Switched on Pop - Empress Of asks for your consideration (with Empress Of)

Episode Date: June 25, 2024

There’s many things to love about Los Angeles: low-rider cars, roadside taco stands, and, come awards season, the omnipresent “For Your Consideration” billboard. Nobody knows this better than lifelong L.A. resident Lorely Rodriguez, also known as Empress Of. The indie-pop darling’s latest record, aptly titled For Your Consideration, is her take on what it means to have your full self considered, in all of its guises. The almost genreless record is so wildly catchy and remarkable in scope (all of the percussion on the record is actually Rodriguez’s voice) that Switched On Pop host Nate Sloan and producer Reanna Cruz had to consider For Your Consideration with Empress Of herself, live in person, in the City of Angels. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Acompa Auxedo Yesmin'AWS. Welcome to Switchdown Pop. I am producer Rianna Cruz. And I'm musicologist Nate Sloan. So Nate, you and I, We both live in the City of Angels, Tinseltown, La La Land, Los Angeles. Yes, indeed.

Best of the West. And there are many things that I love about this deeply vain city among the $20 smoothies and the flashy low-rider cars. One of my favorite constants of Los Angeles is the omnipresence of the classic for your consideration billboard. Yes, I'm familiar with these. You're driving down Sunset Boulevard, and all of the sudden there's, you know, an actor from a sitcom looming over you with a pleading face saying, vote for me in the upcoming Emmys or Oscars or Screen Actors Guild Awards. Right. And it's not just even an award season. It feels like year round, everywhere you look, there's a sign begging you to pay attention to a certain show, a certain show, a certain movie, a certain record. It's a thirsty city we live in.

Quite. Well, we're going to do just that on this episode of Switched on Pop with one record this year that should 1,000% be considered. And that's the record aptly titled For Your Consideration by the Artist, Empress of. The way that this song takes that familiar phrase and it flips it on its head and imbues it with this, emotional resonance will forever change the way I look at those billboards. I completely agree. And this experimental dance, Latin pop record is one of the best albums that I've heard this year for a few reasons. It's short and sweet, you know, clocking in at just

over 30 minutes. Love to see it. It dabbles in so many sounds across electronic music and incorporates several underground producers and DJs in the Latin and experimental house scenes on the album. And it's also extremely catchy while keeping a sense of formlessness when it comes to genre. Empress of is successful at crafting hooks. You know, there's more traditional pop songs on the record, like the song Lorelai. But at the same time, she works in these experimental electronic sounds that are incredibly layered and extremely well produced, like on the song Susia. for example. I dig these songs because they're a little hard to place.

There's a dash of indie, a smattering of pop, a little helping of regga tone. But it's not any one of those things. It's somewhere in between. And that in-betweenness shapes the entirety of four-year consideration. The album is Empress of's fourth record. And over the course of a decade, she has amassed a reputation as one of Indy Pop's most respected artists, extensively working with artists like Blood Orange, aka Dev Hines, on beloved songs like Best to You.

And she's accumulated absurdly good reviews throughout the course of her entire career. A Guardian article praised her 2015 debut, Me, as quote, cool, quirky future pop. And she garnered a coveted Best New Music endorsement from Pitchfork for For Your Consideration. So we here at Switched-on Pop H.Q have considered for your consideration. And we've decided that we had to sit down with the wonderful Empress of herself in person in the city of angels to talk about the ins and outs of making such experimental dancey pop music. This was a fun one. This was a really fun one. So without further ado, here is the important.

comparable Empress of. Hi, I'm Empress of, and I'm here today with Switchdown Pop, Nate and Rihanna. Killed it. Incredible intro. Your new album for your consideration is something that we have had on rotation here at Switchdown Pop headquarters. And we want to talk to you all about it, but we actually want to start with the second track, Lorelei. We have questions. Yes.

This seems like a very personal track. But when you listen to it, maybe it's also kind of an abstraction. What does this song mean to you? I have been trying to write this song for years. My name is Laura Lee. And I always get called Lorelei. And this song, the story of this song, is kind of like My Jolene. I had a thing.

with someone and he had a girlfriend. And I like woke up in his house one day and found a woman's shoe. Yep. Damn. Yeah. And I was like, okay, whose shoe is this? And I always thought about how she must have felt. And I don't know.

It's, it's not great. It's not great knowing that someone else is going through that. So I just, you know, I wanted to write that song. I also have a philosophy. about albums. And I believe that the best song on the record should go second. Huh. All of my albums, I put the second song, like my favorite song. Track two. Track two. Yeah. Other people do it too. It's just kind of like a school of thought on records

and sequencing, which I just love. I love the art of making records. You know, I just saw Billy Elish say in an interview, she hates singles. And I get it. It's like reading like a quote out of a book or chapter and you're just like, what's the rest of the story? But yeah, that's something I really thought of. You know, it's interesting to hear the backstory because this is some heady inspiration, some dark life events. But when you listen to the song, it's a bop. It's like bright.

It's poppy. It's catchy. Bop Tina. Bopiana. Bopiana. Bapiana. How did you choose to match that bright sound with those kind of heavier lyrics? I feel like it's been kind of my gift as an artist to make sad songs that you can shake ass to, you know?

Yeah. Well, yes. Like, I don't know, I have this song called When I'm With Him. Everyone, like, loves that song. I don't know. I just love making songs that make you kind of feel something. Lots of moving. Yeah.

Yeah, my album, I'm Your Embers of. lots of dance songs that you can move to. One of my icons, Robin, also makes sad songs. Queen of that. Yes. Sad songs on the dance floor. So, very influenced by her. So speaking of, like, shaking your ass, right? Serious topic.

Absolutely. Really locking in on this. You, on this record, worked with a lot of underground producers doing more abrasive, electronic experimental music, thinking of like umru, right, who you worked with on Fasil and Sousio, and Nick Leon, Kura. I really love these artists. Like, there's some of my favorite producers right now.

How did that come through on the recording process? DMs. Hmm. Thank you DMs. A&Red by DMs. You know, I'm a fan. And I look up who works on records. You know, I'm a music fan.

So I followed Umru, I followed Nick Leon for years, and wanted to work with them. I think that they're both doing interesting things in the dance base. They DJ so much. And I think both of them approach it in different ways. Nick Leon makes like really future, I don't know, like dance reggaeton. Like Peno, ass-shaking music. Yeah, period. And I just was like, I can't do that.

but I would love to be influenced by that and just his sense of even melody you know because a lot of that music is rhythmically driven but like you know has amazing top lines and amazing like little melodies happening everywhere he's a G. To go back to what you said right? Like you feel like you can't do that why?

I feel like I'm really good at other things you know but I feel like my career can go in so many ways because I'm sort of genreless. So why not be an influenced by an artist like that? Or Umru, who's like made, you know, so much music in the PC music school. I don't make, you know, PC music sounding music. And I get in with Umru and I'm like, let's write an Empress of song. So yeah, I don't know.

I love being influenced by artists. That's like the beauty of collaboration is working with artists and not making records that sound like that. Yeah. Or making records that sound influenced by that. You look for collaborators that will push you into new areas, new sounds. Definitely. You know, Jimmy Stack is another example of that. I made several songs with him, and they don't sound like other songs that I've made.

I wanted to, like, write a song with Jimmy Stack. And I love those songs, you know. We did note to self, and it's a great collaboration. You know, it's just about finding the right relationship. Well, I think it's interesting because you are the executive producer on For Your Consideration, and I feel like that's been consistent across your career. Yeah. So it feels like you have kind of like a tastemaker role when it comes in to making your albums.

Yeah, and, you know, it comes from being a producer as well. And just knowing what sounds you want to sound like. Yeah. And being able to be like, cool, this sound. is a little too leaning this way from everything that I'm doing. I don't know. I don't know.

I just like, I just, I have a clear direction. Thankfully, Jesus. And I think that's why the record sounds consistent. Yeah. I was going to say it's a journey, but then I was like, no, that's corny. But it's true in a way. Yeah.

We love corny. Okay. Yeah. I kind of do too. A little bit. Yeah. A smitch. A little bit of corny.

Yeah. On one of the tracks that Rihanna just mentioned, Cora, you sing in both English and Spanish. And then there are other tracks on the album like Feminine, when you sing completely in Spanish. We wanted to hear more about that choice. On previous albums, you definitely have some Spanish language tracks as well. But this one seems like a real mix and it's like we're really leaning into that dimension a little more. So what inspired you to make this pivot towards this more multilingual sound on this album?

Making four albums. And I have been making Spanglish music since the beginning of my career, but I have never made so much music in Spanish. And I found it very inspiring on this record. And yeah, I just found it to be the story of this record in a way. And also Miami. Real...

Like, yeah, just Miami. I was in Miami with Nick Leon, and I was very inspired to make music in Spanish. And I still say things the way I would say them as Empress of in English or Spanish, you know? But yeah, that was also part of the inspiration. It's just being in a city where, I mean, like L.A., everyone, but, you know, Miami, it's even in the clubs, everything.

It's so influenced. by that. It's like the hub for Latin music right now. It really is. It really is. In America. Yeah. I was like breathing it, you know.

I went to space. That's a club in Miami. Not. Oh my God. I like my eyes went wide. Like I was like, wow. I can imagine? I went to space.

Wow. It really, it feels like space in there though because you just, you're in there until like five in the morning. Yeah. But just listening to incredible music. And I was inspired. I was inspired by Miami. That's awesome.

We need to take a field trip down there. I know. We got to go to space, Nate. Team building trip to space. Research. Yeah, research. Yeah, exactly. No, literally.

Must tap in. Definitely. Speaking of Miami and Latin music, I feel like the song Fasil seems to take cues from other pop stars in Latin music right now. Like, I'm hearing a lot of Arca. I'm hearing a lot of Rosalia. You're so facile. You're facile. Fais is to eat.

Comeer. Fis de ommer. It's digital and abstracted, but also makes for a really good dance track. Can you talk about how you created Fasil? What was the mood board? I worked with Umru and my friend Jarina DeMarco, who is Dominican, Brazilian. And I feel like there is this like very sweet quality about my voice. Like the tone of my voice is very, I don't know.

It's light. It's light. Like delicate. It can be delicate. It can be. But the other part of it is that I'm singing something really dirty. So it's like, you know, I'm saying like I'm easy. I'm easy to touch. I'm easy to like fall in love with or I fall in love easily. And I don't know. That was the sentiment in the room when we were writing that song. And you know, Jarina brought her Dominican flavor to the song as well. We were just like listening to music before it started. We were listening to some, you know, what's happening with like modern demo.

And I didn't want to make like a demo song. Right. You know, because I wasn't going to sing top line for that. Right. But I wanted to be inspired by it, especially working with Drina, who's Dominican. Yeah. And then Umbro on the production was just, oh, another thing is because this record is so vocally influenced. I was like, cool.

I want most of the drums, if not all the drums, to be my voice. Wow. So, yeah. So a lot of the drums on that record, on that song are my voice. I was going to say, the whole record feels extremely percussive. Oh, yeah. Every song in a way that I don't think I've heard to this extent on your previous work. I don't know.

Like every song is just so percussion forward. It's interesting to hear the club influence because it feels very Latin club. Mm-hmm. Yeah, those songs do. Lorelai feels like you can dance to it as well. But it doesn't have a trend. You know, there's a trend with like fast tempos right now. Mm-hmm. And I felt like I didn't want to go, you know, I love drum and bass and I love techno and I love different styles of music.

But I definitely just wanted to make something that didn't feel too leaning in the current atmosphere of music. Like, you know, obviously I'm influenced because I listen to whatever I'm listening to. But the tempos on this record feel a little slower, you know? Interesting. But they also feel like they're built for the club. Like, songs have drops on them. Definitely. I mean, I dance to it.

Yeah. You can shake ass to it. Oh, absolutely. That's what matters. Absolutely. But, yeah, a lot, very percussive. I started this record just like beatboxing and microphones. Wow.

Fasiel is so much my voice. Even the bass is my voice. Oma was pitching and processing so much of the vocals. Because you can't even clock it. Yeah, you can't. But maybe it's subliminal. Yeah. It makes me think of the opening track, the title track, for your consideration.

I feel like the first thing you hear on that track is your breath. Just breathing, like in this percussive. It becomes its own kind of drum pattern. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So that's cool. It makes me want to go through and listen again and see if we can find all. of those vocal, percussive moments.

Definitely. Yeah, we just turned the mic on and I asked every different person. I was like, just turn the mic on and I'm just going to go

and I was very inspired by Madula and, you know, Caroline Shaw, who's a composer and, you know, I just love the voice. Yeah,

Madula, like the Bjork record, right? Yeah. Yeah. It's so good. I feel like Bjork does that a lot, too, where she has these

songs that are just like vocals on vocals on vocals layering. I mean, it's great. It's a great sound. I just was like, what kind of sounds can the voice make? Yeah. And I would do that.

Tight. Chop it up. I feel like that gets back. You know, you mentioned a duality earlier. I feel like that's all that, that's like a theme of this whole record. It's like sad songs with really funky beats. Yeah. Sad songs with funky beats.

Embers of. Sad songs. What you described as your light voice singing these really kind of dark. lyrics and then some of the songs being super produced but also like really organic so i don't know i just the more we're talking i'm like man this this whole record is like the two sides of what you do and mash together in this compelling way yeah i think i think this is a very like consistent through line of that and every song is so good so truly like i feel like proud to say that and i just feel like every song is thoughtful of that, of having the qualities that I want and having fun.

And I don't know, I've had to listen to this record for almost a year before it came out. So I had to make sure I liked it. Yeah, I mean, the duality is interesting because my favorite song on the record is the Rina Sawaiamma song, Kiss Me. And something that I find really interesting about that song is this kind of juxtaposition where it sounds very, Y2K, right? Like, it sounds to me like it could be in like a 2000s rom-com, but you also have lyrics about like face-timing. I'll keep you up. I'll dance around. FaceTime for you. And I think that's really cool and plays up this juxtaposition on the record.

Yeah, that came from working with a co-writer, Nate Campany. I can try to like over-analyze and over serious things by myself. And we were talking about this relationship and he was just like, what did you do? Like, what did you do with him? And I was like, well, I just FaceTimed him today. And he's like, he's like, why don't you put that in the song? I'm like, I'm not going to put that in the song.

And I think there's like a charming quality of being real in a song. Yeah. You just have to stick to it for it to have conviction. Yeah, I mean, I think it's really charming, though, because it's a kind of lyric that snaps you in to, like, active listening instead of passive listening, where you're, like, listening to this, like, 2000s guitar soundscape, and then you hear the words, like, FaceTime. Yeah. And you're like, oh, interesting. Like, it's not as, what's the word anachronistic? Nailed it.

Yeah. Anacron. Whoa. Talk about analyzing. Wow, that was just a strange way. Yeah. But it's not as anachronistic, I think, as it originally sounds. Okay.

Yeah, I have to look that up It's like me, Professor Nate Yes, anachronistic adjective meaning Right, it's like out of place in time Exactly, in the wrong Located in the wrong time period I'm gonna put that in a song

Hell yeah So excited We'll talk about it on the next Empress of Switched on Pop episode And be like, remember one? Yes, splits for you Yeah, I don't even Yeah, pro bono man

Yeah take that um but yeah kiss me i did a reddit am a recently and someone was like what is the song that took the longest to finish like that you had to go back to and kiss me was that song because i on the production with the y2k that nose i i wouldn't i didn't say n i was like nostalgia i said nostalgia so true um just that feeling of like you know when you when you're like listening to pop from that era and the like, yeah, that sweetness. Right. Very sacchar.

Naiveness. But yeah, I was trying to be like, okay, how do we do this, but not be too, just not be too on the nose with it. So we had to go back a couple of times on the production to finish that. How did Rina Sallayama become the featured artist on that track? What made you want to feature her and how did that come about? Did you send her a DM or? No, I went on tour with her. Yeah.

And that's how I got to know her. And I was finishing the record in between our tours. And I sent it to her because she has that voice. Yeah. That could pull that feeling off. And when I got it back, I was like, yes, you are a pop icon. Like her voice is just perfect for it. Yeah.

She does that nostalgia thing very. well. Her voice is so good. I love the song, like, where you are, because it's exactly that nostalgia, like, pulling the heartstrings type track. Like, she does it so well. She does it so well.

And so effectively. When I got her vocals, like, she sent me the bounce a day later. And it was like, perfect. No notes. It was perfect. Printed. Yeah.

Yes. She's a pro. She's, yeah, she's a pro. Maria, you have a podcast now and you need to start acting like it. What's the first step as a podcaster? Well, you have to ask lots of questions. I'm Maria Sharpova and I'm hosting a new podcast called Pretty Tough. Every week, I'm sitting down with trailblazing women at the top of their game to discuss ambition, work ethic, and the ups and downs that come on the path to achieving greatness.

I have a few pretty tough questions for you. Okay. Ready? Ready. Do not sugarcoat something for me. No, no. No. We'll dive into their stories and get valuable insights from top executives, actors, entrepreneurs, and other individuals who have inspired me so much in my own journey. Pretty tough is your front row seat to the women who have demonstrated the power in being unapologetic in their pursuits.

I hope you'll join us. New episodes drop Wednesdays on YouTube or in your favorite podcast app. You talked about Miami being an influence on this record. What about the influence of Los Angeles? When you look at the cover of this album, it's you. I can't believe I'm going to try and describe this, but it's you like straddling a shooting start with the city of Los Angeles at night kind of laid out behind you. So I feel like L.A. must be of inspiration for this album as well. Yeah, L.A. is kind of always an inspiration. I wanted to show it in a different way on this record. And the record is called For Your Consideration.

And I saw those billboards my whole life. And I also am in the industry, in the entertainment industry. And that phrase has such a meaning in the entertainment industry. And I don't know. I just was like called underrated so much. You know, it's like 10 years of doing this for records. And I was just like, you know what? I don't care.

Like, I'm going to choose myself. I just wanted to be like tongue and cheek. Just have a little fun. I wanted to have a little fun. And my initial idea was to be painted gold because I was like, for your consideration, I'll be a statue. I'll be a prize. Or like those people on like Hollywood Boulevard.

Yes, yeah, yeah. So that was my idea. And when I talked to the photographer, she's like, I think we need to go like more camp with it. You know, like if you're going to really poke fun at it. She sent me amazing, like, references of campaigns from the early

2000s and late 90s. And, you know, like, David LaChapelle, he's a photographer. And she was like, you have to be laughing and you have to be throwing your head back. Because you're on a shooting star over the backdrop of L.A. And your album's called for your consideration.

You know, like, it was lots of, like, more, more, laugh. With like someone, someone with like a wind machine. Wow. Like at my hair. Wow. And just, it was like, wow. I can't believe I went from beatboxing into a microphone to.

To do this. You know, like I, it wasn't in the cards, but it is in the cards, you know? Yeah. I feel like when I'm driving around L.A. and I, you know, when award season comes around and I see all those billboards for your consideration, I'm just going to hear that song in my head now. Yes. That's, for your considerate. I'm going to be like sitting in my car. Wow.

That sounds great. Yeah. Yeah, no, I love claiming that term. Yeah. You know, like for myself. And it's like even if I didn't get any notoriety or awards, like I just feel like I'm already a prize for myself. Oh my God. Love that.

Well, it's very like forward, you know. Yeah. You will listen to this album and you will consider it. Yeah. Also it's like so funny. to see like my dream is to like during that season is to have a for your consideration for your consideration billboard that would be major it would be so funny yes yeah yes manifesting right now the camp potential would really be through the roof exactly yeah i'd love

to hear more about how you think about genre like earlier you you said something really interesting you said like i try to be genreless how does that manifest when you're making a record Does that happen naturally? Or do you find yourself making a song that sounds maybe too much like one thing? And you're like, oh, we got to kind of pull it back. So it sounds like me. Like, what is that process like of creating genreless music, which seems exciting but maybe kind of challenging too?

It's really hard to describe. It's not an intention. It is just like it's me just trying to make music that sounds like me. And I'm inspired by somebody. things and I work with so many different people that it just happens naturally. Yeah. You know? And also electronic music, the sounds, you can use the same drum machine to make a ballad

than to make like a boy's noise banger in a club in Berlin. Yeah. You know, like we're using the same tools. So I just, I think sounds help make things kind of ambiguous. Is there, is there, I wonder if there's like, one track on the album that you felt maybe represents that genreless sound well, and that I wonder if there was one that you kind of had to shape to really get it to the place you wanted it to be more than others.

For your consideration, I don't know what you would call that, just pop. Yeah. I would just call it pop. That works. Because I don't know, there's so many, like, cordal things, the rhythm, the breaths. I actually was listening to Britney Spears How I Roll. Classic.

Wow. To make that song. Have you heard that song, Nate? I don't think I have. Oh, my God. It's off of Fem Patel, right? Yes, it's so good. It's amazing.

Okay, we're going to have a little listening session. And then, like, how the court, I feel like I'm giving away stuff. I don't, like, I should, like, I'm giving away the secrets to the songs. You know? Switched on Pop. The Secrets to the Song. songs. Okay. That was like a very huge inspiration. You were listening to Caroline Shaw. Oh yeah. I mean, yeah, you would never like, be like, oh, Caroline Shaw and Britney Spears how I roll are the recipe for a song.

Yeah. But, but yes. Do you want to ask our kind of final question? Yeah. Final question. Oh my God. I'm so sad. I know. I know. I'm having a good time. I'm having so much fun. I know. Me too. All right. Let's do another hour. So I'm going to go back to 2020 real quick. Okay. Your album, I'm Your Empress of. The title track, I'm Your Empress of, kind of feels like a thesis statement for you and your artistry. So what is Empress of to you, Lorely?

What is your artist statement, so to speak? It really is my artist's name. And it is, you know, demanding whatever I am in the moment. It really is that. Like, you know, I'm empress of whatever. And I'm assertive of that. I'm assertive of the whatever I am in the moment, you know?

Empress of blank. Empress of. And, you know, the joke of my career has been empress of what? Everywhere I go, empress of what? And I'm like, you know, I really stick to my... my name. And, you know, what an empress is and what that tarot card and why I chose that name it stands for, you know, that like divine feminine energy and the space to create and to mother a project. And that's what I'm doing. That's powerful. Yeah. For your consideration,

thank you so much for being with us today. Thank you for having me. I hope this album wins all the awards. Tony's, Emmys. If it doesn't, it already has. Grammys. People's choice. Yeah. Pitchfork, best new music. Best Award in the Biz. Yes. Yes. I already got one, so it's fine. Oh, sweet. So NBD.

Switched-on Pub is produced by Rihanna Cruz, engineered by Brandon McFarlane. Edited by Art Chung. Community Management by Abby Barr. Illustrations are by Iris Gottlieb. Our executive producer is Neshok Kerwa, We're a member of the Vox Media Podcast Network and a production of Vulture and New York Mag. Find more episodes of our show anywhere you get podcasts. Go to our website, switchdownpop.com, and find all our episodes there,

plus a little box where you can put in your email, sign them for a newsletter. Wow. And... Next week, we're going current. We're going current. That's right. Two artists whose names start with C.

That's what we call a little teaser, a little cliffhanger. Yeah, and I think you'll be able to get... guess who those artists are. Some would say, I love it. Until then, I think all that's left for us to say is thanks for listening. Nailed it.