Author name: Odalisque

“Pop’s next It-girl” UPSAHL x Odalisque text Josie McNeill According to Taylor Upsahl, better known as her pop star persona UPSAHL, she never really made the decision to start making music–it was always a part of who she was.“I started doing music before I really could remember honestly,” UPSAHL said. “ As soon as I had a personality, the biggest part of my identity was music.”UPSAHL said she grew up in a music environment, with her dad playing in punk bands and having a house full of guitars, a piano, and a drum set. She was then classically trained in music at a performing arts high school starting at age 10.At night after classes, UPSAHL said she played at “little shitty clubs” and started putting out albums. But it wasn’t until she moved to Los Angeles after high school that she began to pursue music full time.Now, after releasing the fourth installment of THE PHX TAPES project on Oct. 20 and embarking on a tour with Melanie Martinez, Upsahl released SNOWGLOBE, a new holiday mixtape on Nov. 10. Odalisque sat down with UPSAHL to discuss her upcoming projects, tours, and how she became the pop artist that she is. Did you mostly listen to punk rock music growing up? Or did you mainly have other influences? Definitely a little bit of everything. I mean, I listened to a lot of punk bands that people probably never heard of just because of my dad and the bands that his friends were in when I was a kid. So I listen to a lot of that, then a lot of Queens of the Stone Age, a lot of Weezer that was a really big influence for me and a lot of No Doubt. Gwen Stefani was my idol. I just wanted to be Gwen Stefani growing up. I thought she was so badass. I listened to some OutKast. I feel like I just kind of listened to a mixture of a lot of things. But what my parents had playing around the house was a lot of punk music and a lot of classical. The only thing I didn’t grow up listening to was country and pop music weirdly enough. I didn’t really get into pop music until I moved to LA and started writing pop music, which is crazy. Why did you choose to go into pop music?I think it happened by accident. When I started writing songs, I was just like in my room playing guitar, and so naturally, the music sort of went in a singer-songwriter direction production wise. It wasn’t until I moved to LA and started working with other producers that I realized there’s a world of different sounds at my disposal. It doesn’t have to be just a live instrument, we can program drums or use a synth or whatever. So that opened my eyes to the endless world of production and getting to work with producers. And then also just pop songwriters made me fall in love with the art of making pop music. I think I fell into it sort of naturally just by working with other people. How did you come up with the concept to do a series of little mixtapes?I knew I wanted to call it THE PHX TAPES at the top of the year. Because I was just having so much fun in the studio making music, I made this goal for myself going into sessions in January that I wasn’t really going to worry about genre at all. I was just gonna have so much fun in the studio, and if I wanted to make a really alt rock song one day and then a house record the next, I just like gave myself the freedom to do that. It just started to remind me of how I felt when I was making music as a kid back in Phoenix when I had like no idea what the fuck I was doing, and pulling up to the studio and just seeing what would happen. That’s how I felt–it was sort of this naiveness, so it kind of made sense to call the project THE PHX TAPES. It’s sort of an ode to all the influences that I grew up on and that creative and childish sort of freedom that I was feeling. Can you talk a little bit about the sound and concepts behind your songs “NO HANDS” and “SLAYYYYY” that are being released on the fourth installment of the mixtapes?Each volume is meant to feel very different. And even like the side A versus the side B for each volume are meant to feel worlds apart. “NO HANDS” is side A. It’s very dark and dancey, which I feel like regardless of where I go with my music, I always go back to the old, dark, dancey records. That’s what “NO HANDS” sounds like. It’s very chaotic and aggressive. And then “SLAYYYYY” which is side B in volume four, is completely different. It was just me having fun. I wrote the song as a joke in the studio and honestly never thought I was going to put it out because it was like that much of a joke. And then I just kept coming back to listen to it. I was like wait, this is actually like a really fun song. So that one’s the more “I don’t give a fuck,” very freeing song. I’m really excited for both of these because I feel like lyrically as well, “NO HANDS” is very much about creating chaos and wanting to break out of whatever is like holding you down and “SLAYYYYY” is the result of that chaos, which is just like fucking insane and very unhinged. I feel like that’s becoming a more common thing for artists to do now, releasing a song they originally wrote as a joke. For real, I feel like when you write a song as a joke, and then put it out, at least for me, listening to

Unveiling ‘Zig’: inside Poppy’s journey towards herself text Natalia Muntean Poppy, also known as Moriah Rose Pereira, has navigated a career as fascinating and unexpected as the enigmatic content she creates. From launching her YouTube channel in the mid-’10s, to her eccentric debut album ‘Poppy. Computer,’ reflecting her peculiar robot-voiced videos, to the more musically compelling ‘Am I A Girl?’ featuring collaborations with industry luminaries like Grimes and Diplo, her evolution has been a kaleidoscope of innovation. Now, with her fifth studio album ‘Zig,’ released on October 27th, the 28-year-old artist continues her zigzag trajectory. The album, while representing the duality of her spirit, also reveals a more liberated and outspoken Poppy.We sat down for a conversation during which the LA-based artist shared insights into her formative years in Nashville, the evolving musical influences stemming from her family background, and the pivotal moments that shaped her trajectory in the music industry. Who is Poppy?Singer, songwriter, artist, multi media creator. You grew up in Nashville, surrounded by music, with your father as a drummer in a punk band. How did your family’s musical background influence your journey into the music industry?I recall that it was nice to have music around in the house, but my memory is a bit spotty. Their interests didn’t directly influence mine; I was on my own path to discovery. It was convenient to have a recording studio in the house, but I was too young to use it much when I lived with them. I have vague memories of recording as a baby. However, it wasn’t until I started my own journey when I was 15 and moved out that I could truly come into my own, I feel. And then how when did you realise that music was what you wanted to do? Because I know you started with a YouTube channel.I was always into music, but there was a period when videos took precedence or had more prominence than the music. I remained a recording artist during that time. However, things became more real for me when I moved to Los Angeles.   Can you walk us through your creative process when writing a song? Do you have a specific approach or routine, and where do you draw inspiration for your lyrics and melodies? It depends on the day, and it depends on the task at hand. A lot of it is in experimenting, I think you find the most unexpected and interesting things when you’re not trying for them sometimes. So I think it’s the artist’s responsibility to always evolve and pose a question to the world. But for me, I keep journals, and  try to read and watch as many films as I can, and find things that pique my interest and lean into that. But as far as the process itself, I try to keep people around me. Collaborative partners that are friends first, but also trustworthy individuals and people that push me to be better every day on a personal level, but also a creative level. When you have a strong connection with such people, as I do with those I work with, it encourages greater honesty in your art. So you always work on songs together? Even when you’re drafting lyrics? Or do they come in at different stages?Yes, they come in at a bit of a later stage, the skeleton of the idea usually will start for me, if it’s a riff, or if it’s a lyrical bid, or concept, or something that I just want to explore. And I have gotten better over the years at articulating to them and to people that are better at instruments than I am exactly what I’m looking for. And sometimes you go down a path, that’s not necessarily the right one, but you have to go down it in order to know it’s like, with anything, when you’re trying things out. Sometimes you have to be more in the centre of the storm to know if it’s for you or not. Yes, for sure. You mentioned that films and books inspire you: what were the latest ones that left a mark on you?I watched a film last night that was pretty perverse, controversial, and edgy. It was called “Angst” from 1983, based on a true story, so it was very impactful. I also recently watched another film called “Sick of Myself,” which I enjoyed a lot. That was great. But one of my all-time favourite movies is “Amelie” or “Leon: The Professional.” I see a lot of myself in these characters. Can you expand a bit on that?In “Leon: The Professional,” I love Natalie Portman. I believe she’s one of the greatest actresses ever. I really admire the independence she portrays as a young girl, something I identify with. She seems more self-assured than I was at her age. I appreciate her independence, curiosity, and her connection to her plant. She seems very empowered, which is wonderful. Then there’s “Amelie”; I think it’s the tone, the soundtrack, and how things unfold unexpectedly. The beautiful colour palettes and the film’s elegance really stand out. top & skirt Stellaxingyi gloves Kristina K belt Zana Bayne boots Stylist’s Own   I agree. And then when you were working on were there any specific movies, albums books that you drew inspiration from or that you listen to maybe, or rewatched. I would like to understand what your universe was like…It’s been a while since I made it, so it’s hard to remember everything I was into at that time. But I’ve mentioned in a few interviews that I’m a big fan of Marianne Faithfull, not just as an actress but also for her musical project, especially the film “Girl on a Motorcycle” also known as “Naked under Leather”. I’m a really big fan of that film. I find it interesting that it’s sometimes categorised as soft porn, but I personally think it’s a very romantic film. She’s strong, empowered, and inspiring. The song “Motorbike,” which I’d describe as the most vibrant song