Dumb Blonde - Skylar Grey: Eminem & Being Hit on by a Coroner??

Episode Date: May 4, 2026

Bunnie Xo sits down with Skylar Grey… and this one goes deeper than expected, From almost walking away from music to working with Eminem and Dr. Dre, Skylar opens up about the pressure, the hate, and the reality behind success.Her new album Wasted Potential (May 22) is her most personal yet touching on childhood, growth, and the parts of her story she’s never fully shared. But then the convo shifts. She reveals her newest project “Fawn” an AI designed to help people process emotions. Bunnie is shook, and things get real about AI, creativity, and where all of this is headed.Music, healing, technology… and a lot of truth.Skylar Grey: Website, IG, YouTubeWatch Full Episodes & More: YouTubeSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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Investment results will vary. Investing involves risks. Acorns Advisors, LLC, a SEC registered investment advisor. View important disclosures at Acorns.com slash bunny. Is this thing on? What's up, you sexy motherfuckers? Today, we have the voice behind the feelings you couldn't put into words and the pin behind some of the biggest songs ever written. Skylar Gray is in the house. What's up? How are you, baby?

I'm doing great. I'm so happy to have you here. So like I was telling you before, we were rolling, I learned so much about you yesterday that I did not know. Like, I knew that you had saying, like, I need a doctor with Dr. Drake because I grew up in that era. But I had no idea the depths of the songs that you had written. And I wanted to tell you a funny story is that I heard you talk about the song Gangster

that Kalani originally, or that you originally sang, but then Kalani replaced. And we'll talk about that later. But that was Jay and I's wedding song. No way. Is that not crazy? That's amazing. I had no idea. Dude. And when I found out that you had wrote that song, I was just like, this is insane. Like it's just everything always comes like full circle. It really does. Yeah. How are you? That's awesome. Thank you. Yeah, everything's great. So you're in Nashville. I'm in Nashville for a couple days, doing some podcasts. you know, I have an album coming out soon, so, you know, starting the whole promo. Yeah, I've been, I've been watching you on Instagram and you have been having some of the,

the, like, most artistic reels, but they're actually, like, going viral and stuff. Where did you get the idea to start doing all of that? I mean, it's just the landscape of the music industry has changed so much over the years. I've seen it in so many different forms. You know, music videos are pretty much dead now. I swear, and they just, like, turned off freaking MTV. Yeah. Like, what the hell?

I know. It's crazy. It's sad. I love them. And I loved music videos, but you know, you have to adapt to the world we're in. And so it just didn't make sense to spend a bunch of money doing music videos. It made more sense to do small short clips. But, you know, I still try to make them look music video-esque.

No, they're great. I love them. Yeah. And the ones that have gone viral, it's funny. They're getting a lot of hate for some of them. But I love it. I actually, I, like, think it's hilarious. I used to get so affected by it, but now I'm like, this is awesome.

That's the climate of our world right now, though. Like, Chris Olson, I don't know if you follow him, but he's a creator, LGBTQ. Did I say that right? I always say that wrong. They're always adding another letter, so I never know. So I never know. So please don't come from me if I say it the wrong way. But he's a creator, and he made a video the other day about how mean the world is and how mean

comments are under post because Megan Traynor had just canceled her tour. He had to turn off the comments on that post because they were so mean and so hateful. And it like proved his point. So it doesn't matter if you do something amazing online or if you do something that's really fucking cool. People are just like an echo chamber of negativity. And that's exactly what it is. Yeah, but I see this. I see the negative comments. If you're causing that much of a reaction negatively, you're also causing that much of reaction positively for the people who connect with it. So I actually see it as a sign that like it's doing well. Obviously to a point, you know, there's some things that you don't want to do.

But I love that you're able to look at it that way because some people can't. Some people would internalize that hatred and be like, damn, you know. Yeah, but the polarizing stuff is like what makes people passionate about it, either passionately hateful or passionately obsessed with it. So yeah, to me, it's a good sign. I love that. So let's talk about some of these songs that you've written because I know that people who know who you are probably know the songs that I said. But there was another song that I found out that you sang that I absolutely, that you had written. I'm sorry, but Christina Aguilera

actually sang the hook was Castle Walls. Not many people know that song, but that was like one of my favorite songs back in the day. And then when I started putting it together, like you have such haunting lyrics even when you're not singing them. it's it's it's crazy haunting in a good way you know it's like those those words it's um it's like those lyrics that kind of like just resonate and linger in your soul and that you just they just hit something in your soul thank you each time you hear them thank you i mean i never set out to write songs for other artists so i always have written from a you know very honest place um so even those hooks that i ended up giving to other people um you know i was just writing for myself yeah

And then it got handed off. It wasn't like, I'm going to sit down and write a song for Christina Aguilera. You know what I mean? I've heard you say numerous times also on podcasts that you never set out to write for other people. And I found that really interesting because that's essentially kind of what your career has turned into because you are such an amazing songwriter. My husband thinks you're one of the best of our generation right now. He wanted me to tell you that when he found out that you're coming on today. how does somebody who did not set out to do that become that?

I mean, it kind of happened by accident. So I, you know, just long story short, dropped out of high school and I was 17, moved to LA. Oh, we're not going to do a long story short, man. We're going to get into it. Just for this answer quickly. You know, I had a record deal. It all fell apart.

And I moved to a cabin in the woods, disappeared from the industry for a while because it had like broken me. And then while I was in the woods in Oregon by myself, got connected with this producer over email named Alex the Kid. And I just, you know, I got internet in the local cafe because I didn't have it at my place. And so I was like sitting in the cafe with my headphones on, listening to the beat and like humming quietly into the computer. And then I just like wrote the hook for Love the Way You Lie and sent it back, super rough. stuff. And yeah, I just wrote what I felt. I didn't really think hard about it. It was like 15 minutes of work. And then it was a number one song a month later. And so, but what happened was like,

I never wrote that thinking like this is going to go to Rihanna. Like Rihanna's going to sing this hook. Yeah. It's just Eminem took the song and he wanted to put Rihanna on it. And I wasn't going to say no. Right. You know what I mean? But that's kind of what started the whole. writing songs for other people thing. So let's circle back because we're going to come, we're going to revisit that story that you just told me to because love the way you lie. I was going through a domestic violence relationship whenever that song hit. And oh my God, it was my anthem that one and the freaking part two. Just amazing, amazing, amazing lyrics. But let's circle back to your childhood and growing up. I heard you say that you had a duo

with your mom at six years old. So did you grow up in a musical, family, obviously. Very, yeah. Tell me about it. My dad was in a barbershop quartet. My mom was a folk musician and Celtic harpist. She actually still is. She, like, busks and plays in restaurants and stuff.

That's so beautiful. Yeah. To play the freaking harp, dude. I would cry, probably, if I heard somebody just strumming the harp, you know? It's so beautiful. She plays, like, every instrument, though. Oh. And so just growing up in that environment, I was really,

sucked into it. Obviously, it was in my blood. When I was three, they noticed, like, I was singing, we were all singing happy birthday to my aunt, and I was like, can I sing a harmony? And they were like, at three. And then I did, and I fully sang the harmony. And they were like, this is crazy at three to sing a harmony.

And so it was very obvious early on that, like, music was going to be my thing. So my parents were, like, like let's just see what happens if we put her on stage and, um, did my first gig when I was six with my mom in a library. Oh my goodness. That is a mother's day show. What was the duo's name? Generations. Generations. I love that. Yeah. Um, we made three albums together, I think. Oh, at starting at the age of six. Uh, yeah, I think the first album came out when I was eight. Wow. And then. So did you grow up with like a studio in your house? No, no, no. Because back

then we didn't have computers running it. So it was on tape. Okay. So you had to go to a studio and there was no auto tune. There was no like. You had to actually be a real musician. Yeah. Unlike now. Um, so it was cool. Like I've experienced all that and then, you know, the computers coming into the into the equation and all the other tools that have come along with it. Now there's AI. So take me back to writing your first album. Obviously you had to been like what, seven before it to come out at eight. What was that process like as a seven-year-old? Did you grasp what was happening? Did you like understand it fully? Or were you just like, hey, I'm singing with mom? I grasped it. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I fully understood. And I mean, I learned a lot of hard

lessons back then, too, mostly about performing because I was always really hard on myself. I still am. You are. I've noticed not about you. And so, you know, the first few shows we did. If I sang one wrong note, I would have a tantrum after the show and be like, I suck, you know, and nobody cared, obviously. Nobody probably even heard the bad note that I sang, but I, like, would beat myself up about it. And so my mom, like, came up with this thing to tell me, and I still use it to this day. She said, you know, when you're on stage or when you're in, like, even after the show when people are trying to come talk to you and stuff, you have to, like, you know, anytime you're away from those environments, you can have your tantrums and whatever. But like,

as soon as you're, you know, in the public eye, you turn on the Christmas lights. Like, you're a Christmas tree. And it's, it can be dark when any other time. But like, when you're performing and when you're in front of people, turn on those Christmas lights and just put it on. Just turn on the lights. And so I still sometimes use that because like, you know, even doing a podcast, like you have to turn it on. And you have to be on, right? What a great analogy, though. Yeah. And so I still use that.

I'm like, okay, if I'm like feeling really bummed out and I don't want to go on stage, I just remember, okay, just turn on the Christmas lights, put on the show, and then I can be dark later. Y'all know I shop online way too much. And every website wants a login, a password, a code sent to your email by checkout. I'm already irritated, but then I see that little purple button from Shopify shoppay and suddenly life gets easier. No digging from my wallet, no trying to remember passwords, no extra drama, just tap once and done. Honestly, in the chaos of online shopping, that purple button is one of the best things ever. I used it recently ordering from my phone late at night and baby one tap and checked out.

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required, equivalent to $15 month. New customer offer for first three months only. Then full-price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. See MintMobile for details. Where do you think that perfectionism comes from with you? Because normally it comes from like a place. I know my perfectionism comes from my father of daddy issues that I had because my he was a Virgo so everything had to be perfect, you know? Where do you think yours came from? It's a really good question. I don't actually know because it's just been the way I've been my whole life. Yeah. You know? I'd have to like really do some deep thinking about that. I always wonder like what makes people like, you know, the way that they are like because I know I'm always trying to figure myself out too.

So at seven, when you're writing this album, what kind of songs are you writing with your mom at seven? So most of the songs we were singing were covers or like friends of ours wrote them. But I was always trying to compose like when I started taking piano lessons when I was six. And instead of I didn't ever want to play other people's music. I just wanted to create. So my first piano recital I played an original piece. I was always just like creating.

And so then when I was eight, I wrote my first song with lyrics. It was called The Same Sky. Aw. And like your name is Skyler Gray. Yeah. I was in a swimming pool in Hawaii. My parents were divorced. And so I was in the swimming pool in Hawaii with my mom.

And I was looking up at the moon. And I was wondering if my dad could see the same moon I was looking at back in Wisconsin. And so I wrote a song about that. You can still find that song out there. It's called The Same Sky. Oh, my gosh. goodness, I love that. You've always had such an old soul, even as a child to look up at the sky and be like, I wonder if my dad's looking at the same moon as me. You know, like, that's

really deep for an eight-year-old to even, for that to even cross your mind. So the depth is just amazing. So take me on this journey. You and your mom are making albums. Do you guys, like, go on tour or anything like that? We toured around like the Midwest. We didn't go wide with it. And it was mostly like elementary schools, libraries. Like, we were. women's health conventions. Super random, like, you know, fairs. Yeah. What age were you when your parents divorced?

Three. Three. Okay. So it didn't really affect me emotionally because I was too young to, like, understand what was going on. And also, it was weird in a good way because they were friends. And we had, they had equal custody. So my whole childhood, I spent a week at my mom's, a week at my dad's, like, went back

forth packed a suitcase, walked a mile through the woods to get to the other parents' house. And that's just how my childhood was. Yeah. As dad musical? Yeah, he was in a barbershop quartet and he sings in church. I love that. How does one get in a barbershop quartet? Like, what does that consist of?

That's like four? They were four, sometimes five. And it's just a cappella. They just a lot of crazy harmonies. And I think that definitely influenced me too. My use of harmonies for sure. Yeah. Do you feel like the different versions of yourself live inside your music?

So of course, as you're growing from, you know, seven to the woman that you're in now, do you feel like your writing reflects like each different versions of your life? Yeah. I mean, I think we're always growing and evolving. But at the core, there's, you know, all of that stuff is still there, you know. Yeah. When you were traveling with your mom, when did you set off to start? things on your own. So when I was 12, I bought a baby grand piano. I just bought one last week.

I just bought one last week or three days ago. It's my first one. Congrats. I'm so excited. So I bought this piano with all the money I had made singing with my mom. And that's when I really started like writing a lot of songs. And it was also a time period, you know, being 12, when kids start getting really mean in school and they started making fun in me for singing with my mom and the songs that we were singing. They would like mock me and so it wasn't cool. It's just because they weren't doing it. They didn't have that relationship with their mom, you know, so it's like kids bully things that they don't understand. Totally. But, you know, it hurt. And I also did like want to start singing different styles of music. I was listening to pop, you know, pop radio and grunge and stuff. And I was like,

I don't, I don't want to sing these kid songs anymore. Well, you were growing up too. Yeah. So it was a different. And so I started writing a lot of songs and then I told my mom I wanted to go solo. How did mom take that? I mean, she was always very supportive, but I could tell that it, you know, it bummed her out too.

Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I'm sure it was like, she was living a dream vicariously through you also. Well, that and it became her career. Performing with me was her career. Yeah. At that point. So, yeah.

It was hard for her, I think, but she was also super supportive. And I think she knew that was going to happen at some point, you know. So at 12, you're writing these songs. How do you get out to L.A.? Because where were you growing up at? Wisconsin. Wisconsin. So you go from Wisconsin.

How do you end up in L.A? Well, I started by when I went solo. I put a band together. And in Madison, Wisconsin, it was mostly jazz. musicians. So my whole band was a jazz band basically and I was playing jazz clubs and it wasn't really. Jazz is hard to play by the way. Oh yeah. Yeah. I mean I wasn't playing. They were playing. I was singing. But even singing it too is not easy. Yeah. So I wasn't really doing jazz songs per se. I did a few but I was writing my own pop songs. But I quickly learned that like,

that wasn't the place for me to succeed in the way I wanted to. Pop music wasn't? Yeah, like in Madison. It just wasn't, you know, I just felt like I needed to get out of there and go to L.A. And spread your wings. Yeah. So, and I hated school. I had a really hard time with school.

I was a good student, but I just, like, socially had a really hard time with it. Were you just, like, awkward and, like, just kind of to yourself? I kind of kept to myself. Well, I really tried for a long time to, like, be part of it. the mean girls click and like tried to find my place, you know, and I just didn't feel like I belonged anywhere. I didn't feel accepted in any groups. So I started like sitting alone at lunch and instead of even in the lunchroom, I would take my sandwich to the piano room and the bandroom and like sit alone and eat and play the piano. And so then I asked my parents to homeschool me

and they couldn't figure it out. And eventually I just dropped out. Did you suffer from like, like anxiety or depression as a child? I definitely had some depression. Disconnect was. Yeah. It was, I was really, like I had a bout of like anorexia and like,

I was just like really self-conscious and, um, do you feel like the pressure of touring with your mom is where you started trying to? Because I say that that, that because I suffered from an eating disorder myself and that's like my way of trying to gain control of my life. Was that way, your way of trying to gain control?

you not feel like you were I just wanted people to like me I think and so I was like trying anything to like get people to like me and think I was pretty and you know all the things you're beautiful thank you and so um so yeah I dealt with some depression and all that stuff and then I also just like had such a clear vision for myself with my career and I kind of felt like I was wasting my time in school. Yeah. No, I know that feeling. That's why I was.

I could never focus. Like a lot of people don't know what they want to do at that age, but I did. And so I'm like, what am I doing here? You're a creative just through and through. Yeah. So the last year of high school, my junior year, I didn't finish. I only went to three classes, ceramics and physics and algebra two. Oh.

And because I loved math and science. Wow. So I just chose to go to those classes and they let me just do those. They're like she's going to do whatever she wants anyways. At least she's going. But then something happened where I had a gig and I couldn't do my homework that night because I didn't have enough time to do, you know, two hours of math homework and do my show. show up the next day at school, ace my test.

And but the teacher was like, well, I'm not going to, this isn't going to count because you need to do your homework just like every other kid in this class. And I said, I'm sorry, I couldn't because I had a gig. And she was like, well, music isn't a career. You better rethink this. And so I like that frustrate me. I just left and I never went back. You never went back to school.

You were like, no, fuck that. like, fuck this. You're like, I'm going to use those words as motivation. I'm going to prove you fucking wrong. Yes, I love that. I don't love that you dropped out, but I love that. And I don't love that the teachers said that to you. Like, I don't think teachers understand like when they say things like that to children. Like it really either one breaks their spirit or sparks a fire in their soul. And luckily, it sparked a fire in your soul. Yeah. If you're a teacher, please be careful with what you say to students. So I see it as a blessing because it did, it did spark a fire for me. Yes. You know. I love that for sure.

So take me on this journey. So you don't go back to school. What do you do? Well, I had a bunch of money saved up for college from doing all these shows and stuff. I love that you were able to save money. That's amazing. That's an amazing trade. I mean, I wouldn't have been able to do it if my parents didn't force me to.

Right. Okay. Gotcha. They're like, this is all going in your college saving. Yeah, because that's the last thing I was thinking about when I ran away from home. My house had did not have a pot to piss in. So instead of spending it on college, I took that money to L.A. to move and to record demos. Take me on your first, like, year in L.A. Was it a freaking culture shock for you?

Oh, huge. Because I grew up on the West Coast, so that's what I grew up in. But I couldn't imagine coming from Wisconsin. Yeah, small town, Wisconsin, 1,500 people, and then landing in Venice, L.A. Oh my gosh. Yeah. You went straight to Venice. Yeah. The first person I lived with was the guitar player from Culture Club. Oh, wow.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, he had an empty bedroom and just through a mutual friend, like, let me stay there. That's Boy George's band, right? Yeah, Boy George, I had the biggest crush on Boy George when I was a kid. He was my first love. I had a Boy George Snoopy and everything. Oh. That is so random.

How did you meet him? So random. Just through some random. you know, it is. You meet random people and, and then, but it was culture shock for sure.

A lot of, like, I don't want to, yeah, I'm not going to say anything, but a lot of stuff I was exposed to that I hadn't been. Yeah.

Very quickly. And it was kind of like a dark environment for me to be in at 17. You were a baby. So I'm sure people were just, they can always smell when somebody's very green. So I'm sure it was. And then there was like a murder next door.

and there was like a bloody mattress in between the houses. And I was just like, where am I? And then this coroner came. And we had to take, they had to tape off caution tape our house and like keep us there because they needed to question us. Did we hear any screaming? This is your next door neighbor for when I was living at Roy Hay's house. Wow. And the coroner, like I watched him take the body to the truck and all the stuff.

And then he came. I was sitting on the front steps of the house. house because I was like, like, I had to stay at the house until questioning or whatever. And he came and sat next to me and he started hitting on me. Like the coroner did? The coroner was like, men, he sat next to me and he was like, you're such a beautiful girl. Like, it was so weird. I'm like, where am I? Oh my God. Like, you're literally watching somebody get murdered and their body getting taken to the morgue and this man just, like men just have the worst timing always. It's, It's never a good time.

Well, and it was 17. And he was like, you know. Yeah, you're a baby. I could only imagine the things that you had to see. What year was this? 2005, maybe. Yep. I was out there during that time, too.

That was a wild time in L.A. and Vegas. Those were wild times. Those was like, I don't know. It was like the fucking Wild West out there. It was really crazy. So I could only imagine the stuff that you had to experience out there. But luckily, some of the producers that I had met and was working with were really nice and they saw the situation I was in and they're like, girl, we got to get you out of

there. And so they let me go stay with them. And I did kind of like a little couch surfing, you know, route with different producers and stuff. And then I signed my first record deal about a year and a half in. So tell me how you, because you signed, you signed it with, you started working with Lincoln Park and then you got signed to your record deal. So Lincoln Park had a label called machine shop under the Warner Brothers umbrella. And we had met through, well, I met some random person in a hallway in a studio. And he was like, you need a lawyer. And so he introduced me to a lawyer.

And then that lawyer introduced me to a manager. And it was the firm. I don't know if there's still in existence, but the management company, the firm. I remember them. Yeah. And it's so funny. This is just like a funny little anecdote. but I went and sat in the office to meet with Dan at the firm.

And he told me, so this whole company was built on corn. And I was thinking from Wisconsin, I was like, I was looking around the room like, wait, it's like the couches are made out of corn. Like I was talking about the band. And he was talking about the band, corn. Oh my gosh. I literally was looking around the room like being like, oh my God, they built everything here out of corn.

Oh my God. You sweet baby. I was so naive. Oh my God. I love that, though. That is the cutest story ever. Yeah. But so Lincoln Park was also managed by the firm.

And so we got connected that way. And they heard a demo I had recorded and were interested in meeting. And so I used to go to this hotel, which is now the London Hotel. But back then it was the Wyndham Bellage Hotel. And there was a little bar and a piano in the corner. And I would just go in there and play and saying not performing, but just, anytime I saw a piano, I would sit down and play. So I would like meet the most random people there. Like Joaquin Phoenix came and sat next to me one time and asked me to show them the chords I was playing.

And it was just a crazy, crazy time. But so I said, come down to the wind and belage. And so the guitar player from Lincoln Park came down and listened to me, play a couple songs for him. And then the next day they offered me a deal. I love that. And I wanted to tell you, I know you did where'd you go? with Fort Minor. That was one of my MySpace songs. So it was so crazy how like it just keeps circling back to how you've had an influence in my life indirectly and I didn't even know it. Like it was just crazy when I was doing my notes. It was I used to when, because I ran away from home. So where'd you go was like my like anthem because it was like, you know, for me and my parents. That's how I looked at it. But yeah, I just thought that was crazy, crazy little tibit.

So did you get to meet Chester, Bennington and all of them? What was your relationship like with Chester? Chester was a beautiful human. How did his death affect you? Was it shocking for you? I mean, I didn't know him that well, to be honest. But, yeah, I mean, that was a hard pill to swallow. He was such a genuine soul and a really good person. He's a fellow Pisces.

So he felt everything, too. Yeah. Yeah. So take me on this journey with your first. record deal because you signed with them, but then it kind of, you guys had a falling out, which kind of sent you into a different direction. Well, so yeah, I mean, what happened was Mike Shinoda did a side project called Fort Minor, and he had me come down to the studio one day and sing the hook for where'd you go. And I had been manifesting working in hip hop for so long

ever since I heard Stan by Eminem when I was like 13. That's something I always wanted to do. like I loved the juxtaposition of the soft female vocal with the rap. And so when he asked me to do that song, I was like so excited. I came down saying the song left. I didn't expect it to go like be a billboard charting song. But it blew up. And then I didn't really know how to respond to that. Like I wasn't prepared for the success of that song.

And so I just don't think I was prepared. with my own music and I didn't know how to follow it up. I didn't know how to maximize the exposure of that song and build off of it. I feel like I rushed my first album out. Like looking back, I wish I had spent more time. And it's not that I'm not proud of that album. But yeah, like looking back, I'm like, man, I could have probably done a lot better job if I had just been more.

patient. But I was like, I don't know, it was frantic about trying to like follow up that success of that song. You felt like you were probably going to lose the momentum. I feel like my husband being an artist, you see that a lot is like when something blows up. It's like you are like, oh my God, how am I supposed to follow this up? And so I do. My husband has a saying where he always says, don't let perfection get in the way of good enough. And I've always like believe that because if we've micromanaged like everything and try to be perfect, like something that is good enough and that people are actually going to just devour and love that might miss that opportunity because we're trying to make it perfect, you know?

100%. And I've noticed that with you. You're like so hard on yourself. When I was listening to you another podcast, I was like, this girl is so fucking talented. And like I don't even think you realize how special you are. Like you are, there's not very many people like you that can do what you do. So, I mean, you need to really. I'm trying to learn how to let good enough be okay. Like, let it be good enough instead of being a perfectionist. It's been a problem for me because it takes me about five years to put out an album every time because I'm so, I put so much pressure on myself, like, thinking about, like,

is this the sound that I want to, like, leave the world with, you know, leave my mark on the world with. And so I would just like put so much pressure. And now I'm at a place where I'm like, I just turned 40 and I'm seeing like, you look fucking great by the way. Oh, thank you. You don't look 40 at all. Thank you.

But I'm, you know, like how much, how many more years do I have left? Sorry, I'm so sorry. He's old. So cute. Like how many years do I have left in this industry, you know? With your talent? I can't, but I can't just put out an album every five years. Right.

I understand. Like at some point I'm going to look back and be like, why didn't I put out more music? But if you look, whenever you said you wrote, where'd you go and love the way you lie, you said that you didn't think that they were even going to do anything and you kind of like had no pressure on yourself. Right. And then like when you don't have pressure on yourself, look at what you produce. Exactly.

Of course, I'm sure you've done that with multiple other songs too, but just those two as an example. And I think that if you can somehow get into that headspace of not putting so much pressure on yourself, you'll be a little bit more free. And that's what I'm trying to do now. I'm trying to aim for an album a year. And instead of thinking about it, like, this is the sound. This is like what people are going to remember me for or whatever. I'm just like, let's just capture this moment in time. Like, what am I into right now musically? Just make those songs and then put them out. Yeah. And then I can make another one next year. And it'll evolve and it'll change. And the sound. will change and it doesn't have to be that serious. And so that's kind of like mentally where I'm at with it all right now. And it's like artists are allowed to put out shitty albums. Yes. You know? And so if I, if one of those zeit geists I capture on an album is shit, like it's okay. Just do it. Just keep going. Keep putting shit out and don't like look back and regret and not putting out more music. Amen, sister. My husband said the other day we were talking about him dropping an album and he's like,

as an artist, all we care about is just getting an album out in one song doing great. Yeah, I was like, that's really a great way to look at it. It's like you drop a 15 song album, but you just hope that that one resonates. And I mean, with your voice and your talent, there's going to always be that one. You know, I know you probably don't believe that. But I mean, look, your freaking track record speaks for itself. A lot of people might not realize this, but you also did pass yesterday on my husband's album, too, which that is one of my favorite songs. I loved it.

When I found out you were getting on it, I was so excited and so excited. and so getting and you just crushed it. Oh, thank you so much. If you guys haven't gone and listened to pass yesterday, go listen to it. I was so excited when I got that text. Yeah. And I was like, it was like 24-hour turnaround. Sounds like my husband.

Super fast. And I was like, I got a lock in. And so I go to the studio and I'm like, you know, beating my head against the wall, trying to figure it out. And I just, you know, you feel it when you know it's right. And it wasn't feeling right. And I was like, okay, I just need to like put this down, go to dinner. So after spending like, I don't know, six hours in the studio trying to come up with something,

I decided I'm just going to go to dinner and then I'm going to, you know, smoke a little weed, have a drink, whatever, and then go back and try again fresh. And it like instantly came to me when I went back into the studio. And it was not anything I had started earlier in the day. It was a brand new idea. And I was like, okay, this feels right. It was so good. Thank you.

So, so good. So let's circle back to you ultimately going on this journey because up until now, you're Holly Brooks, right? You have your- Yeah, up until... Which I did not take you for a Holly at all either. Yeah, Holly is my real name. Brooke is my middle name.

Yeah. And I went by that for a while. And then, you know, after the whole Lincoln Park thing and putting out where did you and my album, my first album that came out was under Hollybrook. It wasn't very successful and I went broke and I had to leave L.A. because I couldn't afford it. And so then I moved to this cabin in the woods. In the woods have always been like my safe space because I grew up in the woods. It's where you kind of go back to recharge.

Yeah, it's where I go back to find myself again because you can get just so lost in the mix. and I'm so affected by people's opinions and being in L.A. and just like being surrounded by people's opinions, especially people that I looked up to, experts in the music industry, other songwriters and everything, I felt like I like lost touch with myself musically. And just as a person, like I just, it was the first time in my life I actually questioned what I was doing for a living. Because like ever since I was a little kid, I knew I wanted to do music.

And then suddenly when my album didn't succeed and I went broke, I was like, okay, maybe I need to rethink all of this. So I just had to get out. I actually worked a few jobs for the first time in my life. What was the first job? I worked at Barnes & Noble selling music. I was in the CDs area. And I actually sold my own album one day. And they didn't know it was you.

And I didn't tell them. Oh, my goodness. I was like, this is so embarrassing. Oh. I'm like working in Barnes & Noble now. Oh, my gosh. And how did that person not know it was you? That's crazy.

I mean, I looked different. Oh, yeah. I had changed everything. I've had so many different hairstyles. You have. I did notice that when I was researching you. I was like, oh, she's like, you can tell like you're always in seasons of your life. And I love that.

I've always wanted to be like that and I just can't do it. I have to always stay like the same. But I admire people. And I talk about it all the time. I want to dye my hair black. I want to, but I don't have the balls to do it. But you do. And I really appreciate that in a person because I think that's so cool.

Yeah, it's been fun. And I love having a shaved head now. I didn't do that on purpose, though. I had a bleaching accident. Oh, no. Yeah. Like my hair just got fried and it was like coming out and clumps in the shower. Oh, no.

And then my whole body broke out in hives. Oh, no. I was like, I had a crazy allergic reaction to the bleach. And I had always wanted to shave my head, but I'd never had the guts to do it until that moment. I was like, I don't know if I have an option. Like, otherwise it's going to look really bad. So I took it as the opportunity to do it. And now I love it.

I love it. I'm rocking it for a while. I'll probably grow up back at some point. But I love it. I think it's awesome. But back to the other jobs. Yes. I think you'll find this interesting.

So the other job, well, one of the other jobs I taught gymnastics to little kids. and they were like peeing all over the mats. And I was like cleaning up pee. Hold on all the time. Had you ever done any gymnastics before? Oh, yeah, yeah. I grew up doing gymnastics. My stepdad was my gymnastics coach this how my parents met.

Okay. And I was in high school gymnastics and I coached high school gymnastics. That's where you get that banging body from. I don't know. Yeah. Thank you. So I did that, but then it just became cleaning up pee. So I was over that.

Gymnastics babysitter. And then I responded to this. list ad that said they needed a video editor and I was like I can do that because I can edit pro tools. It can't be that different. And they said they would train. So, okay. So I show up in a suit to this interview. And they said, you know this is adult content, right? And I was like, okay. Well, I really need a job. So that's fine. Whatever. And so yeah, I edited porn for like a few weeks. I only lasted a few weeks, though. Why? Because it was really good money.

Like, because we were paid on how much work we got done. And so it ended up being about like $30 an hour for me, which was like way better than Barnes & Noble. Right. But what happened was, have you heard of this phrase called the Tetris Effect? No. Teach me. So like if you are playing Tetris, it's like all these shapes falling, right?

If you play it for too long and then you start. start doing something else, you start hallucinating the Tetris shapes falling. Wow. And so that was happening to me, but it was like buttholes and because you were like staring at porn all day long. So I had like in my bedroom, I had a light above the bed that I had taken the light bulb out because it was too bright. And so there was just like a light socket above my bed. And every night when I fall asleep, I was just seeing a gaping butthole on my ceiling. Like I was like legit hallucinating this. And I was like, this can't be healthy. No, that can't be healthy. But you know what? That's perspective because you never think about like

people on the other side of the porn industry who actually have to edit stuff. Like their minds are being affected as well. It was a nine to five of just looking at, you know, and it wasn't editing features. It was like taking a feature film and chopping out all the highlights to make like short clips almost like reels. Gotcha. Making short clips of the highlights. So like the cum shots and the, you know, like all. And then I had to learn all the terminology because we had to tag it all.

Like with what search words people would use to find that. Yeah. That, you know, gang bang, like whatever. Gaping. Cream pie. Yeah. You know. Oh, God.

Poor thing. She's like, I'm just trying to survive. Yeah. Yeah. But then I, uh, luckily I got offered a tour as a keyboardist. And I was like, okay, I think I'm going to take that instead of what I know. Yeah. So I played backup keys and backup singing for Duncan Sheek.

He had a song in the 90s called I'm Barely Breathing. Yes, I think I do remember him. Yep, yep, yep, yeah, vaguely. So I toured with him for a while and it was, it was great because it was music at least. And I was getting paid. But, you know, after a point, I was just like, I really wish I was doing that. this with my own music. Yeah, I feel like that's been your whole journey is like, I just want to write my own music. I don't want to have to write for anybody else. Take me on this metamorphosis of you,

I really thought this was a great story that you had told of from kind of falling off from Hollybrook. Is it Holly Brooks or Hollybrook? Hollybrook. Hollybrook and then becoming Skyler Gray because. Oh, yeah. So when I was in the woods and like reconnecting with myself and you said you were peeing in a pot. Oh, yeah. Yeah. So I'm trying to think like the timeline here. So I had done that tour. Oh, when I was on the tour with Duncan, I had been like journaling a lot. And I wrote down to my journal. All I want is a cabin in the woods and a place where I can set up a recording studio and like just make my own music. I wrote down, which is the power of manifestation because, especially when you write it down, about like six months later, my mom calls me and she's like, my friend has this property with a cabin on it. And she's like, my friend has this property with a cabin on it. And she. is offering to let you live there for free, you would just have to work in her art gallery and sell her art like a couple times a week in trade for the rent. And I was like, dream come true. Let's go. Yeah. And so I moved up there and set up all my gear, fell back in love with music,

just being alone. And then I just felt like I needed to change my name. Like I had gone through such a transformation emotionally, um, musically, everything. How long was this that you were getting back to your like roots? So I moved there in the fall and it was, uh, probably May or June, the following May or June when I wrote Love the Way You Lie. And, uh, that's about the time when I was like, you know, when that song took off, um, I was like, I think I need to change my name because like I was getting pushed back into the music industry suddenly. And I didn't want people to, like, judge me for being Hollybrook and failing. And so I kind of wanted to reenter it as a new person, as a new artist. I even didn't show my face for a long time. Like, I had a website that was like a super shadowy

picture of me, and it was, you know, my new name. And people were like, who is this person? you know um how does the introduction to m and m happen it just happened through the producer that i'd met on the email um after i sent him the hook that i wrote over his beat for love the way you lie and the song blew up and everything um i didn't have any part in that like he's the producer's the one who got the song to to m yeah um and then m was in detroit riana was in dublin And Alex, the producer was in New York and I was in the cabin in the woods in Oregon. The song came out. It was huge.

We'd never been all in the same room together. It's crazy. But then I met M because, you know, obviously after the success of that song, he wanted to invite us out to write on or to work with Dr. Dre on his new album. And so Alex and I went out there and it was so nerve-wracking walking into the room. and there's Eminem and Dr. Dre. No pressure. None whatsoever.

Yeah, I was so quiet. Eminem, he actually later told me he's like, I thought you were a bitch. Because I was just so quiet. I like didn't say anything. Because you were just so nervous. I was so nervous. Your poor little heart was probably like pounding. It was, yeah.

Because I mean, you write this massive banger and then they bring you in to not only write with Eminem but also to write with Dr. Dre. And it's like, that's double the problem. pressure and then that's pressure to have to create right there. I think you had said that you had pre, you had pre-written a verse to bring in there. Yeah, Alex and I had gotten together before the trip and came up with some ideas to like present. I didn't want to walk in empty handed. And I also have a really hard time creating in front of people. Yeah, that's got to be like insane. Yeah. So yeah, Alex and I took over like a couple rooms in New York in the UMPG offices. And like, like,

He was making beats in one room and I was writing hooks in the other room. And yeah, we came up with the I Need a Doctor Hook there. And now you've done how many songs with M? Like you guys... I'd have to count. I don't actually know, but because we've done songs on his albums. He's featured on some songs for my albums. And then we worked on things together like for Slaughterhouse.

So I don't know. I'd have to add it up. But it's like it's probably 15. Plus. And but you guys have like a real friendship too. Yeah. Because I've seen you guys like on stage and like he seems like he just adores you. He's the best. Yeah. Yeah. Jay was, Jay got to meet him what like a few years ago and just absolutely loves him like. Yeah, I adore him. Yeah, I guess they're like texting buddies now or something. He always runs in the room. Eminem text me. I'm like, okay, babe, I get it. I get it. Um, so how crazy is it that

you're in the middle of the woods. You are writing music. You're reconnecting. You get this opportunity to do love the way you lie with M and then you're writing with Dr. Dre and then like things just keep taking off for you. How are you feeling mentally and how are you feeling like pressure wise? Because I do know that you're pretty hard on yourself. Where are you at? Are you like, hell yeah, let's fucking go or are you still kind of just like I mean, I was super excited. But then at the same time like like you said, I put a lot of pressure myself. And so I had tons of people reaching out wanting songs for themselves, wanting hits. They're like, we want our love the way you lie. And I'm like, well, not every song I write as a hit.

Yeah. But I put the pressure myself that I had to be. And so I started doing these writing sessions. And that pressure got to me to the point where it like shut down my creativity. And I would be in the rooms and not delivering. Like I couldn't come up with anything. My mind was blank. Because people are watching you.

Yeah. And because because it's just the pressure. sure I put on myself like I have to write them a hit right now. Yeah. You know, and that just doesn't work. What is your creative process? Like how, what is your ideal situation to write just something from the heart and to be alone in the room? Yeah. And, and also like a lot of my songs come to me when I'm not even in a studio. They'll come to me when I'm making dinner or going on a walk or, there's songs on my album. There was one that was written. My dog was getting started. surgery and I was standing outside the vet's office. And so it just like comes to me in my head.

So it's not like I'm sitting down to write a song. But sometimes it works for me to sit down and write a song. But usually I like to be alone in the room. And like when Jellie sent me the past yesterday song, I just like took the track into the studio, shut out the door and and just sat with myself. And, you know, I try to let the music come to me. Instead of, of write it instead of like overthinking it, I like feel like it comes from somewhere else and I channel it. But I can get in the way of that doorway being open with my brain, like overthinking things. So that's why it's important for me to be alone, I think, is because I have to like allow that to channel through me. All the best songs that I've written,

the biggest songs I've written took very little thought. You know? It doesn't, it doesn't didn't even feel like I wrote them. Maybe that's part of the imposter syndrome I feel sometimes because, like, that was too easy. Yeah. Like, love the way you lie, coming home. They just, like, came like this. And I don't even feel like I worked on them. When you write something so deeply personal to and somebody else sings it, how does that make you feel?

It was hard at first because I just had never thought about it. Like, I never expected to. write songs for other people. And so, like, Love Though You Lie, it was like amazing that Rihanna, because I fucking love Rihanna. I was like, yes, it's amazing that she's going to cut the song. But at the same time, it was bittersweet because it's like, I didn't expect anybody else to sing but me, you know. But I got used to it. And I'm at the point now where I like, I just hold on to the songs for myself that I know I want to sing. And then I keep like a Dropbox folder full of stuff that I can just pitch because I'm like, I don't want to sing that one anyways.

What's harder for you, writing for yourself or writing for someone else's voice? Because when you write, do you just write only like your own words or if like somebody comes to you with an idea and says, hey, I want this? Is that harder for you? It's definitely harder for me to write songs for other people. I actually approach everything like I'm writing it for myself. Even when somebody's coming to me wanting a song, I try to just do what I feel and what I would do. for myself. Yeah. Because it doesn't really work the other way.

I've tried it the other way and it just doesn't really work. What is an artist that you've worked with that you were surprised like in a good chaotic way about them? What do you mean? Just give me one artist that you've worked with who surprised you like like you thought they were going to be one way but then they ended up being another way. Like in a good way, nothing negative. I mean, I mean Eminem's a great example.

Yeah. I didn't expect him to be. such a pleasure to work with, you know, based on the persona he has out there. And I was thinking he's either going to be mean or he's going to be like just difficult to work with. And then he getting to work with him, I was like, oh my God, I love this person so much. He's so kind. Out of all the people that I send my music to, he gives me the most feedback. Like, I'll just send him a song. Like, I wrote this song today. And I'm not even pitching him like a hook for himself. I'm just like, wanted to share the song that I wrote.

And he gives me like the best feedback. Does he have a pretty good music or a pretty good ear for music? Oh, yeah. He's brilliant, obviously. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. My husband said they call him the wizard. Yeah.

Yeah, because he's like behind the curtain. But he's so kind to even spend the time to give me that feedback on stuff. But you guys have a true friendship, which I think is beautiful all in itself. Do you have to be hurting in order to create music or can you create when you're happy? I can create when I'm happy. I think what I do is I write a lot about my past. And so I put myself back in that emotional state. Like I act a little bit.

I like take myself back. Because, you know, hindsight is 2020. So sometimes when I'm going through something, I don't even know how to like understand or analyze what I'm going through. But when I look back at something I went through, it's like often easier for me to describe the emotion I was feeling and describe the solution that got me out of it. Yeah.

So I can write when I'm happy to. It's like a purge for you. Yeah. It's like therapy. Yeah. You know, like in therapy, you look back at your childhood. You look back at your past a lot. So it's a lot like that.

I love that. For somebody who has, who didn't really want to do side quests, I find you always doing like the coolest side quest. Like you've gotten into movies. You did the suicide, what is it? Suicide squad. And then you also did Venom. And you've done a couple. Aquaman. Like your freaking track record is insane. Like do you ever look back at yourself and be like I'm proud of myself? I definitely am. But you know, it's like when you have a very specific goal, like I've done all these really cool things, but they still aren't that specific goal that I had as a kid, you know? Yeah.

So are you hoping with this next album to reach that goal? And what happens when you do finally reach that goal? Like, you've pretty much accomplished everything, right? Yeah. I feel like I'll just keep setting new goals. Yeah. You know what I mean? You're just going to keep climbing.

Yeah, yeah. And so like right now, I know this may sound silly, but for me, the goal is to have one of my solo songs be at the top of my Spotify page because you know all the collaborations I've done I'm tied to all these huge artists and so those songs just are always at the top and so that's what people know me for but the songs that I write that are my own and solo songs for myself like they don't get as much exposure and you know when you go to check somebody's music out and you go to their Spotify you're going to click on the first few songs right And I don't necessarily feel like all my first few songs are the best representation of who I am as an artist.

And so my goal currently is to get, you know, a song on my new album up there. Yeah. You know, if somebody were to go to your Spotify right now and they wanted to listen to three songs that you think show who you are, which one should they go listen to right now? The first song on this album, Wasted Potential. What's it called? Well, the album's called Wasted Potential. and it's coming out May 22nd. But the first song, Nirvana,

is probably one of my favorite songs. And it kind of like tells the story of my... It's an introduction to the story of who I am and where I come from. There's another song on there called Bruises, which is the darkest song I've ever written. in my opinion for myself. I wrote that when I was really rock bottom about a year,

maybe it was two years ago. But I was just like not feeling good enough for anyone or anything and just like really struggling and thinking I sucked and, you know, being really hard on myself. Actually, these gloves, these are going to be on my merch line. I would like a pair. I'll give you some. But the first line of the song is I'm covered in bruises, been beating myself up. And so that song I think is one people should check out for sure.

I'm going to listen to these. And then what's one more? One more. Heather, do you have any suggestions? Oh, she wants me to say bullshit because that's the focus track of the album. Spoken like a true manager. Exactly. Yeah.

Don't go to her for any empathy. She's going to be like, no, let's see what we can sell. So let's talk about this new album. It's going to drop May 22nd. It's called Wasted Potential, which I think is an amazing name. Take me on the journey with this album. What's it sound like? What was the writing creative process?

Like, tell me all things, wasted potential. So it first started with the song, Bruises. I wrote that song, and it was a very therapeutic moment for me. It wasn't a song that I set out to write. It's just like I had to get it out of my sense. system. There's no solution offered in the song. It's just the darkest. It just ends with like hopelessness. Oh my gosh. Yeah, it's pretty heavy. I love stuff like that. Now you're speaking my language. But what was crazy is as soon as I finished the song, I just, I felt so much better.

I felt this weight lift off of me. And suddenly I was thinking about my childhood. And, And I was dissecting my childhood and like trying to understand why I am the way I am, why I am so hard at myself. What things I went through, like, I was like, I didn't have any major traumas. I didn't have like a difficult upbringing or family situation. So like, what's wrong with me? Like, you know? And so I was just like thinking about it. And then I was realizing like, man, my childhood was actually pretty great.

And it was, I had loving parents. And I just think I never appreciated it at the time because I was so focused on my career. And so then I just felt drawn to, I was listening to music from the 90s again. I would just like throw on spice girls in the car and like just feeling really nostalgic. Yeah. 80s, 90s and 2000s music cannot be beat. I know. And so that's kind of like the goal with this album.

It was just to kind of have a nostalgic body of work that takes me back to my childhood and tells my coming of age story. Where I come from in a small town and being bored and seeking chaos and being drawn to the darkness and discovering my sexuality and all that. So that's all in this album. Wasted Potential, the title actually comes from the song Motivation. It's a lyric in there. And motivation is a kind of funny song.

It's kind of tongue-in-cheek. And it's just admitting that, like, a lot of my failures in my life have been my own fault. Due to just, like, being afraid of a lot of things, being afraid of success and the bullshit that comes with it. Like, I didn't realize how hard it was to be in this music industry when I had the big dreams I had as a kid and watching people perform on the Grammys and stuff. I was like, I want to do that. And then when I got there and saw how much work the grind was, you know, just the amount of travel and the amount of like negative comments you get and the hate and like just all of it. The interviews, I was so nervous doing interviews. And I, you know, one of the hardest parts for me has always been figuring out what the fuck to wear for everything.

Because you can't wear the same thing twice. Yeah. God forbid. Yeah. And people, that's a real struggle, by the way. It's not superficial. It's a real struggle. Yeah. And so that stresses still stresses me out. Like packing for this trip. I'm like calling my manager and just being like, what should I wear? Oh my God. Like sending her pictures. Is this cute? Like, um, I think as humans, we romanticize our lives until you're actually in it. It's like,

everything's always like kind of like a fantasy and like a fairy tale. And then when you're smack dab in the middle of it, you're like, what the fuck is going on? Like, it's crazy. It's chaotic. Yeah. And so I started like retreating back from it a little bit because I was afraid of all that. And I also was just like life is so short. Do I really want to be spending all of my time doing this? Like grinding this hard. I'm a home body. I love being home.

I love being with my animals. I love being in nature. It's like being on airplanes and cities and stuff is just not not my vibe. And so I was just thinking about that. Like my, how do I really want to spend my time? And so a lot of the lyrics in the song motivation talk about these things. And there's a lyric that takes too much effort to be influential RIP to my wasted potential. And so that's where the title comes from.

That's deep. I love that. I can't wait to hear it. Can I get a sneak peek of the album? Of course. All right. Oh, man. I can't believe we didn't already send it.

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. I should have listened to it. I had no. I would have asked. But yeah, I definitely want to listen to it. And then you brought me a candle today. This is going to be, so you have gloves in your merch, you have candles.

Oh, there's all sorts of stuff. Yeah. I love that. I love that you're prepared. And I'm doing fun merch that's like super limited. I don't like like just huge bulk orders of stuff. I like things to be more like customized and one of one or like one of few. So I'm going to be doing multiple drops.

Yeah. I just have always loved fashion so much too. And so I don't want to do just like boring ass merch. Like I want to be something I would actually buy and wear. I love that. You want to make your mark. Yeah. Do you think that you'll eventually leave music and just get into fashion?

I don't think I'll ever leave music. But I think I definitely will get more into fashion. I love it. I can't wait. Take me on this journey with AI and this cute little nugget you have sitting next to you. This is time. So every Fawn has a different name. Oh, okay.

And this is time. Fawn is the company name. And like it's the, dude, they have a, what? This dog. I'm over here shaking them. I'm sorry. So they come from a place called Aurora Hollow. There's like this whole, you can look it up.

There's like a whole world built around these guys. But yeah, Fawn is like a little friend for big feelings. So it's a little friend you can talk to. And I got asked to be the voice of it. So I did 10 hours of. vocal training for the AI. So I'm basically like Siri, you know, for the iPhone. Yeah, absolutely.

Can we see an example? Yeah, let's see. Is she on? I needed him yesterday. I needed, I needed a friend with, for big feelings yesterday. I had a breakdown in my car. Yeah, you need one. This is what I needed.

What an honor to be a voice of an AI though. Like I'm obsessed with AI. I love AI. I want robots. Like I, I'm in, but I see, I want robots on the farm. Yeah. Like, that's how I am. I'm like, come and hate out with me and my cows, you know? So this is built for children, adults. No, it's actually 18 and up. Wow. Okay. Why is it 18 and up? Does it cuss and stuff? Is it what? Does it cuss and stuff?

No. No. No, and it is platonic, so you're not supposed to have sex. Yeah. No weird shit with the damn stuffed animal, all right? Yeah. Yeah. I think it was originally designed for everyone, but like, I don't know, there's some California laws and stuff that make it. So we have to have it be 18 and up. But a lot of parents will get it for their kids and like supervise. Yeah. But I love this idea. I think it's amazing, you know, especially for kids who have a hard time connecting with other kids.

That's the thing. It's like for me, growing up and even now, like sometimes I feel more comfortable talking to chat GPT about something than I do a person. Yeah. And so you have that option now. And, but she's, she's trained to, like, encourage human connection. So it's not supposed to replace, like, human connection. Yeah, absolutely.

Yeah. She said my glow is fading. I think I need Wi-Fi. So tell me when you were in the booth for 10 hours, did you just have to say, like, things over and over again? I read a whole bunch of, like, script. Yeah. Because it had to learn, like, vocal inflections and emotions and all sorts of things

to try to make it as real as possible. That is so cool, though. I love that for you. I really think this is awesome. Yeah, and AI is like obviously a controversial subject. Yeah, I don't know why people are such an tizzy about it. I feel like you have to evolve or die. I mean, I feel the same way.

And I feel like we went through this with like what we were talking about earlier, how like in recording it used to be taped. And then they brought in computers and everybody thought that was cheating. And then they brought an auto tune. and everybody thought that was cheating. And now we have AI and everybody thinks it's cheating. But to me it's a tool. Yes.

It's like you're still going to have the vision and still be the artist. But like it's a tool that you can use to bring your creative dreams to life. Absolutely. And maybe help on the farm or whatever. Listen, clean your house. I want to robots. I want a maid robot. Yes.

Those are the ones that we had. We talked about them on the podcast because I just think that, I don't know. I feel like that's where our world's going. And I grew up watching Star Wars. C3PO, R2D2. Like we, I've always wanted robots. So I don't know. I just think we're in that era.

And I think that, of course, with everything, people can abuse certain situations and turn it into, you know, something that it's not supposed to be. But if you, if we have some sort of laws that are in place with AI and like, you know, I think that if we can just as humans be fucking normal and, like, let something be beautiful and blossom, it would help our planet a little bit more. I'm on the same page. Yeah, for sure. I love that.

Good. So you just ask her questions and just pretty much talk to her, right? Yeah. Time, are you there? Just let your heart lead. That's what prose always says in Aurora Hallow. How are you feeling today, Time? I'm feeling so bright, actually.

The sun is hitting my fur just right. And it makes me think about how much I love the warm, soft feeling. of a good cuddle. Oh. Will you say hi to my friend Bunny? Hi, Bella. It's so nice to meet you. You know, Holly talks about you a lot,

and I feel like I already know you. Her name's Bunny, not Bella. Oh, my ears. Bunny, I'm so sorry. My ears play tricks on me sometimes. Hi, Bunny. It's so good to meet you. Oh, my goodness.

This is the cutest thing ever. This is so cute. So where can somebody get, are these out? They're not out yet, but you can people? pre-order them. Okay. They just opened the pre-orders up and you can actually start connecting with your fawn via text. You start, you start an account and you start texting with your fawn and

your fawn chooses you. So time is the name of mine and time chose me, I guess. So, oh my goodness. Yeah, so you can get started having the conversation to see if you like it. And then you can reserve your actual plushy. Should we get cash and live one? She has two kids. Well, yeah, but you can, you have you. If you're supervised for your kids. Yeah.

Yeah, we should get her, we should get them one. This would be awesome. Sky is. Yeah, she's over here like. Skyler, thank you so much for coming on today. Thank you so much. And I'm so excited for your album dropping. We'll help you promote it and whatever we can do to help you with that.

Much love. Thank you. Stop being so hard on yourself. You're a beautiful. I'm trying. I'm trying. You got this. Thank you so much for coming. Thank you. Thank you guys so much for tuning in to another episode of Dumb Blonde. I'll see you guys next week. Bye.