Is that where you draw most of your inspiration from?

Yeah. My everyday playlist is literally early 2000s music. I even still listen to [music] from the '70s – I just like old music! 

My mom is a big influence on a lot of the music that I like. She had me when she was like 19, 20. She's a Cali girl and has great taste in music. I grew up on everything and I feel like a lot of the stuff that I'm doing, you can kind of see that influence.

I grew up on Usher, Cherish, 112, Jagged Edge, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Teena Marie, Luther Vandross and Sam Cooke. Usher was my first concert, ever and actually my last concert — I went to his residency in Vegas with my mom. That's like our thing.

I know you had your hand in many different professions — including barbering and working at a daycare — how did you get into rapping?

I always liked music, but [thought] girl, we need some money right now. Rapping and music is cool, but I always had one foot in and one foot out. When I was [working] my jobs, it was more this is what I need to be doing right now — but I wasn't happy. 

It got to a point where I noticed that I was doing all these things, and it worked but it wasn't working for me. I didn't want to get caught up; I didn't want to be stuck doing something just because it works. I wanted to do something that I actually love to do. I decided to quit both jobs because I was literally making me miserable. 

I feel like that's what happened with a lot of our parents — they lose focus of their actual goals or what they actually wanted to do, and they get so caught up in what works in the moment. One thing about me, if I don't like something I'm done. I don't care how much money I put into it, if I'm not happy and it doesn’t feed me spiritually and mentally I'm not doing it. Right after [I quit] I was in the studio back-to-back making music. It eventually paid off.

Walk us through your music making process. 

A blunt, a little Don Julio Reposado, a space heater because I’m anemic. Eating some tacos and chicken wings or whatever I’m feeling at the moment. It’s not that deep to me, I like to be surrounded by good energy in the studio. 

People like to say female rappers aren’t welcoming or don’t like to work with each other. You’re clearly debunking this myth with songs like "Back Outside" featuring Latto and "Splash Brothers'' featuring Karrahbooo. What was it like working with them and how did these collaborations come about? 

Karrahbooo and I were already friends before we started rapping. It was harder for people to get us to do music because when we were around each other we weren't like, "Oh we need to do a song together." We had a friendship. 

Working with Latto, we didn't collab on that song in the studio. I did the song myself after being really upset at a man. I made the song just venting. I didn't even think that I was ever gonna put that song out, honestly. Latto ended up hitting me up within a week's span just giving me my flowers and telling me she wanted to do a song [together]. I ended up sending her "Back Outside" because I felt like she would eat [it up] and she did just that. 

She did! Are there any other female rappers you’d like to work with?

I really want to work with Cardi B — I love her! I'm also looking forward to collaborating with GloRilla. 

Read more: A Guide To Southern Hip-Hop: Definitive Releases, Artists & Subgenres From The Dirty South

Many female rappers come into the industry and feel like they have to start changing themself to fit a certain aesthetic or archetype. However, everything about you seems super unique — from your voice to your style and appearance. How do you maintain your individuality? 

Being yourself is literally the easiest job ever. When you're doing everything you're supposed to be doing, you're being genuine while you're doing it and you’re just being 110 percent authentically yourself — I feel like everything works out for you perfectly fine. 

I haven't had the urge to change anything or do anything different. The reason people started liking me was because I was being myself. Even if it wasn't accepted, I'm not going to stop being myself. I do what works for me and I feel like everybody should just do what works for them and not what works for the people outside of them. 

That's what creates discomfort for yourself, that’s how you become a depressed artist — trying to please everybody [but] yourself. I feel like people lose sight of that fact. Aside from this being a job or a career for me now, it’s still my outlet and a way I express myself;  it's still my form of art. I will never let anybody take that from me. It's intimate for me. 

Speaking of intimacy, what was the inspiration behind "Nene’s Prayer"? I want to know who was playing with you.

I was just having a little therapy session in the booth and everyone ended up liking it. Instead of getting mad, flipping out and wanting to go to jail I just put in a song. Even though I said some messed up things in the song, it’s better than me doing those messed up things. 

Have you ever written a lyric or song that you felt went too far or was too personal?

Nope. A lot of the [topics] that I [rap about] is just stuff girls really want to say, but don't have the courage to say. But me, I don’t give a damn! If it resonates with you then it does, and if it doesn't — listen to somebody else. 

Exactly! What advice would you give to upcoming artists trying to get noticed or have that one song that pops?

If you got something that you want to put out into the world, you just have to have that confidence for yourself, and you have to do it for you and not for other people. I feel like people make music and do certain things for other people. That's why [their song] doesn't do what it needs to do because it’s a perspective of what other people want, rather than doing [a song] that you're comfortable with and what you like.

How do you want people to feel after listening to ‘Princess Pop That?’

I just want the girls, and even the boys, to get in their bag. Regardless of how you went into listening to the album, I want you to leave with just a little bit more self confidence. If you’re feeling low, I want you to feel like "I am that bitch." 

It's a no judgment zone. I want everybody to find their purpose, walk in their truth and feel like "that girl" with everything they do. You could even be in a grocery store, I want you to feel like the baddest bitch. 

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