The Power of Persona (ft Remy Bond)

Want to be the one who's always in the know about the game, the scores, the plays? Here's a tip. The Apple Sports app. Just pick your favorite teams and get automatic live updates without even knowing their schedules. And when your team scores, it shows up right on your iPhone lock screen, making it easy to check in anytime. So rule the group chat and download Apple Sports for free on the App Store or find it on your new iPhone. For decades, a shadowy organization called the Lemonati has kept lemon on top and lime in the shadows. Look around. Lemon-forward sodas. Even lemon-forward songs. We ran the tracks, slowed them down, reversed them, and squeezed out the truth. That's lemon propaganda right there. But now, 7-Up is fighting back with their new lime-lemon soda. Join the 7-Up rising. Flip the sip. Doing the bare minimum is dead. In a world flooded by algorithms trying to cram a new trend down your throat every 10 seconds, people are craving uniqueness and creative expression that just doesn't feel like the thousands of things thrown at us on a daily basis. And you can see this in the greatest artists of our time. People like Lady Gaga, who have entire costumes, wardrobes, full-on theatrics, to Tyler, the creator, who develops an entirely unique character for each body of work. Or even a lot of people. Ivana Del Rey, who goes the complete opposite direction, developing this entire artistic persona centered around romanticizing these aesthetics of the past. You live in a time where it has never been easier to be an artist. The gatekeepers have the least amount of power they've ever had, and the tools to be a successful artist are only more accessible by the day. So doing the bare minimum just doesn't cut it anymore. When you see how these rising stars are those who put so much emphasis into visual artistry in the world, they create. Which is why I thought it would be interesting to do a deep dive on the history behind these artistic personas. From people like David Bowie, to even modern examples like Ilana Del Rey, to determine exactly how they use these sorts of visuals and fashion, hair, and makeup, to create a world around a body of work. So I wanted to bring in an artist who does that in their own music themselves. Remy Bond has some of the most stunning visuals of any artist I have seen this year. Her new EP, Backstage at the Tropicana, has such a distinct world, that mesmerized me the second I discovered her. That I wanted to dive in these themes of having an artistic persona, and also just what it means to create visuals in a music video as an artist. So without further ado, welcome back to Nikki at Night. My name is Nikki Bairden, and I could not be more excited to have Remy Bond on the show today. Thank you, Nikki. Thank you for having me on. I'm really excited. I'm excited, and I'm so interested to talk about what you do. It is so rare, I think, to see an artist have such a vision. This early in their career, right? Like, first EP, and the way you have centered, like, all of these sort of music videos, and this persona, and, you know, like, leaning into the vintage aesthetics of it all. Like, I guess, one, I'm really interested, you know, like, before we even really, like, dive into, like, I think this idea of, like, what an artistic persona is, like, where did that inspiration come from for you? Like, this idea of this vintage character, almost. Yeah, I don't know. I feel like I could count, like, all my references just, like, on my fingers. Like, I'm a little bit of a hater. That's okay. I love that. I don't know. I feel like my taste and, like, the inspiration for the whole look and everything is just literally what I like. Okay. I don't like that much shit, so I feel like, I don't know. I was definitely inspired by, like, the 50s and the 60s, but I've never really been a fan of, like, movies from that period, only because I feel like, just, like, the color ways, and just, like, the, I don't know, it's a bit, like, dull to me. So, I kind of wanted to combine that with, like, more tropical, like, Carmen Moreno, Miranda, kind of some more natural elements. Yeah. I don't know. And I just thought, like, I was driving by, I have this neighbor, and I always rob his hibiscus bushes, and I just, I, oh, my God, you would, you've never seen hibiscuses like this. They're so beautiful. And so, I kind of just got inspired by his house. Interesting. I mean, that was, like, also one of the things, I'm glad that you touched on that, like, what struck me about your visuals is, like, you're vintage, not in, like, a black and white, you know, like, an arcana car wash type of way, but in, like, a Palm Springs, like, flashy neon lights type of, you know what I mean? Like, there is that color and, like, that eccentricism into it, which I think is really, really cool. I don't know. I love color. I'm, like, all these umbrellas. No, and I think that's so important. Like, again, like, when we're talking about this idea of, like, a persona as a tool for a new artist, I think that it is what builds community in a fandom, right? Like, I truly believe, like, one of the greatest, one of the biggest ways to determine if an artist will be successful is, are people dressing up for their shows? Like, if you are able to physically embody who the artist is and how that thing resonates with you, like, through a completely different artistic medium, to me, that is the sign of, like, it's cutting through to people. No, totally. Like, literally, even today, I was, like, looking in my closet, and I was, like, I wore these shoes on purpose, you know what I mean? Oh, my, the little sakura flowers. Yeah, but, like, that, to me, is, like, a very hard thing for a new artist to do. To have, without, you know, especially, like, before the record deal and before funding for a music video and, like, all of these resources come in, to have such a distinct vision of, like, this is what I'm doing, and if you like this thing and you like this look, you will like me, and if not, it's not for you. And also, in general, like, I would love to hear your take on this, of, like, I think music videos have never been more important. I know, I agree. Like, something about all of the music discovery channels, like, I don't know, like, I don't know, like, TikTok is visual, YouTube is visual, like, we don't hear a song when we discover it for the first time, really, like, unless you're on, like, a New Music Friday or in the car with your friends, like, you see it, you see the way something is embodied. And also, there's many times I've discovered artists where I didn't even love the song or, like, know the song, but I was, like, she's cunty. I know. You know what I mean? Me too, I'm, like, wow, that's a nice video. Right, or I just like what you're doing, right? Like, I see the vision. And I think that is such an important part of, like, creating this repeatable identity. Yeah, definitely. I mean, I feel like you, like, take a movie and the reason that it, like, resonates with you emotionally is because of the song that's being paired with the scene. I mean, just, like, every time, like, a movie is nothing without a score. And I feel like that's kind of like a music video. And so it's just a way to, like, tell people, like, this is why you should care about the song. Because, like, you know, otherwise, how are they going to know? There's, like, just so many ways it could work. And I'm, like, I want to tell you how it, you know, makes me feel. Totally. It makes me feel like this visual. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And also, I love what you said, too, because, like, I often think many of the best music videos aren't that complicated. They're just, like, a four-minute movie of the song. Yeah. Like, I think people very much think of, like, a music video has to be this, like, big, massive thing all the time. Or, like, you watch a Beyonce music video and there's, like, 87 backers. I've never seen a Beyonce music video. Don't get me wrong. We'd all love to have our own Beyonce music video. But, like, yeah. It is, some of the ones that have resonated with me to deep is exactly what you said, is it just, like, made me understand the thing better. Yeah, definitely. I don't know. I feel like I don't really watch a lot of music videos. I just, like, when I'm making a song, I usually know, like, it's the type, whatever genre the song is or just, like, whatever, like, image I have in my mind when I'm making it, I'm just, like, somehow I need to find, like, a storyline that I can make that into for, like, a music video. Interesting. Like, we have this crazy song coming out. We just went to Japan. We went to Japan to do the music video. And it was, I saw this, like, swan boat on Mount Fuji. Mount Fuji, yeah. On Mount Fuji. And we flew to Japan for a wedding, but also for the music video. It was mainly for the music video. The wedding was kind of like a. A bonus. Yeah, a bonus. I was like, no, guys, don't freak out. We're going to Japan because I have a wedding, of course. Right, right. And we ended up missing a lot of the wedding because we got, like, stuck at this, like, sex hotel in the countryside of Japan. But we went there for this, like, swan boat. And it was just, like, it's sort of this boat in the shape of, like, a swan. Yeah. And I was like, I want to get married on that boat. And so, dude, no, we almost missed it. Like, we had to fucking, like, hitchhike our way to, like, the real, like, takeoff point for the boat or whatever. But we made it. And it was just, like, this crazy moment. And I don't know. I'm getting the film back today. I hope it captured the crazy energy of that day. I understand. Like, the swan boat that you had to risk it all for. No, the swan boat is legendary now. Yeah. I'm not. It's going to haunt my dreams. Right. I mean, I think, like, what's interesting, again, talking about, like, the visuals, the swan boat, maximalism in general, right, is, like, I really trace, honestly, like, a lot of that influence in modern music back to David Bowie. Like, I think David Bowie is really the blueprint of the modern artistic persona. When you think about, you know, the specific outfit in the hair. And the makeup. And the way that somebody, like, a Harry Styles to a Lady Gaga really embodies that today. Right? Like, the rise and fall of Ziggy Stardust is, like, this album where it is a story about this hyperbolized version of himself. Right? Like, it is this character who goes and chases their artistic dreams and becomes obsessed with fame and excess until, like, it ultimately kills them. And then. Oh, yeah. Right? That's beautiful. Yeah. And it is this narrative arc based. On how he feels. And, like, that is a real story of his life. But he is, like, portraying it. through a character right like it's fiction but like based off reality and i think that sort of blueprint really defines the way i think about a lot of artists today right like uh you know like we're talking about off camera like a lady gaga is like a great example right like yeah is she wearing a meat dress at home alone no right but like that is this like mass personification of her love of extremism and taste and and to challenge the status quo um yeah but i gotta say i really i'm not a huge fan of just like being extreme just like to be extreme i feel like david bowie was really intentional you know what i mean and i kind of just like i don't know i feel like i can tell when i'm like that's just like a crazy costume you're wearing you know what i mean like it's not true to you right and like i feel like if you're gonna have a persona like it has to be you know you have to be singing about some truth even if you're like talking about some truth you know like you have to be singing about some truth even if you're like about like vintage motifs or whatever like it has to be authentic or people just don't buy it right and i think that there is this like authenticity to taste yeah you know what i mean like even if it is like a like just a very fun whimsical song that isn't super deep like you really feel when i'm like i i can tell you're gonna show up to this interview in a little blonde bob like in a massive ponytail and flowers in your hair you know what i mean like that like that is just like it there is this trueness to self and i really really agree with you with what you said but then i'm interested too is like where do you think that comes from in your work then because you said you didn't watch like a lot of vintage films so like where does this love of that aesthetic come from i feel like i just like have always been into like the process of like you know the type of camera you use like i've always interesting before i even had anything like that was worth filming or worth you know recording i was good at recognizing like they use this camera and that's why this is good i'm just like i really hate wicked i gotta say i'm not a fan i just i think the camera ruins it i think it does and i think so the studios basically are always like competing with each other to keep up to date on like the newest equipment and stuff like that and i feel like the same is true about like songs as well like i've worked with a lot of like big producers in la and a lot of them are really similar you know they like use a lot of the same techniques they just like i don't know i feel like i could come out with like the same song in each song session and it's like i don't know i feel like there's a little bit of like a lack of originality in like the actual process of like recording the music and so i struggle with finding people that can like really get the sound down because i don't really want it to sound like it's a song from today even yeah about stuff yeah and i also like i i think that there there is a lot of like perfection can ruin the song and you know what i mean like oh my god yeah totally like sometimes feeling the way that you like hold that note or your voice like shit you know what i mean like it's humanity it's real and um something else that you said that i loved was like you know when talking about like technology and stuff it's like i think resourcefulness is really a skill as an artist yeah like that was a really impressive about like lana del rey when she first blew up like the fact that video games was like a home shot music video with like stock footage on a shaky camera like made it feel more artistic than the thing with a million dollar budget because you know she did it given what she had right yeah and it was beautiful and it was beautiful and like there there was so much like taste in that too right of like yeah this isn't some maximalist thing with like 100 background dancers or lighting and all that stuff like this is what you liked and you just figured it out yourself and your music very much feels that way to me you know what i mean it's so driven by like personal passion and taste yeah have you ever um watched a music video or anything like a self-shot music video yeah uh yeah i did i i did on like a vintage iphone vintage iphone oh my god i can't believe that crazy sentence yeah sorry on um an older phone okay and um it kind of looked a bit like video games and i was like so this is just like my home movie that no one will ever see but it was kind of pretty it had like a vibe to it um i don't know i feel like all of my old music videos were definitely kind of like running gun like i don't think we did clearances for anything and um yeah we did it because we were like this is horrible we would tell our parents we were going to college and instead of taking the art class that they thought they signed us up for we would use it to film a music video i love that but now you're filming music videos for your job i know like now it's your life my job it is your job yeah no i feel like it's so fun i can't even like call it that but yeah i love that dude i'm excited for you to see the music video you don't even realize like the sakura is kind of a new motif that we've brought in instead of the hibiscus well i was trying this was the closest that i had you know so i was i was trying to lean in you know i need those shoes i really thrifted them i'm obsessed with them but then like talking about you like your music videos and whatnot then and i'm interested like where who are your biggest musical inspirations want to be the one who's always in the know about the game the scores the plays here's a tip the apple sports app just pick your favorite teams and get automatic live updates without even knowing their schedules and when your team scores it shows up right on your iphone lock screen making it easy to check in anytime so rule the group chat and download apple sports for free on the app store or find it on your new iphone the lemonati has spent decades keeping lemon on top and lime in the shadows their lemon agenda has infiltrated everything even our music that hit song named after the color of lemons not a coincidence big lemon has been pulling strings in the industry for years think about it but now seven up is fighting back with their new lime lemon soda now lime comes first seven up flip the sip i think currently if i had to pick i really like tv girl mainly because i like their like production i think it has a vibe and just like it's current you know what i mean it's really hard to find like i love pop music but i just like don't like pop music from today so i go into a session and someone plays like a bridget bardo song and i'm like dude like i do not want to make some like slow song like this but then i also don't want to make like i'm not gonna do something but like i don't want to you know make a totally like 2025 pop song right i want to make i know i'm really into the 2010s 1980s um give me some names um let me think i mean david bowie gwen stefani i think i'm getting a little bit of gwen today for sure definitely no doubt yeah i think i'm kind of in a little bit of a no doubt yeah era um oh god oh my gosh super tramp is truly one of my favorite bands i think they just like have such a specific sound it's such like a weird vibe like such a i don't know it's not kitsch it's like it's really deep and just if you like listen to the whole breakfast in america album and like i guess like their other music too it's just like really good although i watched the and i made jules this producer work with also watch a documentary and they were like the most boring people i've ever seen i was expecting to see like these like sad like really like in their feels musicians and they were just like hating on everything and yeah interesting in the band for me but that again i mean it reminds me of something that you said earlier talking about this authenticity of persona you know what i mean and and that oftentimes music is hyperbolic like it is an exaggeration of something or something like that and i think that's what i'm trying to or or like a very specific window into a very specific time but what i was going to say electrically or orchestra is my um favorite band i love that i came to you late i know the reason i was asking is because so when i was like i was really listening to your uh ep again on the way here and like you've heard it oh of course are you kidding me i'm obsessed but like like movie star is abba i know like it's kind of that i love it loved it though like i feel like so many um people keep trying to do abba but no one's actually doing abba in the way with like the the instruments you used and in the up tempo yeah well i would argue actually it's not very i think it could be more abba but like we didn't use a lot of like natural instruments on the song i think the mix is a little bit like crunchy for me it's like oh but i'm like such a hater on my music but i just like if i was to make some adjustments to movie star i would get um a different live string player and i think i would remix it a little bit just because like it needs to sound like warmer you know what i mean interesting i i felt it it sounds abundantly warm really yeah it's infectious i take it back it's infectious that's and that's why it gave me that feeling of like abba that's so like it's almost like a little bit like theatrical in the way that it's very like showy you know what i mean like you could do jazz hands to it you don't even want to know how many times i've gone into a session i've been like i like abba and they're like ripping off lay all your love on me no no it's like that's like the one song and i'm like i send it to jackson who's one of my a and rs and he's like you need to stop ripping off this song i'm like it's not me i swear it's not me it's them i promise interesting i think i like electric light orchestra now because i went through a really big abba phase and they're like super classical and just like you know very meticulous about their melodies but they kind of missed out on like the synth era and i'm like really obsessed with synths right now so yeah Yeah, I feel like the 80s sort of synth is having a really big moment in pop right now. Is it? Yeah, I think so. I think, yeah. I even remember like the, you know, like the way that like Good Luck Babe starts, like the dun, dun, dun, like that sort of type of like underluck in a song is really like having a moment right now in a way that's fun. Or even sort of in a different way, like I think of like the Doja Cat album is kind of the sort of like 80s, but in like the workout class type of way, you know what I mean? Like the jazzercise type. Dude, I don't listen to enough music. I haven't heard the Doja Cat album. You should get into it, girl. Amen from the Doja Cat album. Okay, amen. Amen. All right. It is, you're going to be sad you didn't listen to it on Halloween. It's like the most like delicious Halloween song ever. Wait, who just came out with the Halloween album? I didn't even know that was, was it Kim Petras? Someone just came out with a Halloween album. She does be doing like spooky, spooky stuff. But I love, I love any sort of like horror as a theme. Again, it's like one of the reasons I always like drawn to Gaga. I think it's like, she was like one of the first people that really like, at least in the 2010s, like dipped into that like dark tone. Yeah. In a way that was cool. I was really scared of her. I like, I went, I think she was playing like the Big Apple Circus. It's so random. And I like went to the gift shop and there was like a bow, but it was like made of her hair for sale. And I was like really scared. Yeah, I'm going to pass on that. I know, but now I love her. Now you're losing, now your own extensions are about, from Japan are about to be turned into a bow. Dude, I miss them. Yeah. Look, I knew I should have checked the hotel room. I left my extensions in Japan. That's, and you know what? It's okay. You'll find new ones. Yeah. I mean, we got to debut this new hairstyle. That's right. I'm kind of liking it. It's a little bit like calendar girl. I was thinking more like Barbie in a way. I'm down for that. The old Barbie though. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like the old, the old Barbie. The old Barbie. Like roller skate type. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, that's how I see you right now. Speaking, I'm just interested in what you said about movie star and also talking about like, the instrumentation. That was really what stuck out to me about like Star Shaped Baby was like the like brass section on that song. Oh yeah. It's so like rich and. I love Star Shaped Baby. I think that's actually, Star Shaped Baby and Movie Star are definitely my favorite songs. And I feel like Summer Song has to be up there because, but. Yeah. Yeah, I listen to those. Those are like my only songs I listen to a lot, I think. Interesting. I think Star Shaped Baby is, is my favorite one of yours as well. Because again, it like drew into that sort of, inspiration vocally, I guess, especially in the way that it opens. That's very like Maisie Starr in that type of way and that type of like vocal sound. But then it like transitions completely into again, like being this like very like large and like rich song that you want to jump up and down to with your friends and skip, you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. Wait, Star Shaped Baby. Yeah. Oh yeah. Yeah, yeah. I feel like I'm not like, I don't know. That's like the one song I think I do where it's like a good like 60s inspired song. Like, I think it brings, like if it was actually from the 60s, I'd be like, this is like an original like song, you know? You don't think all of it's inspired from the 60s? Do you? I don't know. Yes. I don't listen to enough music. I mean, there's a lot of 80s references and stuff in there as well, like as we discussed earlier, but. I don't actually have a like music playlist. Like, I don't. I'm like, if the fucking like 10 recent songs I've listened to like starts to clear, I'm like, like, I don't know. That's so interesting. Then where do you feel like you draw inspiration from? Just whatever songs I'm listening to at that moment. Like, I think I'm listening to Words right now. I think I'm listening to Words right now by F.R. David because I'm just like obsessed with the like synth pattern. And I played it for a producer the other day and he like showed me the actual synth that it was like recorded on. I freaked out a little bit. But yeah, Words, Xanadu by Electric Light Orchestra. But the Olivia Newton-John like cut of it, I guess. Interesting. That's really cool. Olivia Newton-John's like another, interesting reference point. Yeah, because she has like a 60s style voice and then like, like kind of a similar voice to me. I mean, her voice is insane, but I think it sounds, it's really helpful for me to hear like a voice that's more similar to mine on production that I'm just like obsessed with. Interesting. Interesting. Well, that, I want to talk about, I mean, Summer Song. And like, I mean, first we got to talk about like Lana Del Rey posted your song. Dude. Wait, I literally like, that did not compute with me. Like, how did that feel? When did you notice? I was on the street and my sister lives. She was just like, no way, no way, no way. We were having a bad day. And it was honestly, it was really what I needed. And I just was kind of like freaking out a bit. I was crazy, dude. It's so cool of her like to discover it like a year later. I also, I love like when you see these like iconic artists that are really in the weeds of up and coming music. Yeah. And I feel like people think that these like big artists like aren't like that. And any conversation I've ever had with someone is like, they are in it. Like they love to discover new people. They do. They do. And like see the sort of inspiration and like derivatives of like where they kind of are sonically and stuff like that. Yeah. So, no, when I saw that I gagged, I was like, yes, the people are learning. Dude, and on that like wedding post. Yes. How beautiful. I know. I was like. So wholesome. Really is. It's so wholesome. But when did, like, where did summer song come from? Like, where did the idea of it? Summer song? I'd had the chorus melody for like forever. Okay. Just like in my voice demos. And I remember we went to Paris to record it. Interesting. And originally the chorus was supposed to be the bridge and it was gonna be like, real love is a dangerous game. And I was like, that's so lame. Like, I'm not singing that for a chorus. I don't know. It's just giving like, lame. It's giving sad. Yeah, it was giving sad. It's just like, I don't know. It wasn't really making me feel much. And then we trained back to London. And I remember I was like, at this horrible hotel. And I was trying to go to sleep. And then I woke up and I was like, oh my gosh, that's, that's the melody. And I record it in my phone. And then the next day I was like, guys, what if this is the chorus? And then we made it. And then that was it? Yeah. I love when that stuff, like that happens. I know, I know. I feel like Summer Song was just such a like, a random story. Like that would never, that song would never be able to come about if I was just like in LA in a session. Yeah. Because it's just like too fucking random. And I think it's the importance of an artist of like, like I always think like the creative mind, like a sponge. And you know, like when you're in a session, you're like bringing the sponge, right? You are trying to like get every idea out of you. And like, it takes the real life experiences to like soak things up again. Yeah. Yeah. That's when inspiration strikes as like you are on some random train and you're up and you're about to go to bed. But then that is when it clicked for you because it's, you weren't thinking about it. Like distance from the thing and like from the actual creation is what makes you remember why you were inspired to create the thing in the first place. Do you know what I mean? Exactly. Yeah. I don't know. I feel like I've had like so many, like even Movie Star, we wrote that in like an hour. Whoa. In the desert. We literally just, I had had the chorus, like I was just like singing in my car and I, it was like Movie Star, Movie Star. Yeah. And then we took shrooms and we were like, wow. That's what you do in the desert. Yeah, I know. We were like lying down because they like hadn't caked in yet and we were just like really tired and we were like, wait, like inspiration. And it took us like an hour and we just like got the whole song down. And I mean, there's not that many lyrics, so. And you know what? That's okay. We'll fix that after. Then we were like, oh my God, we can write, crazy songs on shrooms in the desert. So the next time we set an hour long timer and we wrote this song called Walk Like an Angel, which some of my girls have. But yeah, I think we're redoing it a bit, but that's also a song I love. I really got to dabble in shrooms again. I got shroom poisoning when I was coming back from Europe and I just. You can get shroom poisoning? It's really weird. I've gotten it twice and it's been like every time I'm going back from Europe, I'm just like. Did you get good songs out of it? Did you get good songs out of it though? Kind of. Okay. No, I was a bit too sick. So like, is it like food poisoning? Like do you get sick? I think, no, no. I took shrooms. I was also like around people that were not on shrooms and like this, it was a really pop session and I took shrooms. I was like, this is going to like loosen me up a bit. And then I started playing like Soundgarden and like fucking like 90s rock and I could just tell they were not vibing with it. It sounded like really like dated on their speakers. And then I like freaked out a little bit and then I went home and the shrooms were off and then I went to the spa. This was in Sweden and I think there's something about like the sonnet like reactivated the shrooms or something because like I felt like my brain was like expanding again. This is tea. This is making me sound insane. I love it. No, I love it. This is great. It's true. Don't do shrooms and then go to the spa. I think. Not a good idea. I'm going to disagree. I think that's the best time to do it. You want to talk about getting good ideas I always get my best ideas in the shower. Now we're putting that. Yes. That used to be me. You still do? It's always. Yeah. I don't know. It's weird. Like I also don't dream very often. Like I have a lot of friends who get some of their best ideas from dreaming. Like I don't dream at all. For some reason like that's the shower for me. Like it's the closest I get to this like I'm not thinking about the world but I'm awake and I have this like random stimuli that I'm kind of paying attention to and like things will randomly click. Yeah. I think it's like driving too. Like you're not allowed. to like be on your phone to like jot down an idea yeah so you're like suddenly I'm like an influx of like ideas and something weird about like there being this sort of mindless activity involved with it that's like stimulating you but not requirement of like any actual creative brain power you know what i mean so it's like you're in this like feeling of of movement and like doing things but then it just strikes you i know dude i'm the worst driver ever i literally like zero brain power is used when i'm driving i'll be like where the fuck am i you ever drive somewhere and you get there and you're like i don't remember driving here at all yes and you're like i could have killed someone there's something wrong with me actually i was driving my car and it was fully broken like there are like a thousand things wrong with it and i was just like hmm i've become a really bad driver recently and then my dad came into town um and he drove my car and he was like you could have killed yourself in this like what the fuck are you an idiot and i'm like parents love to do that they love to set you straight i know it's nice though sometimes it's nice but then sometimes i'm like you know mom maybe you just drive do your parents visit you a lot here my mom does yeah um no i love it she's actually i'm gonna see her in like two weeks speaking of you being on shrooms the song simple girl you say i'm a simple girl i love gardening and drugs yes care to elaborate on that at all i mean i've never really done the two together but um i forget what did i say exactly where i heard that from i don't know i don't know that line i imagine i'm like oprah and like well under your seat right now dude we could do a little planting get me a present that's right it's like a little flower pot and so and shrimps are maybe both at the same time i feel like you look like you like grow your own weed or something i honestly i kind of do but not as like i look like that i don't do it because you'd be like it needs to be like pure like i need to have like my own like special that's right i kind of i'm like very like erwan with it you know what i mean very like into like the natural substances and keeping it organic i feel like it's no i know it's actually so crazy to me when like people come and visit california like my friends i'm like i'll take you to erwan like you can get your 25 smoothie i get it it's like exciting it's not exciting i think it's exciting if you've never done it before yeah you know what that's true when i was visiting la i was like but i didn't know erwan was like a thing i thought it was like this like secret place i discovered and and that is and going back to talking about like marketing and of an artist like i think that that is the power of like exclusivity you know what i mean like the second you see something you can't have it it makes you want it so bad and that's why like something like an erwan built a business was that they were this thing on the internet that you can only get if you're in california you know what i mean yeah and i think a lot of artists are really really brilliant at doing that in the same way you know like you can think of like uh i mean the classic example is like a rihanna right where it's like the peak of her fame and she disappears for 10 years but even going back to like a david bowie you know killing off the character ziggy stardust at the end of that album when it was like his most successful album i think at the time maybe ever um made it immortal you know what i mean like it just will always be what it is um and i think that's also something beautiful about like this like romanticization of vintage you know what i mean if like it's it's not something that's like changing all the time yeah i mean the thing i like about david bowie is that like he was always really like insecure about his like songwriting and his voice we have like the same singing teacher he's really old whoa that's cool i know it is i was like he never tells me any of like the real tea though but he was like david was always fucking just like kind of like shy about his voice and his like lyrics and stuff and so the mask is not like it feels really authentic to me and it feels really like sweet in a way because it's like his kind of like protection from like the real world and his like insecurities and stuff and so i don't know that's like i really like that yeah no and i think that that um i think there's a beauty to like never being satisfied because that means that it's out of this desire to always be better you know what i mean and like when you hear about artists that are like literally some of the most culturally defining icons ever like david bowie you know what i mean um and to hear that that person in their vocal sessions was like i'm not good enough i know it's also is in one way sad but i think also in a way sad but i think also in another way beautiful that um to remember that like no matter where you are in your career you'll always feel that way so like don't fixate on it now yeah do you know what i mean no i know i feel like anytime i feel like insecure about like a song or just like i don't know i had this like wig fiasco on tour and the wigs were like too big i didn't like put them into perspective and they were like this high and i was like fuck like this feels like it doesn't feel like me and i was like it feels like i'm actually like dressing up as like a character or something that's why i like this hair i feel like it's like she's cute and casual yeah i think she's i think i think she's like a you know your your casual updo my casual updo your casual updo look but speaking of hair one of the things i would talk about is like we got to talk about this album cover like dude how long did it take to do that hair um it took so my hairstylist lizette did it and then this burlesque and they they like made it together and um i'd attempted to make that um wig like around summer song era wow i literally just got like a bunch of wigs and i like was like gluing it's like cardboard did not look good and so i feel like this has been this was like one of the first things i talked about when i um signed with warner interesting yeah it felt like a very full circle moment that we were able to do the wig but it was definitely inspired by diana ross and um wow i just i wanted to see what i looked like and then i was like i don't know i don't know i don't know i don't know what i look like with that much hair i also kind of feel like it's important to have a look that isn't accessible you know what i mean that people can do on a smaller scale but who the fuck is gonna like make a wig that big i mean some of the fans i feel like would i feel like they would but um yeah i kind of just wanted to make something that could be like replicated on a smaller scale like it's like a costume just like no that's so that's so interesting i love what you said about like doing a look that's not accessible yeah but replicable that is like a really i've never heard that but i think you're actually so right and like that's kind of genius of like there is like these pieces of it that you hold you know like a sabrina is like a mini skirt or something you know what i mean but like no one can replicate a mini skirt no they can replicate the mini skirt but like the like the custom frolov heart cut out bodysuit that's like sparkled right like they don't they can't copy that no totally there is like a a clear like lineage of the thing but it's it's not and doing that with hair is very interesting was it like 10 different wigs glued oh my god i think it was more than 10 um but it's like multiple wigs in one yeah it's multiple i i'm like i want to bring it on tour i was gonna ask like what do you do with it when it's done it's literally in my living room it's you're lying i get really embarrassed when i take people over to my house because it's like just like a fucking prop shop like there's no way people believe you need to send me a picture of the wig in your living room to edit into this on screen right here like the people need to see that's crazy it's the only furniture i have i literally like i can't afford i mean i can't afford a couch but just when it comes time to like buy a couch i'm like i could buy a nice wig you know like why would i buy a couch and that's just called priorities yeah that's called priorities babe it's wig first nail second what's third for you oh my god not nails no one's gonna come i already called you out yeah i love that no i imagine the wig is like in the shape of a throne and or comes alive when you're not there in like a toy story situation yeah i'm a little scared of it i don't go in my living room like the blob too it also like consumes more hair and like grows in power you know what i mean it really does i'm like i don't know how we're gonna bring this on tour i don't think we are yeah maybe if i slept on it or something but do you feel like hair is like an important part of your artistry oh yeah for sure i mean i've never been that like interested in like what i look like like i don't take a lot of pictures when i'm not like dressed like this like i'm just like i like basic you know what i mean yeah so i'm i feel like the hair i wouldn't say it's like an armor like a disguise or like a costume but it's just like more interesting than my normal hair you know yeah i just feel like i have like a dead like blonde blob on my head all the time and then now it looks like this is horrible for my hair actually not at all yeah i mean i do think hair is interesting it's like one of the few things it's like instantly symbolic of like a decade definitely you know what i mean like you can look at clothes and that's like 70 like you know you see a flare pan and that's like 70s but also can be now but like something about hair is like one of the few things that is like immortally representative of a period of time and i think that's like a very cool way that you use it in your work i mean the way you like make culture is by like combining other cultures and i feel like the same is like an aesthetic i guess you just like like i wouldn't say i directly pull like only from the 60s or just like only from one time like i pull from a bunch of different periods to create a new your reality your world building as an artist yeah that's exactly that's what artistry is is exactly what you said it is it is this combination of cultural references that make this taste profile that you sit at the middle at both in terms of sonic inspiration like you're talking about with the 60s wig you know what i mean like all of those things are the ingredients that make the real recipe that is remy bond you know what i mean yeah and i think that is like a really really cool thing i love also just like it's very fascinating to hear the way that you think about it oh thank you like when you're thinking about you know like pulling in these elements of culture is there any like specific thing that you feel like you're always drawing going back to um i mean i guess just the hair like i i'd never have my hair look you know how it does when i go to bed although i do sleep in this hair like for like three days sometimes um it stays i have to like sleep like on my face but um no i don't really like i don't have pinterest i don't have like a playlist dude wait i seem insane i just like don't like spend a lot of time on my phone i also don't spend a i don't know i just like have a few things that i really like and a few like artists that i'm fans of and i just like read their biographies and i like you know i feel like i reference in a pretty like classic way i definitely don't like take advantage of like my phone and like social media the way that i could but i feel like it i don't know i don't want to become like really derivative of something else yeah do you feel like there's a difference between like a reference and an imitation yeah i think a lot of people are imitating me right now period what do you think is the difference um i just think people can tell you know people can tell if it's like like it's okay to reference something if it feels true to you if you're bringing like a new point of view if you're bringing like a really good song to the era but if you're just fucking like sticking a hibiscus on your head um or like i don't know fucking like some people's faces can't pull off wigs i've found but um you know you're taking a picture of yourself in a wig and on like a normal phone camera or on just like you know it kind of just looks silly to me interesting i mean to me i like what you said like to me like a reference is like it's a part of the equation it's not the equation itself right like that's when i think right like it like you're taking a i don't know a hairstyle that's very marilyn monroe and then adding in all of these elements of like color and things right like that's when it's something's a reference whereas like you know like putting the wig on and like drawing them all on yeah not saying that you do that i don't know that was like that was just like a random example that like popped into my mind do you know what i mean of of like i think what exactly you said like this idea of like an artistic reference yeah has to maintain the like what is the element of them and what is the element of you right like that that's what the formula is no i feel like three people that like do it really well are like okay let's say you like start with marilyn then you have like madonna you have gwen then you have like sky ferrara like to me that's like in order of like people that have like referenced each other i don't know how i just like pull that like i feel like that actually yeah um and i feel like they all like have their own like distinct version of like a look that has parts of it have been passed down yeah yeah i feel like they're all definitely like they're individual totally but also similar and i think music will go through these weird phases where we get these like reference traps where like eight different people all try to reference the same person at the same time yeah like i don't know why i feel like in the past like two or three years like that has been britney yeah you know what i mean there's like 19 different people all trying to do britney i admit i did there's one song but i think addison's doing a good job of it yeah yeah a great job of it but again and and what but when you think about addison too like there is so much her in there there's so much references to her right like aquamarine is like a disney channel reference from 2010 right like it was a disney channel original movie like those are sort of things that maintain this element of her in addition to like what is clearly you know the the y2k like pop star formula also you can't reference like you have to go to like your references reference you know your favorite reference favorite reference yeah you gotta you gotta go deep in it um i think i spent a lot of time on reddit actually really yeah people on there are really smart they have a lot of especially if i'm trying to find like bands and like songs some of the recs are like really shit but um yeah i feel like reddit is like very thought out people think the gold mine like open their computer and type something on totally yeah like you got a character you got a character you got a character you got a if you're like on page 17 of like a niche subreddit like you gotta care about the thing you know what i mean like whatever it is like you got to be an expert or like passionate to some degree okay so something i always love to to close out the show with like a final question is if there's one uh song from this ep that you really want the listeners to like listen to deeply and sit with and like sit with the lyrics or or the production whatever that is you know what is that song and why orlando was a special song to me okay i um went to orlando when i was little and i was just like listening to my friend that loves orlando and she was just like talking about orlando and it just sounded like this wonderful place and i kind of like the idea of writing about you know this like amazing place without like actually going there yeah like seeing that it probably wasn't as great as she was you know saying it was but i just you know orlando is like this like fake place in my mind that's just like this escape from the real world and i hope you feel that way when you listen to it no that's beautiful like this romanticization of of the unknown and i do that a lot like with atlantic city and like the washington interesting and i remember doing that with la before i really yeah and because i think la became representative of it wasn't a place it was this physical manifestation of my hopes and dreams right like it because i feel like i really like got into like stan culture through like youtube and like youtubers like jenna marvels and like that that was really my gateway so that you know this immortal like reference like la you know what i mean and it being this place where all the everyone goes to chase their dreams i think it's like representative of what it is as opposed to like a place yeah remy it was such a pleasure to have you on i think you were so fun i think you're so brilliant and like the way you're talking about like my favorite quote of this thing i'm gonna think about it is is talking about like all of culture is just pulling pieces of other culture it was it was it was a bar dude oh so it was a pleasure and and y'all go stream backstage just the tropicana yeah get into some good good new pop girl music that's gonna blow you away see you at the tropicana see you at the tropicana the tropicana you gotta wear those shoes i'm ready to go baby i'm ready to go and we'll see you next week want to be the one who's always in the know about the game the scores the plays here's a tip the apple sports app just pick your favorite teams and get automatic live updates without even knowing their schedules and when your team scores it shows up right on your iphone lock screen making it easy to check in time so rule the group chat and download apple sports for free on the app store or find it on your new iphone coca-cola for the big for the small the short and the tall peacemakers risk takers for the optimists pessimists for long distance love for introverts and extroverts the thinkers and the doers for old friends and new coca-cola for everyone pick up some coca-cola at a store near you bye y'all