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Celeb News: Teddy Sinclair talk's Kali Uchis, Alicia, Madonna, & Rih
Member Since: 5/27/2016
Posts: 3,578
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Teddy Sinclair talk's Kali Uchis, Alicia, Madonna, & Rih
Click here for full interview
A Master Of Paradox: Cruel Youth Shares Her Long Journey To The +30mg EP
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OTW: What are the essential differences between Natalia Kills and Cruel Youth? Why is Cruel Youth the purest form of your current self?
When I first started making music, it was pretty typical how it works: young girl, blows up on the internet, gets a big **** off a record deal, everyone gets hyped, and then the team goes, “Okay, how do we exploit this? Let’s put her in the studio with everyone we can think of that makes music that could be on the radio right now, and then hopefully there will be a click.” There were just so many times where there was that “click” with different producers, but it wasn’t what the record label thought it should have been. You start making a song that you really, really like, and then suddenly it’s got to be faster, you’ve got to take out half the words, you’ve got to take out the chorus…you know, it relates to everyone except you. And the more that happened, the less my songs got taken seriously. Then I just decided, well you know what, I’m not going to play you my songs anymore. Then I got in a sort of stalemate situation.
Then lo and behold, Madonna likes my songs, then Rihanna sings one of my songs that I’d co-written. And then, a team that never fully understand what these lyrics were or what this girl was, suddenly totally gets it…but by then it was too late. I feel like, for me, being able to write songs for other people that wanted a song like mine has opened a gateway for people to listen to the way that I write a song.
When I started the Cruel Youth project, I made all the choices. There were no A&Rs, there were no record labels. There was nothing. It was me, and my husband Willy, who I’d met when we were both signed to Universal. We never sat down and said, “Let’s design a sound, and let’s make a concept project.” It’s more like, one day Willy said, “All the things they didn’t want you to be—let’s do a project that’s only that. The best bits of you, the most overlooked bits of you.” And that’s what we did. We made the project Cruel Youth, I already had a band that I played live with, and me and Willy would write the songs and go out on the road and we’d do the shows.
OTW: Does it feel amazing, like your true self has been finally set free?
Yeah! It actually does, and for a second I start to think, “Why was there any other way?!” Hang on a sec, if I sing like a really bad bitch song, no one’s going to say, “This is a smash, ready for radio!” It’s so weird that people can become instantly deaf to it, but if that exact same song is sung by Madonna or Rihanna, it’s considered groundbreaking, fresh, incredible, genius. I don’t know, I think it’s just wonderful getting to work with those artists showed me that I don’t have to step outside myself. It isn’t about pleasing—it’s about sharing.
We made the Cruel Youth project in our studio, and we live above the studio, so I was just getting a bit spaced out, going downstairs in my nightgown and making songs all night long, and we weren’t even leaving the house. Even for the artwork for “Hate****,” we went out at 2 am, got a $10 bouquet from the deli, went down the street where the light was nice and just threw them on the pavement. Then Willy would take the shot. We did everything together.*
It was a very private and intimate way to do it, because apart from leaving the house like three times a week to go to karaoke and sing “Be My Baby” over and over again, we just made the whole record for us to listen to. But then we couldn’t stop listening, so I was like, “Ah, okay! This is something to share.”
OTW: How do you separate your writing for others (Madonna, Rihanna, etc.) versus writing for your own project?
I don’t think I do—I think the music does.
The first time I got into a situation of writing a song only for someone else, that was definitely only for their record, was working with Madonna. She’d heard a song of mine from my solo project, and she really liked it and had asked to work with me. We were supposed to work together for just a day or two, and then we made like eight songs and became friends. She wanted a song that sounded like my songs—with the lyrics and intensity—so it was just like I was writing for myself but it’d incorporate a lot of her perspective and her emotions, in addition to that.
I never sit down and say, “Today, I’m going to write a song for someone else.” Something happens with the music where I either fall so deeply in love with it, a very possessive love where no one else can have this song…they can’t, or I’ll die. OR I’ll go “Wow, do you know who would sing this better than I could deliver it? Rihanna.” And I don’t think I’m really making that decision. I think the sounds, the tempo, the interpretation of the actual composition of the music, is making the decision…because I’m just writing a song for me.
The Madonna song, the Rihanna song, Alicia Keyes…I’m just writing about my life and what I think about all these dumb things I’ve done and all these weird situations I’ve been. But it’s interesting to find out how much you’ve got in common with people because that whole “me too” factor is the reason why people are happy to sing other people’s songs. What I thought was a song for me could be sung by other people and they think, “This feels like that breakup I went through,” or “These are the things that I think, but I can’t say them.” I think that’s quite a beautiful thing.
OTW: What can we expect to see and hear on your tour with kiiara? What role do the other 2 girls play in the live show?
Hopefully you’ll hear the songs, unless something horrible happens. My favorite part of making music is writing the songs. I like ruining my life just to write a good song about it. Willy made the music—I’m not a composer. And my guitar player and music director, Lauren, who has always been a part of my band, conspired with Willy to make the record even better live. More of an experience than just standing there getting elbowed by people taller than you. How do you forget that anyone else is in the room and get sucked into that painting?
Lauren and Willy figured the whole thing out. I definitely obey the voice in my head that says, “Do not be ****, do not be ****.” The other girl in my band plays keyboard, all the synthesizers, dreamier sounds, and everyone sings back-up vocals. I leave the wizardry up to the wizards, and stand there with a microphone and try to enjoy myself.
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Click here for full interview
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Member Since: 5/27/2016
Posts: 3,578
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updated with important parts
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Member Since: 4/4/2014
Posts: 745
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Quote:
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Hopefully you’ll hear the songs, unless something horrible happens.
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Is this bitch planning another X factor sized mess?
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Member Since: 7/16/2010
Posts: 43,593
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I still can not get used to Teddy, I need Kills back
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Member Since: 5/27/2016
Posts: 3,383
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Why does she go by Teddy now
Is it because of the X Factor thing effectively ending her career
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Member Since: 5/27/2016
Posts: 3,578
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Quote:
Originally posted by Vrx.
Why does she go by Teddy now
Is it because of the X Factor thing effectively ending her career
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no
her legal change name happened 4 months prior
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