Q: "BUBBLEGUM" is your latest release. What initially sparked the idea for the song?
A: It's actually a weird story, lol! I was actually at this party, and was hanging out with a friend that had been drinking a lot of beer that night, so every time that he went to talk to me his breath smelled like beer, and I was chewing gum at the time…And that's when the lyric “bubblegum breath” immediately popped into my head, and shortly “soft teeth soft neck” came to me very shortly after. I wrote it down in my notes so I wouldn't forget, and as soon as I was able to get to my guitar I started writing the rest of the song
Q: Was there a specific person, experience, or moment that inspired "BUBBLEGUM" or did the song grow from a broader idea that you wanted to explore?
A: Honestly because I came up with lyrics before the melody, I decided to write based off of what the first initial lyrics could mean. So I played around with the idea and sang random gibberish until something clicked. I had come up with “I shouldn't get involved” in my random gibberish which then led me to explore the idea of how delusional I can get when I really like someone, knowing I will most likely get hurt in the end, but entertaining it anyways. Hahahaha
Q: Was there a particular lyric, melody, or musical moment that served as the foundation for the entire track?
A: I really love in the chorus the “I must be crazy to sacrifice my sanity and peace of mind”, It really set the tone of the song/idea that i was trying to portray, and then to follow it up with “to be your little lady, oh how i love to fantasize what it’d be like”, the contrast of those 2 lines was so perfect and captured my idea so well. Such a lightbulb moment. And once I had the chorus, all the other lyrics just fell into my lap. And initially I was only using 2 chords for the entire song, but when I took it to my producer Archie Edwards, he had put in the walk down melody in that section and it really tied it together.
Q: How long did "BUBBLEGUM" take to come together from the initial idea to the finished recording?
A: The song came together so quickly it was ridiculous. I had sent the idea to Archie Edwards, who recently moved about 5 hours away from me. I honestly didn’t think that I would get a chance to work with him again, but when I wrote the first bit of Bubblegum, I knew Archie was the one to produce it, so we had to come up with a system to make it work. I recorded all the vocals on my own, sent them to him, and from there he produced the whole track around the vocals. And because I really like being a part of the production process, we were hopping on discord calls basically every night so that I could watch it come together. The entire song was finished within a matter of a couple weeks. It also made us both realize that we can still work together even being so far apart, and we've been using the same system ever since!
Q: Is there a particular lyric in "BUBBLEGUM" that you're especially proud of or that you feel captures something important about you as an artist?
A: The initial few lyrics “bubblegum breath soft teeth soft neck”, I’m so proud of those. It's not supposed to be taken literally, it creates a very intimate image without directly saying anything and I love when I am able to do that lyrically. I also think that it's a really unique sentence. I wanted to create the image of kissing someone and I think those first couple lyrics do exactly that. As a songwriter, I really admire creative/unusual lyrics that are still understandable. Lyrics that catch you slightly off guard, lyrics that paint a picture, descriptive…etc. I took a screenwriting class in university and one of the biggest takeaways I had from that class was to “show, don't tell”. And I like to incorporate a lot of “showing” into my writing.
Q: Who are some of the artists who have influenced you most as a musician?
A: Oh gosh so many. I have a pretty wide range of music that I listen to but if I were to pick the most notable influences I would have to say Dominic Fike, Olivia Rodgrigo, Devon Again, Billie Eilish, Clario, ROLE MODEL, Keni Titus, and Humble the Great
Q: Are there any particular albums or songs that you return to when you need inspiration or want to reconnect with your love of music?
A: HIT ME HARD AND SOFT. What an insane album. Album of all time to be honest. I also have been obsessed with Devon Again lately. I really admire her music. I also turn to Yebba a lot for vocal inspiration. Her voice and her intricate runs are so satisfying, same with Tori Kelly. But if I feel like I need to reconnect with my love for music, I grew up listening to what I call “Sunday morning music”. I am playing Norah Jones, Daniel Caesar, John Mayer, The Marias, Frank Ocean, Jason Mraz, and Jack Johnston, Dijon, and GoldFord on repeat.
Q: What inspires you outside of music? Books, films, places, etc.
A: I really love painting, and writing. I recently picked up screenwriting as a hobby and it's so much fun. sometimes it gives me inspiration for different feelings I could write about. And Ive always had these really good story plots, so it’s been really fun to screen write in general. I also really love painting. I find that when I write a song I have specific pictures/colours in my head when I hear it, so sometimes I like to recreate that in a visual form, but I also just love painting random stuff
Q: What initially made you want to become an artist, and what keeps you motivated to continue creating?
A: I always loved singing, and music when I was younger, but i never took it seriously or learned any instruments growing up because i played really competitive softball for most of my life and because I was so busy with softball, I lost the music side of me. When I stopped playing ball, I rediscovered my musical side. I started songwriting about 4 years ago (ish), and I remember it being so difficult to write a full song. But with time and practice I finally was writing full songs, and the thrill of writing a song that you're proud of is a feeling I have been chasing ever since.
Q: How do you balance staying true to your own creative instincts with the expectations that come from audiences, social media, or the music industry?
A: It's tough honestly. I think I'm still figuring that out. I feel like as a creative, it's really hard to trust that your own creations can be admired by others. I struggle with this a lot. It's really scary to put yourself out there. But with time I have learnt to trust myself more and more, and when I have a creative vision in mind, like a cover photo, a melody, a project.. Etc, I have to execute it exactly how I picture it, otherwise it won’t satisfy me. So I believe that the people that like my creative instincts will find me, and that's really all I could ask for.
Q: Do you see your music as an extension of your everyday personality, or does making music allow you to explore a different side of yourself?
A: Since I only recently discovered this music side of me again, I am realizing that it is such a large part of who I am. I taught myself to play guitar 3 years ago and not a day has gone by where I don't pick up my guitar at least once. Every Thursday night I go to a jam session with a bunch of other musicians and it's the highlight of my week. I work 3 jobs and almost every moment of my spare time is spent doing something musical. But I think that making my own music has definitely opened up a totally different part of myself that I didn't know before. I didn't realize how much I love writing until I started. It has allowed me to express emotions in a way I never could before. I really love writing.
Q: Now that "BUBBLEGUM" is out, what are you most excited to work on next?
A: I have a song called BITTER that I'm really excited about. I feel like I am taking a lot of risks in this song, because it's so different from bubblegum, and the other songs that I'm working on. But it's exciting. I love a challenge. I find challenging myself fun. But there's also a lot more that I'm really excited to dive into.
Q: Are there any dream collaborators, producers, songwriters, or artists you'd love to work with as your career develops?
A: Jon Buscema as a producer would be sweeeet. I love his productions. Jack Antonoff is up there as a producer I'd die to work with, FINNEAS too. Dream songwriting collab would have to be Amy Allen. Her writing is so catchy.
Q: What would you consider the next major milestone in your career?
A: I think the next major milestone in my career is going to be releasing a project. From there playing live shows. I would really love to open for someone on tour. Performing live is hard where I live because there's not much of a crowd for pop music here so I haven't done a lot of live shows with a full band. I’ve done a handful of acoustic performances, but I'm REALLY excited to play with a full band.
Q: Where do you ultimately hope music takes you creatively and professionally?
A: I don’t have one specific destination in mind, but I know I want music to become a significant part of my life and career. Creatively, I want to keep discovering my sound, become a stronger songwriter and push myself as a live performer. Professionally, I’d love to build my music career into something sustainable, releasing music, playing shows, collaborating with other artists, and eventually touring. I’m excited by the idea that my career can evolve as I do, and I want to give myself the freedom to explore where music can take me.
Q: Finally, if you could leave a message for someone who's about to hear your music for the very first time, what would you say to them?
A: I’d say listen with an open mind and let the music be whatever it is to you. My music comes from very personal experiences and emotions, but I love that once I put it out into the world, it can mean something completely different to someone else. So I hope you find something in it that resonates with you, whether that’s a lyric, a feeling, or just a moment that makes you want to turn it up.
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