Hey PI3RCE!! So excited to be chatting with you!! You are gearing up for the release of your highly anticipated EP, “Influencer”. What does this EP mean to you?
I am so excited too! My new album “INFLUENCERS” has been such a unique project for me to write, produce, and now promote. I wanted to create an album discussing how social media is affecting myself and the world around me, and as I started writing these songs and played them for people, I realized this was a topic that a lot of people resonated with. I tried to have a pretty nuanced tone about it, since I don’t really know whether I think social media is good or bad. Lots of the songs reflect very the positive aspects of social media, like how you can be inspired by people all over the world, and how you can now achieve great success on your own overnight. You can even find true love online— like I did! But other songs also discuss the darker elements of it, like how social media may be causing an increased rate of depression and suicide in America’s youth. It can create the overwhelming feeling that you’re a loser in a sea of winners, and even inflate the egos of those who have a few more followers than you. You’ll see each of these aspects laid out in the tracks, and I’m hoping that I was able to accurately capture the strange times we’re living in through my art.
What do you hope your supporters will think of the new music?
I hope everyone loves and dances to my new music at parties and raves and just on their way to work, but I also hope that they also recognize the deeper meanings beneath each upbeat girly-pop vibe. From the feedback I’ve received so far, I am really happy to say that my listeners see through the fluffy surface of each song to the hard gem of truth in the center.
How did the idea for this EP come about?
I myself have been a professional fashion blogger and influencer for years. I’m also a marketing consultant on the side, specializing in social media strategy. So I’ve seen the way social media works up close personally. I think this gives me the credentials and insight to write on this topic, and expose it from the inside.
Can you tell us the meaning behind the name “Influencer”?
The song “INFLUENCERS,” which the album is named for, is directly speaking on ‘influencer culture.’ It goes into great detail on how I think it’s shaping and restructuring our social framework. I find ‘influencers’ so fascinating, because there’s never been a point in history where regular people (and animals) could jump social classes so instantaneously without years of struggle up the ladder. Now that everyone’s mom and dog are ‘influencers,’ I feel like our social fabric is shifting silently without us even knowing it.
Any fun moments while creating the EP?
I really love my producers, Invisible Heroes Productions, based out of Nashville. We had a blast hanging out and recording these tracks this year. Most of the instrumentation in my songs are electronic vocal samples we manipulated, so they’d have me make all these weird noises into the mic and even sing in really weird voices to get different effects.
What’s the process of writing one of your songs?
I am all about the hook. I always start with a really strong chorus and usually build the bones and meat of the song around it. I love bringing in other talented writers to broaden the perspectives of my songs, and really make them relatable to the wider human audience, instead of just keeping them about my perspective alone.
What’s been your favorite song to write from the new EP and why?
“INFLUENCERS” was by far the best one to write. I wrote 80% of it on a walk with my dog one day and recorded it on my iPhone. It was inspired by SZA’s album “Ctrl” and I basically just started an RnB flow of what I’d been going through in my life and career. I then called up an extremely talented writer in Nashville, Callie Shea, and asked her to help me edit the word-vomit I had scribbled into a commercial pop song. It’s definitely the most personal and the most controversial song I’ve ever done. I’m very nervous and excited for people to hear it.
You just released your first single off the upcoming EP! Can you tell us how “Famous” got created?
My new song “FAMOUS” really sprung from my frustration with people in the music industry acting like they were too “famous” to work with me, even if we were at similar levels of success in our careers. I wrote it with a great songwriter named Lizzie Cates who had a similar experience in her career as well. But broader than that, we wanted it to really relate to teens in high school who were dealing with mean girls and guys, or anyone in any stage of their life dealing with people who thought they were better than everyone else. I think that today, many people have inflated egos and entitlement just because they do well on a social media app. The most important line in the whole song says: “Did no one tell you kindness is free?” With that lyric, I want people to be reminded that it doesn’t matter how beautiful you are, how much money you have or how many followers you get. All that matters is how you treat those around you, and it doesn’t cost you anything to be kind.
Can you spill the name of the next single?
“LIKE KYLIE” will be coming out late October and it’s the perfect beach bop to roll down the windows and drive along the Malibu coast to. However, beneath its bubblegum surface, it has a deeper meaning just like “FAMOUS” does. I actually wrote the song while I was going through a deep depression, questioning my own existence and purpose on this earth. At the time, it seemed as if everything was going wrong in my life with no hope of recovery. I was broke, had no car, no career, and no future. The only thing that kept me pushing forward was the inspiration I got from looking at the most successful members of our society: influencers— and Kylie Jenner, more specifically, as the queen of influencers. I told myself that if I kept working hard and grinding it out and making all the sacrifices necessary, that I’d one day make it to the top of my own empire and be just “like Kylie.”
Will you go on tour to promote your new music?
My goal for this year is to get an opening spot on a tour with a well-known or up-and-coming artist to promote my new music. I love performing and am really looking forward to sharing this music with others in a live setting.
What song are you most excited to perform from this new album?
There’s this one beautiful love song on the album called “COFFEE” that’s very soft and intimate. We wanted to make it sound like the feeling you get from drinking hot coffee on a rainy Sunday morning. I love the way the crowd goes silent on that song and is just transported into this little warm dream with me.
What does it feel like to perform your own music live in front of your supporters?
It’s really an incredible feeling to be on stage sharing a moment with people. If you can connect with a crowd, it’s like nothing else on earth. I really struggle with keeping my anxiety quiet while on stage. If I let it get the best of me, I become absolutely paralyzed, so I have to keep my mind from thinking about what I’m doing and instead just focus on making every single moment special.
Does your fanbase have a name?
Not yet! I was thinking about calling them “Piercings,” but for now I just call them “babies” mostly. But Pierce is such a cool word— like piercing the veil, or a heart with an arrow— I really think I can come up with something clever.
How do you want your relationship to be with your supporters?
I’ve had the most amazing year connecting with like-minded people online. I want to be there for my followers and try to have real conversations with them whenever they reach out. I’d like to be able to touch lonely people, and people who have always felt like outcasts, and give them a little more confidence in themselves and who they are if I can. I always check my hidden messages too to see if anyone’s trying to reach me that I can’t see. It’s really important to me to establish a real connection with people, and I hope I’m still able to do that as I grow in popularity.
What was the craziest fan encounter you have had?
I really haven’t had many crazy fans! Crazy amazing fans maybe. I love everyone who shows up to support me and am so grateful that they take the time and effort to do so.
What social media platform do you use most to stay connected to your supporters?
I looove Instagram. I’m such an aesthetically driven person. I love images and photography and just the way the app is designed. So definitely find me on there. We can exchange angsty 2000s memes!
What’s an average day for you look like?
Every day, no matter what else is going on, I block out 2 hours to train at the gym. I’ve been working on body building for the last year and love training with weights. I am also really getting into MMA, incorporating more Jiu Jitsu and MuaThai into my routine.
What goals have you set for yourself in your career and in your personal life?
In my life, I hope each day to work on myself and my relationships with those around me. I’m a big believer in self-development and am always listening to motivational podcasts and psychology lectures to understand why I am the way I am and how to improve myself. I’m trying to be more disciplined and want to learn to control my emotions— which can get out of hand very quickly!
In my career, I’m very happy to say that I’m on my way to achieve most of the goals this year. I’m trying to work as hard as I can to get these releases out there, in the right hands, and reach a wider audience. Like I said, my end of the year goal is to go on tour to promote and share this beautiful music I’ve created that I’m very proud of.
How has this whole music career experience been?
My experience in the music industry has been pretty wild so far. I started out writing blues for an Armenian blues artist, then got into producing alternative pop, then started writing country music, and am now in some sort of weird electronic pop place just trying to figure out how I got here. It’s been a beautiful ride, and all along the way I try to just focus on making the best and most authentic art possible, regardless of genre. Hopefully, I’ve done just that with this EP as well.
Do you have any last things you want to tell your supporters?
I have literally never fit in anywhere. Whether by choice or not, I’ve always stood out from the crowd. As such, I’ve always felt lonely, isolated, and lost. If that’s you, I’m here to tell you: GOOD. You are the one who will shape the world in your image. You are the mover and the shaker of your generation. You are the leader not the follower. It’s good to be different. And if you feel lost and alone, come say hi to me. I’m sure we’d get along great.
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