Pabllo Vittar is Everything

April 23, 2020

Even over the phone, Pabllo Vittar’s charisma hurdles the intermediary sieve of a translator. Whatever language barriers were present didn’t do much to slow her enthusiasm. It’s not hard to see why she’s become the leading LGBTQ voice in Brazil; her pep and passion make her un-unlikable.

Her South American fans clearly agree, but as one of Brazil’s most popular exports, so too does her quickly growing international fanbase. With her new, two-part album, 111—a trilingual dance-pop record suffused with bubbling synths, four-on-the-floor kicks, and meticulously crafted, booty-shaking rhythms that nod to the samba and reggaeton of her home country and the dance and trance music of Europe—Vittar is expanding her reach and spreading her message to new audiences.

Interview by Kedar Berntson
Photos by Ernna Cost

Most of the album is in Vittar’s native tongue, but she’s made a serious effort to include her Latino and English-speaking listeners. Set to perform at the postponed 2020 Coachella Music Festival, she wants nothing more than to sing with her fans in their native tongues. Interviews like this one make for good practice. Her translator, who kindly waits on the line, ready to step in and help whenever the difficult pronunciation of an /ō/ vowel creeps up, is always welcomed by Vittar’s enthusiasm to learn. “English lessons today!” she exclaims.

Following the sudden leak of 111, and in anticipation of her debut Coachella performance, office spoke with Brazil’s most popular drag queen about San Paolo’s drag culture, her breakout performance, and her idol, RuPaul.

What compelled you to start performing?

I always wanted in my heart to sing and perform. My dream has always been to be on stage, like my icon RuPaul, my diva. She's an icon. She's my queen. I do drag today because of her. When I went into the neighborhood to play with my friends, I would always be a singer and performer. I had always wanted to be a star, like Britney Spears, and do my moves and choreography. I have always had these things in my heart. It's my destiny. I believe so much in this because God has a plan, and his plan for me is to sing, share my message, and make other people happy. To do what I do.

When did you begin calling yourself a drag queen? When did you start taking on that persona?

I took for myself the name Pabllo Vittar on my eighteenth birthday at a halloween party. And since that day, I never changed my name. I’m always recording my demos and albums with it. I'm here!

What attracted you to drag in the first place?

RuPaul's Drag Race. I'm obsessed with this show. I love that drag queens can be singers, can be models, can be whatever she wants to be. I always knew that I was gender fluid, and when I watch the show, I see all the other queens signing and modeling and I'm like, "Oh my god, I do this. I can do this." My eyes were opened, and I met another world.

Can you talk more about your fist performance as a drag queen?

I remember my first performance at a club in my hometown [San Paolo]. It was pretty amazing because all my friends sang with me my own song, written by me. The memory never went out of my head because it was like a dream come true.

When you were first starting out, what were the venues like that you performed at?

When I started performing the clubs had amazing energy. All my friends would go out with me in drag to these small clubs that didn’t have many people.

What’s the drag queen culture like in Brazil?

It's amazing. There are so many drag queens, so many people who are fighting for this message. I feel so grateful to be Brazilian and be part of this culture. It's hard to be LGBTQ in Brazil, but at the same time, I'm still happy because I have my sisters and my brothers, and we are family.

Was it always like that?

When I started to do drag in San Paolo, I didn't do myself up in drag, I didn't call myself drag. I was a young, gay boy. An androgonous guy, trying to be someone. Trying. Only trying.

How would you describe "Pabllo Vittar," your drag persona?

My drag persona really, really embraces the queer message. I always be trying to tell my fans my truth. My drag queen is one-hundred percent brazen and sexy and feminine. I love to be a fashion girl, I love to be a queer figure. Not only just a drag queen.

Who would you say has had the biggest influence on your music?

The biggest influences on my music are actually the new producers right now. Music electronica and Brazilian rhythm, especially. I love Baja, I love Samba, I love Bossa Nova. I love everything that sounds Brazil. I'm so proud to be Brazilian and work with this rhythm.

How'd you go about promoting yourself before you achieved commercial success?

I promoted myself, like everybody, through the internet, on my facebook page and social media. I always posted videos. This way I was able to meet other people, other drag queens. Social media has helped me from these days til now.

You broke onto the world stage when you performed the Whitney Houston classic, "I Have Nothing," on a Brazilian TV show. How'd you get that gig?

It was a small TV show that did a game on the streets. They said, "People, if you can sing, come on and sing for us to show your talent." And I said, "Oh my god I can do that and show my voice to the world." From this day, so many people in my city noticed me.

So your mom raised you and your sisters by herself for many years. Are you close with her?

So much. She always supports me and embraces me. She gives me a lot of love and kindness. My mom is my hero. I owe her everything.

Your mom was a nurse right?

She was, but she doesn't work anymore because I have worked a lot and give her everything she needs. She don't need to work anymore. And I feel so grateful for this! She carried me for so long.

What can drag do for the LGBTQ community in Brazil?

I think it can do so much. I'm a drag queen, and I'm one of the voices that's screaming into the world, "We are here. We need our rights." We fight for this. The drag queens in Brazil have an important role, and I feel so blessed to be one of these voices.

Pabllo Vittar - Amor de Que (Official Music Video)

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I would say you're probably the voice. What does drag mean for you?

Drag means everything for me. It's my job, it's what I do, It's my passion. I can't imagine my life without drag. In these days, during quarantine, I feel so sad to not be able to do this. Not to be close to my fans. But I'm still hopeful.

You've cited anime and comics as influential to your aesthetic, what is it about a show like Sailor Moon that you want to emulate?

My style is based in anime, video games, and old fashion magazines. I feel so gamer, and I love to introduce this world into my world—I love sailor moon hair. I love all the cute stuff in her clothing. I love to be sexy, but I love to be cute too. Anime represents 100% of that.

Why did you want to incorporate three different languages in your new album?

I wanted my album to be trilingual because I talk to so many people around the world. I love my North American fans, I love my Latino fans. I'm so happy about my first song in english with Charli XCX, "Flash Pose," because this song represents me and my passion. I wanted to make something for my english speaking fans. Now we have a song to sing together at Coachella. And the same with my Spanish fans. This album represents so much of me. Like my Brazilian culture when I work with rhythms like reggaeton. I always wanted to work with the rhythms of Brazil. At the same time, I'm so connected with other rhythms of the world, like trance and house music. I like to mix it up with the songs. And I think it says a lot about me, about my identity and personality. I think my fans will eat it up.

What do you hope for the future?

I expect these days will be gone and we will be born like a Phoenix. I expect beautiful days, festival days, and to drink so much with my friends and my fans! Thank you so much baby! Sorry for my English. I'm learning and trying!

Music

Jesse Jo Stark Is in a Genre of Her Own

April 19, 2024

In the midst of a total solar eclipse, I got the chance to talk about music and style with Jesse Jo Stark.

As I’m on the phone with her from New York, Stark is on a tour bus with The Veronicas, driving through the Colorado mountains to enjoy some time off in between shows. The Veronicas have just started their Gothic Summer North American Tour, and Stark is opening the show. What’s special about this tour for the lifelong music obsessive is the sense of powerful feminine energy encapsulating the tour. “We just started [tour], but it’s been really lovely. I’m obsessed with the fact that we’re all women — it feels like a very powerful crew. The Veronicas are lovely, the crowds have been so fun, and the venues are beautiful. It’s gonna be a good month.”

Photography Sophia-Liv Maguire
Styling Marc Eram
Interview Angelina Hazzouri
Talent Jesse Jo Stark
Hair Antoine Martinez with PARADIS using Roz Hair
Makeup Sydney Szramowski
Photo Assistants Mia O’Neal, Rashaun Richardson
BTS Ms Josephine
Creative Producer Olivia Roper-Caldbeck

This is Stark’s second time touring since the release of her full-length debut album DOOMED in late 2022, which was very well received and led to Stark’s first sold-out international headlining tour on behalf of the album. Previous to her solo tour, she’s opened for various notable acts, such as Guns N’ Roses and Jane’s Addiction. I asked Stark, who’s been writing and playing music since age 11, what it was like to prepare for her first sold-out headlining tour. Unsurprisingly, before any tour, Stark goes into what she describes as “bootcamp mode” — dancing every day, vocal training, rehearsing with her band, and of course, working on her outfits. “That’s the sort of homework I love,” she says, smiling. (Even though we’re on the phone, I can tell she’s smiling when she talks about the outfit part. I’d smile too if I had her tour closet.)

What’s unique about Stark as a musician is that she has ultimately created her own universe by embracing every aspect of her creative upbringing, her raw talent, her fascinating influences, and her unwavering beliefs in not needing to fit into a certain box when it comes to her art. She creative-directs and styles all her own looks, referencing an ever-evolving list of influences that range from Vegas showgirls to Halloween to old films to her parents in the 90s. “I think when I was younger, I had this rebellion against what I was made from,” she tells me, “but now it’s just my blood. I constantly reflect on my childhood and everything I was taught and everything I saw. My brother and sister and I are constantly pulling influences from our parents from the past. I think, more than ever, I’m heavily influenced by them.”

Stark, the daughter of founders and owners of the self-made American fashion brand Chrome Hearts, and now its creative director and designer, is someone who always knew what she liked, but as she describes it, had to ‘go through the motions’ that come with growing up and knowing one’s identity. Today, her self-efficacy is palpable — and it’s inspiring.

...when I was younger, I had this rebellion against what I was made from, but now it’s just my blood.

When she’s on tour, Stark is growing with herself and with her art — she’s not afraid to take life as it comes and learn through the process. With every show, regardless of whether it was on her DOOMED tour or this tour with The Veronicas, Stark understands the importance of human connection through music. Seeing faces of music lovers like herself, meeting those who have traveled to see her, and visiting familiar and unfamiliar cities has reminded her that she loves being on the road. “The growth that happens on tour is so important to me as an artist.” Sometimes we have to leave behind what’s familiar in order to rediscover what’s important, and Stark is a proponent of this growth mindset.

Growth doesn’t just happen on tour with Stark — this evolution of herself happens within genre as well, and for Stark there’s no such thing. Since her first release Driftwood in 2017, the artist’s sound has shifted year after year, but in a harmonious way that still feels central to her gothic Americana roots. When asked if she’ll experiment with genre in the future, Stark confidently answers, “I think I’ve only experimented with genre. I don’t think anyone knows what genre I am.” (She calls herself a “horrific hillbilly” — a perfect descriptor.) Steadfast in her belief that we as humans can constantly evolve in our work, Stark thinks it’s antiquated to fit yourself into a certain box and focus on one specific trade in order to succeed. “If you look at us as people, we’re seasoned. We change all the time. I want to experience different things.”

Since Driftwood, a two-song EP rooted in rock and country, Stark has experimented with more robust beats and 808s on DOOMED, and her most recent single “skeleton” features a softer, grungier punk sound. Without fitting into a specific genre, Stark’s music is undoubtedly and wholeheartedly her own, transcending the boundaries of what many artists struggle with when finding their sound. “I don’t think we should have to label ourselves in any way, shape, or form; so I’m not going to. I will continue to make all types of different music.” Fuck yeah.

If you look at us as people, we’re seasoned. We change all the time.

This goes beyond just music — in terms of her personal style, the same mentality applies. We discuss the idea that clothing and dressing is a sort of playground, and personal style comes from within. Stark isn’t about following trends, but rather, she thinks it’s important to tap into different stylistic elements that amplify who we are at our cores. On her DOOMED tour, Stark wore a lot of leather and stuck to a fairly dark color palette. Right now, she’s into more bourgeois satin and lace, experimenting with different textures and wearing things that feel slightly daintier and more delicate. On this current tour with the Veronicas, Stark is making it more of a point to take everything in — absorbing inspiration from every city, writing songs on the road, recording video on a friend’s super 8 camera, styling and wearing new outfits, learning and performing new covers — ultimately growing through the whole experience.

It’s endearing and inspiring how well Stark knows herself. A Los Angeles native, she proudly tells me that the tour finishes on May 5 in her hometown, a show that she’s especially excited for. While we can’t predict what thoughtfully-curated outfit she’ll wear or what songs will be performed, with new music already underway, one thing is clear: Jesse Jo Stark is just getting started.

Music

9lives' Latest Single Continues to Push Sigilkore

April 19, 2024

The versatile artist, producer, and pioneer of the sigilkore genre, 9lives, has recently unveiled his latest single "CANADA" featuring jnhygs. In less than two years since his emergence onto the music scene, 9lives has carved out an impressive niche for himself as a prominent figure within the digitally-driven sigilkore movement. "CANADA" sees him teaming up once again with experimental dance artist jnhygs, following their successful collaboration on "XTAYALIVE".

With aspirations to establish himself within the mainstream arena of experimental music production and artistry, 9lives is blending his distinct dark production style with collaborations with a diverse array of influential artists who trust him to create innovative sonic landscapes. "CANADA" marks his second release of 2024, as 9lives continues to champion the burgeoning sigilkore movement, pushing the boundaries of genre, evolving into a multifaceted artist, and solidifying his status as a rising star with an expanding audience.

Image by Connor Pritchard

Reflecting on their latest project, 9lives shares, “In early 2023 jnhygs found my music and we started chatting through TikTok, releasing our first song together called "XTAYALIVE"." He adds, We’ve been friends since this song had a viral moment, and fans have been heavily requesting for us to work together again all over our videos.” Describing their creative process, he explains, “I sent a bunch of new ideas to jnhygs via Discord and she sent back vocals to “CANADA”, which I then used to create melodic layers and extra percussion to complete the song.

Music

Eclipsed at Vampire Weekend

April 16, 2024

It had been about a week since the goosebump-inducing communal howls at the moon, as it covered the sun through a cloudy Austin, Texas sky, left me needing to take a seat—suspended in awe of the totality of the event and the synergistic break from routine. I overheard someone say, “I mean, it feels like we’re all going to die, but in a way that’s okay, you know?" under the shadow of the eclipse's peak, ceremoniously brought in as the band performed “Jonathan Low,” (in Vampire Weekend's familiar ironic hue) a track they wrote for the third movie in the Twilight series, Eclipse.

It had been five years since the band had released an album. In celebration of their latest album, "Only God Was Above Us," ticket holders wrapped the streets in blocks outside the venue for the band’s first Stateside show in about two years. Event managers searched to replenish the venue’s stock of eclipse glasses, while the band prepped a show reminiscent of 'getting the boys back together again'.

Words and photography by Rianne Akindele

In between newly released songs like “Classical” and “Capricorn”, the boys filled the almost two-hour-long show with old favorites like “Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa”, “Diane Young” and a genre evolved rendition of “Sunflower” as the crowd danced barefoot feeling the Earth’s energy intertwined with their own and the vibrations from the amps on stage. People stole glances at the imminently darkening sky, artists doodled, friends grabbed onto each other to scream the lyrics in each other’s faces, and onlookers from the highest level of the parking garage across the street cheered on in a symphony of nostalgia and anticipation.

Adding to the layers of the celestial afternoon, the band invited to the stage the likes of Thomas Mars from Phoenix, Dave 1 from Chromeo, and guitarist Brian Robert Jones, inducing further levels of indie revival euphoria.

As the show drew to its close, and the zydeco/country-rock “Cocaine Cowboys” medley fiddled through the air, a conversation could be picked up between two sisters in search of their Lyft driver through closed-off streets,

“I wish this happened more often.”
“Eclipses or shows like this?”
“Both.”

It’s moments like these that remind us of our shared humanity and the power of collective experiences; a gathering of souls under the same sky, sharing the joy of music and a wonder of the stars above. Perhaps it’s the rarity that allowed such transcendence, reverence, and gratitude to be felt. Either way, what a beautiful moment in time it was.

Here are a few shots from the Monday afternoon: