Isaac Dunbar Takes Our Pop Quiz
office gave Isaac an impromptu pop quiz where there are no wrong answers... except, of course, the wrong ones.
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office gave Isaac an impromptu pop quiz where there are no wrong answers... except, of course, the wrong ones.
The Grammy-nominated artist has displayed her heart on this new album Flux. As many want to box her sound in as one thing or another, this album touches different genres in the most satisfying way. While everything we may ever do is “in flux,” it’s beautiful to have a piece of work that is intentional and now immortalized as connected, raw, and even catchy as Flux.
Check out our exclusive interview with Poppy below.
How are you doing today?
I'm good. How are you?
I'm good. I got a chance to listen to the new album and it's amazing. I'm so excited. So, I just wanted to see if you wanted to tell me a bit about the background and your thought process going into this one. How do you feel like you changed your sound from past songs?
So, the album was recorded with Justin Meldal-Johnsen. And we recorded it starting in November of last year. So almost a one year. A little bit more about it, it was recorded, live in-studio with my band. And I recorded my vocals after that. And the experience was very warm, it was very fun. And everything, everybody in a room together, especially in the middle of the pandemic, this nice. We were, of course, in the clear, I have to say that because some people would be upset. Everybody was negative, I can report that to you. And I've never had an experience like that recording in the studio. And it was Justin's idea to get the band's all together. And it was one of my favorite things that I've ever done in the process of recording music. It feels more alive because there are real people manning the instruments and there's a feeling of togetherness and unity. It was also even more wonderful because we couldn't play actual shows. So, we were getting that energy out in the studio together. And my cat came by for a couple of days.
What’s the name of your cat?
Pi, like the value.
That’s a great name. I did want to talk a bit about the single “So Mean”, which has already been released and gotten good buzz. I wanted to talk a bit about the background behind it and what being so mean means to you. Do you feel like you have to perform niceness in any type of way?
Yeah, I feel like that's valid. I feel that sometimes when females put their foot down, they're labeled. One might say bitchy, but you're just being stern and standing your ground. And I feel that when I took the stance for myself, invest the trust of myself, which is what you should always do. I might’ve been looked at as being mean by some people that I was unraveling from but truthfully, I was learning self-respect.
What are some of those stances that you've had to make for yourself?
Just drawing those lines, like I cannot be treated this way or spoken to this way and this is not happening. And a lot of that has to do with growing up. And when I first started making music, I was about 14 years old when I got signed, I was 17. And you learn a lot of things during those developmental years, about yourself and about how you operate in the world, and a lot of the lessons learned or lessons that you have to learn for yourself. Somebody verbally telling you, hey, you might experience these kinds of trials and tribulations don't hold as much weight as you experiencing it, learning from it yourself, even if they’re hard lessons.
Having been in the music industry so long, how do you feel that that's shaped who you are now and what role you play in the industry now?
I think now I fall more in love with things that I've always loved. And if I ever feel like I don't want to do this, I will stop. And life is too short to be angry, and I feel very fortunate to be able to make art every day and I’m grateful.
I did want to talk a bit about anger and emotions as well, because I feel like the new album does experiment a lot with expressing different emotions, and has those juxtapositions. One of my favorite songs was “On the Level”, which I feel like has really cutesy pop vocals, and then those harsh musical interludes. How do the different sounds express emotion for you?
Well, "On the Level" in particularis the first love song I've ever written. And I feel that sonically when were recording a song, I have to feel comfortable with the music. I have to feel some kind of personal intensity otherwise, I feel that connection to the recording itself, which I guess to answer your question from earlier, what has changed from them when I first started making music to now is that I have to feel a certain way about it the song or about the works in the moment for it to, in my mind, be a contender for any sort of release or reveal. I feel with all the songs on Flux, they gave me that feeling.
Could you give us a bit of backstory about “On the Level” inspiration?
Yes, I got engaged and inspired by that. And also about the impermanence of living and thinking about who you want to spend time with and finding somebody that you feel is on your level.
You talked a bit about being more particular with the songs that you had on this album. I know it was pretty intentional with just having the nine songs and having a very distinct sound. So could you speak a bit about what you wanted the output to be?
I wanted to have songs that were exciting for us, the band and me, to perform live. And I feel like we've touched upon the emotional pull of all of us in the moment. There's happiness, of course, you know, general go-through all your emotions as a human being. But I feel each song winks an eye and every single one of those emotions. My favorite song on the album, to record, was “Never Find My Place.” I like how I got to have the shade of every part of my voice in the song. It's just very tied close to me and I got goosebumps when we're recording that song in the studio and I cannot wait to perform it live.
So what's that looking like? Do you have plans for a tour or anything like that?
My tour just got postponed, of course, because you know, this thing. So I am going to be doing an album release show in Los Angeles and a few other digital performances. But I hope that things can resume when it's a bit more safe. Because I don't think all of the facts are being communicated to the followers or the fans of the artists but, it is actually very complex. And it's very at your own risk right now and I just don't want it to be a risk. I want everybody to be able to enjoy music again. It's pretty tiring because not only for them but for me, I get my hopes up and then, you know, you’re disappointed. And then you think, wow is disappointment the new way of life? But I think ultimately, things will mellow out but we still are a little ways off from being there. I just can't wait until I get to be in a room with people screaming lyrics and dancing and celebrating again together. The idea of that makes me very happy but for now, we have Flux.
What are your intentions for the album, especially knowing that it's somewhat in place of other experiences you maybe would have had with fans over the past year?
Well, while I'm excited to release the album, of course, I wish that I was kicking off the tour immediately after. But did I mention my game that I've been developing?
No.
Okay, so for the last year and a half, we've been developing a game called PoppySphere, which is like an RPG game, it’s world-building, and you can customize your avatar. And the first version of the game is more of a chat room with your avatar and the world to explore that from there. In the next version, there will be in-app purchases and even more opportunities to customize your room and your space. But my idea with it was I'm repulsed by social media so much right now that I wanted to create a safe space that was custom designed by me for my fans. So, I can speak to them directly because that's what I want to do when I go on Instagram or Twitter anyways, but I feel that I don't want to see all the other everything else in the world that's going on. I just want to talk to them.
What's been difficult about social media for you lately? Is it the oversaturation?
The oversaturation is pretty tiring and it’s too busy. It's too much stuff, it makes me nauseous. And then you could say that I said it makes me nauseous and then I smiled at the end when you transcribe this. Appreciate it. Yeah, I'll need those visual cues that I don't get to have. I definitely missed the in-person on the interviewing end as well.
So, could you tell me a bit more about the game, like the timeline of when you've started working on this, and when you're expecting to release it?
Yeah, within the next couple of weeks, we're in the final testing stages of this version one. So we began working on it about a year and a half ago. And the team behind it is very talented, and I have a lot of goals for them with the build of the app in store. It's something I've always wanted to do and the possibilities are endless to infinity and beyond. I was a really big fan of computer games when I was little, I also really love Animal Crossing and Roblox as well. And I wanted to make copies here because that seemed like the right thing to do. I felt like I was receiving a call in that direction.
So, I wanted to ask if you had any style icons or inspirations?
I always loved Vivian Westwood, I like Miu Miu and Comme de Garcon. I really love Japan and always have. I've been there so many times more times than I can count at this point and haven't been able to go back, of course, because of the world situation currently. Recently, I did a collaboration with a brand based in Harajuku called Q-Pot and we're working on a bunch of other things with them. That's very exciting. And to mention with my cat earlier, one of the designs that we worked on, I think it might have been sold out by now. But this cat, where you lift its ears, and you can see its brain, that was inspired by my cat.
How did you get into music and what’s the evolution as an artist been like for you?
Well, I was a dancer for a couple of years then, I started singing, and I was afraid of my own voice at first but, I kept singing anyways and started writing my own songs. I recorded my own songs in the studio and when they came out, I started to write and record more. And I was living in Tennessee at the time. I posted videos online, barely anybody saw and there was a person that saw the videos, that was nothing happened for a while. Another person flew me back to Los Angeles, as assigned to the first label. And I had no idea what would happen after that.
Do you have any of those songs that you posted online still? Do you revisit them?
The old songs, there are some that have not made their way online. There was somebody that was posing as me online and was able to schmooze with people from years back to get demos of songs. There are demos of songs because I was a songwriter first. So that, but the very first beginning songs that I ever recorded, do not exist. They're just silly, I think. But there was somebody that heard them and thought that there was something there to it.
You've talked a little bit about how the online persona is very difficult to navigate and how much you can share with the world.How have you worked to get to a place where you are now which is a little more open and like creating these safe spaces for yourself?
I would just say, I was honest with myself and let the art speak for itself and I recognize that fans wanted to know more and also because I have been doing the project for a while. A lot of them have been following from the beginning so they do actually know what I've experienced and gone through because they've seen it which is really special. But as far as up until now, I would say just supplying honesty, and letting the art speak for you, and not filling my world with the clutter.
What has the energy of this album felt like to you in comparison to past ones?
It's different because of the world times right now but exciting nonetheless. I feel like I have more choices. And I don't take that lightly because, you always want to be able to make choices, the right one. Things you want to do, things you will want to put out, and things you're passionate about. So I feel that that's really positive. But as far as the difference, maybe more people are just intrigued.
She’s designed a space of her own, forging together a world through her lens, bolstered by songs that are reflective of her multicultural upbringing. Her burning desire for emancipation after being a canvas for so long fueled her current aspirations to become the painter of the canvas. With multiple singles under her belt in just one year, she’s steadily finding her voice again and reclaiming her rightful throne.
office throned Tsunaina our digital cover star to discuss her upbringing, experience as a POC creator, music, and more.
Check out our exclusive interview with her below.
Well, first off, how are you?
I spent all of today with no connection, out on the beach getting sunburnt so, I’m feeling great. I feel in these bigger cities, sometimes you work so hard, for so long that when you step back and think to yourself 'when was the last time I had off?' It's disgusting. So yeah, I’ve run away for a little while and I’m having a good time.
You were born in Kowloon but grew up in South Asia before you made your way around the UK and London. How did your upbringing in these places inspire your current values?
I think a lot of immigrant kids can relate to growing up in the in-betweens of cultures and countries. I think a lot of the time it forces you to create a space of your own, your own little world. That’s the ethos behind what I do because I know it’s not the most conventional music, it’s not the most comfortable music, but it’s very reflective of my upbringing and who I’ve become as a person.
The way that you erupted in the creative industry is amazing. I mean, you caused ripples in space and opened so many doors. What has your experience as a POC creator been like?
To exist in these super heteronormative white spaces as a queer person of color, is never easy. Then, additionally, for me to come from a world where I was essentially a canvas — and to tell people that there’s a voice behind that, I find it’s something people have trouble accepting. It’s something that I’m still grappling with but it’s something that I take seriously because I didn’t grow up with anyone in my community who I could look up to in the arts. I think it’s always difficult for the first few people to carve their own way.
Yeah, it’s almost like you’re unlocking all these extra layers and letting a lot more people in.
Yes, exactly, there is no template. It’s easier If a thousand people did it before you but, if you have no blueprint to go off, it’s going to be tough as fuck.
You’ve been putting out a lot of music and opening yourself and creating a more intimate atmosphere. What ignited this passion for your musical journey and where did it all begin?
I think a lot of it stems from this burning need for emancipation - to get my voice back. Another thing is catharsis. I think a lot of us aren’t completely tuned in to our psyches all the time. For me, music turned out to be super therapeutic - sometimes I’d write a song, and only then realize what I was feeling. I’d read back on the things I wrote like I was relearning myself.’
Going off that, how is your writing process? Do you go to the studio and sit and write, or is it kind of happening as part of your day? Is there a border or not really?
I used to put a lot of pressure on myself with music and writing - I was super militant about time, themes - until I realized it stifles my creativity. Nowadays, I just find myself going about life, then sometimes a beautiful idea comes and I’ll just be stuck on it. It’s become an organic thing - I’ll have an image in my head and I’ll just imagine the sounds of that universe and how I want the person that I’m telling the story to feel.
So, I remember for ‘Fanned out Fingers', which was the last track that I put out, I was in the middle of falling in love and trying my hardest to stop - I pictured this song like being in the eye of the hurricane. I’m sure no one else notices but I was like, it needs to sound like the winds are whipping around you. It starts super intimate, and then by the end of it, it sounds kind of warped because there comes the denial, it’s you denying yourself. So yeah, there’s no one way I write, I’m just trying to paint the whole picture.
Yeah, and just letting things come to you so that they happen organically.
Yeah, sensory overload! Whichever way I can ambush your senses, I’ll do it!
What kind of feeling dominates when you listen to your music or what do you want your listeners to feel when they listen to your music?
A lot of the time, I make something, and I don’t listen to it. A lot of it is emotional catharsis so, when I do listen back to my music, it’s not always the prettiest feeling. But I want my listeners to have that sense of emancipation, I want them to listen to it and feel like there’s power in emotion, vulnerability, and being uncompromisingly wild in your emotions sometimes. I’m not so concerned about song structure or convention but much more ‘this is what I’m feeling at the time and you’re going to listen to it.’ I hope that empowers whoever is listening as well.
How do you conceptualize your vision? How do you get into the mood to create the vibe that you want to convey to your listeners?
It’s such an irrational and wild world, it’s a rational response to be emotional, honestly. How can you stay sane when the whole world is what it is? I’m a very emotional person, very much a heart on my sleeve person, so I don’t really need to get in a mood - when something big and heavy happens in my life my immediate go-to is ‘oh my god I’m getting these images and I need to flesh it out!
The visuals in your videos are stunning and they catapult you to another dimension. Even your way with storytelling captures the aura of your being. What does the creative process behind your videos look like?
I kind of have a skeleton of what I imagine for the visuals. Yeah. There's something really powerful about having limits because I'm an independent artist and I'm just starting out. So there's a lot of limitations and they helped to kind of streamline the process because I think if I was left to my own devices, I would be out there shooting in the Namibian desert with like 60 drones, upside down.
With the visuals, I always aim to create something intimate and sincere. It doesn't need to be the most expensive image, but I want the image to have intention. So in the images that I did for UnEarth - which was this song that I wrote when I was at my lowest - I felt like I was hanging off the edge of the world. So it was natural to then go into a cave that kind of looked like the inner sanctum of the heart. Then, I’m obsessed with Google Earth and satellite imagery, so I found that cave in the middle of nowhere and we just went there. I'm obsessed with stories, so if I wrote a song that feels like I'm at the edge of the earth, I'm going to go into the earth and capture that.
We're slowly getting introduced to your universe. How would you detail your universe?
It's a kind of a drowning your senses type of a little bubble. I think everyone inside them has this boundless world. I mean, I'm exploring as I go anyway. I grew up super, super sheltered and it's interesting because, with a lot of these songs, I’m realizing that as people get to know me, I'm getting to know myself as well. So far, my universe has looked very intense and saturated and stormy, but I think I'm moving into parts of that universe that are a little bit calmer, sometimes joyous.
Oh, amazing. I'm moving to that universe ASAP!
Honestly, get your tickets. It's warm and loving and everyone's invited!
I guess my last question to you would be, what do you have planned for the rest of 2021? What can you tell us about your future projects?
Well, I’m in the middle of prepping for my first EP release. Because I'm so involved in everything, it's taken a little while but, as always with these things, it’s worth it to know that things are gonna come out exactly how you want them. Whether it’s this EP, other musical collaborations, digital art, I’m really excited to evolve and show new facets of myself this year. The whole EP is this journey of me getting to know myself as you get to know me. So look forward to vulnerability, strength, anger, all the emotions and growing pains.
On AC’s debut album, SCREENSAVERS VOL. 1, they created songs like “Ketamean” and “Pavement,” propelling the listener into “Leave Out,” the ultimate song of the summer. The project blares hellish horns in the intro of “Bitch U Basic,” a track that features the likes of Hook and Chicken. Over the past month, AC has released visuals for “Bleedinout” and “Permission,” the project’s standout songs. Each melody embodies a sound that inspires us to dig deep and bring fun and fabness into every environment we enter.
Throughout this whole process, they ki’d and communed, facilitating a familial spirit at all times. Each member maintains a power that gives them the ability to illuminate the room and elevate the spaces they comprise. Together, they sustain their energy and hone in on the community they’ve built.
Check out the full interview below.
I’m obsessed with “Leave Out.” It’s giving song of the summer.
IZZY: I remember when I was just banging the demo. It sounded like one of those car accident commercials on the radio.
Tell me about the song, “Loosen Up.”
Tama: It is kinda about sex, but it's also just saying, like, ‘Have fun. Don't be so stuck up.’ We was channeling Ri so we was like, ‘We need some type of Island track,’ especially since I'm Jamaican. That's how it kind of came to be. It started off very, very bare. I always asked, ‘What does this make you feel like? What is it giving to you?’ Shayne was like, ‘Loosen up.’ He said those reference words so I kind of wrote around it. In maybe five minutes, the song was already made. I came back again, maybe two weeks later. He and Isaiah was there and we went through some harmony options for the track.
What intention did you carry into the studio while creating, “Pavement?”
Santiago: The lyrics pertain to my childhood and how violent it was. I care about my craft so I try to incorporate the way I grew up in any way I can.
Tell me about y’all’s studio sessions.
Santiago: We were bouncing ideas off of each other. Shayne had pulled up with this blonde wig and we were all laughing about it. It was definitely giving Hannah Montana.
What was the first day in the studio like?
Tama: The first day in the studio, I wouldn't necessarily say that I was nervous. I just didn't know exactly what to expect. You can go to a studio at some point, and there'll be 50 people in the room or there'll be one person in there. So the first time in the studio was great. It was just me, Shayne, and Nick. So many ideas were flowing right off the bat. It was such a good atmosphere. There were so many instruments in that room and I was kind of mesmerized. It was a bunch of synths, a piano, [and] things covering the entire wall. Very intimate, but cute.
When did you first feel accepted by your family?
IZZY: When [I] turned 17, I came out of the closet. I wasn't kicked out of my house, [but] it was just so much pressure so I dipped. I met one of my best friends and we kind of became like family. A couple of weeks later, we're in this house where everyone is practicing for Ballroom. I'm looking around like, ‘What the fuck is going on?’ Everyone's living together in this one-bedroom apartment. There are six people sleeping in the bed [and] on the floor. Then I met my gay dad who wasn't in the Ballroom scene. He took me in and changed my life. That’s when I felt accepted.
Tell me about the sense of family that has branched from the collective, Anonymous Club.
IZZY: Shayne has this way about him that is very motherly. When I was 21, I kind of got put off of making music because of one bad show. It wasn't even that bad, but I put music on the back burner for a long time. It wasn't ‘till I got to the studio with Shayne that kind of pulled it out and made me feel so comfortable. He just has this genuine vibe and is like this glue that sticks people together. Before meeting him, I didn't know any of the other residents. Since then, you know, we're all pretty close. I just feel like Shayne brings creative minds together. I think that's the reason everybody's having a good time. Everybody's just open.
It feels like you got all the girls in the industry and just decided to carry. What was the inspo behind this project?
LEECH: SCREENSAVERS VOL. 1 came out of trying to figure out a way to be less about fashion. I've been having plans of relaunching HBA which is obviously still happening. But with new partners and a new sort of trajectory, I wanted to leave that in its own space, so that it could grow on its own. I started to create demos and work with people that I felt comfortable with and held secrets with. Then I began to reach out to people through doing parties within the city. While I was doing that, I was working on demos with Nick and sending out stuff to kids. Then COVID began to happen. I was like, ‘Okay, I'm gonna keep it even more local.’ This is also around the same time Thugpop was beginning to hang out with Izzy and we were all clicking together. Then it became even more family-oriented. We were kind of quarantining together. Then the writing sessions began, and it was a way for us to build a world that now is blossoming outside of COVID while things are coming back to life. Within that moment, I met the boys who worked on the sound. I started working with Nick and then met with Gabe and Pablo. Sabrina was living in Europe and was only here in spurts. Tama has so many songs because they were just so around. The process was based on trying to organically get back to that place that I felt connected to within New York, and then it grew into a new family.
I loved the song “Ketamean.” What’s been your experience with ketamine?
LEECH: In New York, drugs and that subculture come in so many different waves. I had been out of the loop on that for a long time because I've been in London. I came back to New York and I didn't really feel the vibe of the going out thing. Like, ‘How do I do this?’ Then I discovered the idea of ketamine in London. That got me back into the idea of being comfortable again. It was like a social anxiety relief system. Mistervacation would come over and I began having more insular events. Ketamine can make the smallest room the largest club. You can edit the extreme personalities in and out of situations when you're experiencing that drug. I didn't even do much, but I love how it was easy to make decisions. It was like, ‘Oh, this personality when I'm on this is a very triggering thing. This thing is a very smooth and easy relationship.’ I had a session with Sabrina and she got it immediately. I gave her two different lines because in my version of “Ketamean,” the demo was wavy and all about the mood of creating. She added the structure and stuff like that. I just love that I could relate to the way that a substance makes me feel. The kids just want to connect and that's why they're doing substances in public with each other so that they can become friends easily, you know?
It’s like they’re finding ways to heal. How has this project healed you?
LEECH: When I first started doing music with Arca, it was very healing for me because I had come out of a very tumultuous situation via Ghetto Gothic. With GG, it was the same family situation. It was a rude awakening of like, ‘Okay, at night in this specific situation, we're all really close.’ Then right after that, I started working on music for the HBA projects. You have to create support for yourself, so when I was doing the album, I came off of such a marathon of dealing with fashion as a job, you know. I needed to figure out how to begin to enjoy my creativity again. What I do is pretty emo, at least the beginning of this one was super emo because I was almost needing to be confident. Alejandra, when we first started working on HBA music, was like the healer. Coming from GG to HBA, I was needing healing. This was like a healing situation.
What did this healing process feel like?
LEECH: It felt very, very empty. At the time, I was doing it on my own, by choice. So it was me kind of forcing myself to be even more alone. I leaned way more into the weirdness and it was almost like being in an isolation tank. I could feel the world moving around me, but inside was very cold and I liked that. That part of it was very healing. Then I could add the warmth back. I can add the connections [and] the relationships back. It created a new balance for me. I feel so guru’d not because I'm doing this to be one, but because of the steps that it took to get through it. I feel a new form of Buddhism or something is arising from this sort of process for myself.
Thoughts on fabulosity?
LEECH: It’s about the internal part. Everyone thinks that it’s about you projecting and making everyone feel like you’re the bomb. When you get to that place where you can let it all out, it’s so internal, actually. I’m getting to the place where I’m doing all the artwork for LEECH and I’m just feeling fab in that moment. It’s so amazing to get in your zone and get in your shit. There is no substance or influence that makes you feel fab. It’s definitely a divine connection. You have to get into that headspace and channel what you’re feeling. Christen Mooney is so that. She so has that down. It’s all about the internal sense. You can’t really be fab if the internal zen’s off. Same thing with Alejandra, too. It’s like the internal zen. It is on. That’s what I’m getting back to too.