Switched on Pop - Slayyyter might actually be the 'Worst Girl in America'

Episode Date: April 7, 2026

Going for broke turned out to be the most honest thing Slayyyter ever made. After financial losses and a depressive episode that left her ready to quit music entirely, Slayyyter entered the studio planning to make one final album. In this conversation, she traces how that desperation shaped every decision on Worst Girl in America. This conversation will leave you feeling Daddy AF. SONGS DISCUSSED Slayyyter – "Daddy AF" Slayyyter – "Brittany Murphy" Slayyyter – "Dance" Slayyyter – "Crank" Slayyyter – "Gas Station" Slayyyter – "Beat Up Chanels" Slayyyter – "Old Technology" Slayyyter – "Yes God" Slayyyter – "Unknown Lovers" Slayyyter – "Cannibalism" Slayyyter – "Actually Kind of Famous" Slayyyter – "What It's Like to Be Liked" Slayyyter – "Mine" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Burnout at work is a tale as old as time. Tale as old as time. But a new generation may have found the fix. We can learn so much from Gen Z and what they are teaching us about modeling the boundaries that would have prevented all of us from burning out in the first place. How to win the battle against burnout. That's this week on Explain It to Me. Find new episode Sundays wherever you get your podcast. If you're tired of endless scrolling to figure out where to eat, same.

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Welcome to Switched-on Pop. I'm songwriter Charlie Harding. I'm producer Rihanna. Sorry, I like kind of zoned out. Who are you? I'm producer Rianna Cruz. Zoned out producer Rihanna-Cruz. A few weeks ago, I sent you a message on Slack where I was like,

do we have any interest in the artist Slater, S-L-A-Y-Y-Y-T-E-R? And you wrote back, yes, I love Slater. Yes, with three S's, said that she's the Addison of 2026, FYI. And for what it's worth, I've been a fan since 2018. She seems to be poised for a big breakout this year. Who is Slater? What do I need to know? I stand by all of that still, by the way.

You're perked up. I think Slater's music is best exemplified by the track, Daddy A.F. All right, let's listen. I'll be fucking money. That went triple platinum on my Spotify in 2019. I don't know how I feel right now. Tell me how I should feel. Tell me more about what's going on.

What's happening with DaddyA.F. And Slater. Daddy A.F is kind of this pop cocktail where you listen to it. And I think it refracts all of these different genres. And you could pull whatever you want to pull out of it. Like I hear a lot of electro-clash. I hear a lot of second-wave hyperpop. I hear a lot of hip-hop influence and a lot of rap inspiration in that.

Slater has been making music for the better part of this decade. She moved from SoundCloud to mixtapes. I think of her mixtape Slater, self-titled in 2019 that had all these early singles on it, like Daddy A.F. She's released a couple of albums since then, Troubled Paradise in 2021, Starfucker in 2023, which is a great title. It is. Very L.A. Now she's out with a new record. called Worst Girl in America.

Great title. She is thinking on the top level when it comes to concept and aesthetic and infusing that in her music. You just said a lot of really smart things about a really visceral track, we could call it. Totally. But I think that's a lot of Slater's music.

It's very visceral. Like they're speaking from the id. Oh, yeah. Slater talks about, like, hedonistic desire on a lot of these songs, you hear it on Daddy A.F. But it's delivered in such a way that has a lot of conviction and it's fun to listen to. I think that's a cornerstone of Slater's music. It's fun and exciting while also tapping into like the most primal desires of, I don't know, the human. We all have those feelings. Yeah. I didn't know that I too needed to feel Daddy A.F.

I was going to say, Charlie, do you feel? Daddy is Fuck. As a podcaster, I don't know. Well, I'll have to process that some more. Who's listening to Slater? Well, what's funny is Daddy A.F. is kind of her quote-unquote breakout track. It was featured in both Bodies, Bodies, Bodies and Anora.

Great movies. Very different. Two great films that were watched by a lot of Gen Ziers. You know, I think her audience skews a little bit younger, club kid vibe. Yeah. Slater is one of those people, but she's always centered really well-crafted pop music. Like her influences are people like Britney Spears. A lot of her early songs do sound very Britney inspired.

And so the people that are listening to her love pop music, I think. There are people really invested in pop excellence, especially in this era where a lot of pop music feels lowest common denominator. Like, we're operating here with Slater on a high concept level, and the music is good, too. And I think those two things together make her a special artist to listen to. High concept hedonistic pop music. I feel like that's a really great launching pad. Yeah, exactly. Who's doing it like Slater? Very few. Let's find out. Slater, thank you for joining me. I really do appreciate it.

Yay! Okay, so you have this new project. It's called Worst Girl in America. Yes, sir. I'm only just getting to know you. You're very nice. Thank you. What's this title mean to you, though? I feel like it has a lot wrapped into it.

It's like a little part of being like from St. Louis, Missouri, feeling kind of like the trashy, annoying girl at the party a little bit. Or that title is like how I think about myself or how I feel sometimes. And there's kind of like a joke about it in a way that it. that it felt like the right title for this collection of music particularly just because I feel like this album kind of sums me up and I feel like that kind of sums me up as well

whether that's like true or not it's kind of like a funny thing like a funny badge of honor to wear being like I'm just the fucking worst you know. I like this idea of what's true and what's not I think we're going to get into some of this but I'm curious about

I'm sure there are many songs but is there any song that speaks to you that comes to mind right now that you feel like really exemplifies that quality? I think maybe I think Britney Murphy, the last song on the album, that's like a very personal song about kind of feeling like a failure. It feels very true to like feeling like the worst or feeling not good enough.

And I think that that is like, I wanted to end the album on that song for that reason. It kind of like, you know, all this like aggression and angry, like bitter energy. And then it kind of ends in this really personal sad kind of place. Wow. Yeah. It's a song about me. It's not really a song about Britney Murphy, but she inspires me a lot.

And I love the movie Uptown Girls. So I feel like that was like kind of an omic. was the title to her, but it's more of like a song about me and like my own depression and whatnot. Very powerful. Thank you. It's dark. It's heartfelt. Thank you.

You end the album that way, but you start in a really different place. Yeah. You start with a song called Dance. And yesterday I spoke with your collaborators, Nate Campany and Kyle Shearer, who goes the production duo, Valley Girl. And this is what they had to say about. about you. Oh my gosh, what? I love them. This is like, wow, they're just talking shit. They're like, she's a nightmare. She's one of those artists that before she shows up to the session, she has it all figured out. I love those guys. It's so funny. They're so nice. They've written some

of my favorite music in the world. Oh my gosh. They're the best. You lead the album with the song dance that you make with these guys. They say you have to all figured out. What is that process of making dance and why did you want to lead with that song? I don't really think of it. I don't really think it as having it like all figured out, figured out. But I guess in a way, I do kind of, I feel like I go into sessions with not just like visuals in my head, but like the inspiration is already kind of like poking out to me and forming what I want to make or like what directions I want to go into. But I think, you know, dance was like one of the earlier songs we made for this project. And I think I kept going into sessions showing that as like the reference of like, I just made this song. I want to pull.

this into like every other sound. And like I feel like everything sounds kind of different, but I was using that as like a through line. But I just, yeah, I just loved it. It opens with this long intro, kind of like says like greeting us into like a club environment maybe. Yeah. Lyrically, it's about a terrible experience. Yeah. Seeing someone when you're going out to have a good time who you don't want to see. Yeah. Yeah. I feel like that can happen a lot. But it's never so serious. I feel like the song sounds so dramatic. And it sounds like it's about someone that I really dislike. But the real story was just like,

I think someone, like, wanted to, like, creative direct for me and, like, reached out about doing that. And I was just like, this cheeseball. Like, I can do that myself. Like, I don't really think. I felt kind of insulted just because I was like, I feel like a lot of times, whether it's like, with, like, fashion or creative, people are always like,

I want to elevate you. And I'm like, I'm elevated, motherfucker. Like, don't you need help. Like, do you want me to help you? Like it pissed me off. And so I feel like I went in writing this song where like it was not that serious of a situation, but this song sounds so dramatic. And it's like, I hate you. Blah, blah, blah.

But it's like seeing those people out and you're just like, uh. But this song, like the long intro, everything about it, I kept wanting to like push against what I have heard a lot and everyone trying to shorten their songs down with like the whole, you know, TikTok wave of music, which is fine. Like I love a short track. But I got really into the idea of being like, we need to do. like these long extendo soul wax like intros. Like I kept being like a song needs to take a second to like get cooking. Like I kept saying that like exact phrasing. And I just yeah, like I think this song, it kind of like it unfolds and it feels like a movie scene in your head. And as soon as we made it, I saw like the music video and like the gunshot through the door sequence at the drop and like all these

different things. And yeah, it just felt kind of like a good intro to this album universe. And it's really tense. Every moment of the introduction is like these discordant intervals that are just making me like, oh my gosh, what's got to happen? I'm kind of feeling uncomfortable and you're waiting for, like, you need the beat to come in. Yeah. And that tension, I think, is what holds me in in that place. Yeah. Yeah. I want to know more about creating Slater. Kyle says, The distance between who she is as a person and like the character is like not that far in the best way. But, like, she also is, like, an amazing architect of the character. Like, her art brain is unbelievable.

Oh, my God. I love those guys. That is so nice. So how was Slater conceived and how does this, what does this name mean to you today? Honestly, it used to feel a little more conceived or more of, like, a character than it is now currently. My artist name comes from a movie Dazed and Confused. Wait, it does? Yeah, you know, the character Slater, catch you later, man.

I had such a crush on him in high school. I loved, like, stoner characters. I, like, I feel like in high school, everyone goes through that phase where you, like, you start smoking weed for the first time and you're just like, you're like, everything like stoner related is like the coolest shit to you. You start watching stoner movies. You like, like, everyone was wearing like the huff, like weed socks. Like, I was, like, obsessed with Daisy Confused and all of that.

And I just loved the character Slater. I love that word. And then when I became. more in touch with like the internet or building like an internet presence. I like made my username Slater and then I added the Y's because S-L-A-T-R was taken. Right. And I wanted my Instagram handles. And then everyone thought it was because of the word sleigh, but it's, you know, it's not.

What does having a pseudonym allow you to do? Before I even started making music, like friends would call me Slater in general just because that was like my Twitter username. Like that was kind of like a persona. It doesn't really feel like a character. I think on my first couple of projects, I've built more of like a fantasy person around my music where like this album feels a little bit more, you know, the class. I'm like, this is me being authentic. This is my authentic. Like, it's not. But it just, it feels more in line with me and it doesn't really feel like it's such a disconnect. It's almost like a nickname. It's just like a nickname. Like, when you're in high school and people are like, I don't know. In St. Louis, everyone has like ridiculous nicknames, I guess. Like, it's not really a different entity. So you frame this, this album is a little bit of a reset. It has a different sonic territory. Things are definitely.

edgier, a lot more distortion. Why the reset? I guess after my last project, I felt like I all these mishaps kept going on in my like music career. I had like a big, big financial loss and like issue with this previous merch company I was with. And it was like there were like articles about it. It was this whole crazy thing where it was like, you know, a bunch of people lost money and it was like the whole company went under, blah, blah, blah. But like got like screwed over on a bunch of money with that putting like so much of my own money into tour things just felt like they weren't working out it felt like i was always sinking money into stuff and like going into like debt or going into the hole and then having things shift music didn't feel like it was hitting off like my tour some of the

cities sold well but not all of them and so i just was so i was so over it and i was like you know what i don't have a college education maybe this isn't working out for me maybe i don't i don't want to be the girl who's like 35 and like had some internet clout like back in the day and like I'm still trying to like maybe I should just give up maybe this isn't for me and so I had like a really weird period a very depressed kind of like dark period where I was just like I'm like I'm over this like I don't want to do this anymore and I kind of made the internal plan of I'm going to go into the studio I'm going to make one more album I'm going to do one more album and roll out and maybe a tour if I can afford it like we'll see it how that goes but like I'm going to put everything

into this project. I'm going to go into the studio every day being like, if this is the last song people heard for me, would I be proud of that? I don't want to make anything that's like commercial sounding in any way. I want to work with just me and producers. I don't want to have any like extra top line songwriters in the mix. I want it to just be me and producer, writing and shaping the sound. I just kind of wanted to throw everything, throw caution to the wind and kind of create an album that I would be really proud of that I think is cool, not something that I think that I think my audience would like, not something that I think people would like necessarily. And it made me like not as afraid to tap into like screaming or like more like electronic like punk references or

being really distorted and like, you know, referencing like straight boy like rapper culture and things like that. I think I just kind of did my thing and it's been crazy the response on it all. Because I didn't think anyone would really fuck with it, I guess. You had a, oh, it's almost like going for broke attitude. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, like, kind of, I was like, this is my last hurrah. I just felt like things were really slowing down for me. And I think my previous project, I had so much hope that, like, everyone was like, oh, these songs are hits.

Like, this would be the breakthrough. And, like, you're told that, like, every time. And I was just like, why do I even care about, like, making hits? I was like, like, hair salon receptionist. Like, what is, like, what are we doing here? You know? I wanted to tap back into why I started making music in the first place, which is kind of, like, from a very nerdy place and not really caring about this song is, like,

written by a really big songwriter, or this is, like, a really cool thing. or this sounds like this, you know, yeah. There's so much rawness to this record in the sonics, in the lyrics. I feel like there's both lots of themes of like just absolute reckless hedonism. Yeah. But also songs of like longing and desire. We already heard a little bit of that. You know, Britney Murphy versus dance.

It's not personal, but it's a little bit more has got this sort of attitude. The difference between something like crank, which is like the most braggadocious over the top versus a song. like gas station. Yeah. Really different kind of attitudes representing. And I'm curious how you feel about representing sort of the different sides of your persona. Yeah, I feel like there's kind of two layers to me as an artist where like there's like a very tough like nonsensical lyric bars and just like 808 side of music I like to tap into.

And then there's kind of like a softer pop side that I also like as well. I can't really choose between the two. I feel like the first single for this rollout is like definitely, like, beat up Chanel's feels to me like it was like a perfect blend of both. Like the verses are very much that more aggressive, like kind of like rap side. The hook is like a softer, sadder, like saying the same things, but just like singing them in like a sad kind of longing way. Yeah. Yeah, I feel like everything still fits together, but I just, I always have liked tapping into both. I feel like every project I've made, there's always kind of like a little bit of like the spoken word, like a little bit of like the grit, but then also like I like a soft sad, you know, kind of pop song.

Yeah, beat up Chanel's in particular. There's just like this one line that really does it for me. I mean, so much of that song is just like sex, money, drugs. It's like rock and roll lifestyle. Yeah. Which is maybe unfortunately heard. as transgressive when it comes through the voice of not a male rocker from the 60s. Yeah.

But there's a sweetness in this song where I want beat up Chanel's. So first of all, just like the metaphor of like, I want to like have the nice things and like wear them in. Or not even that. I feel like it's more like I can't afford like Chanel out of the store. Like I'll take someone's like fucked up purse like from their cloth. Like I'll buy that off you for like 100 bucks. Like I want that. Like that's like luxury to me.

But then it's the next line. I want something for real. Yeah. Just like there's something about. The way that line hits the aggressiveness of the verses, and there's like this sort of sweetness in that one little line that I think it reveals it's not a caricature. Yeah. I feel like a lot of this album was me tapping back into my like teen years or like St. Louis teen years.

And to me like that line itself, like I want something for real. Like that sounds like a stoned like Missouri teenager being like I just want like I want bigger things in this man. Like blah blah blah. I feel like. Yeah. you know, I think that that song is, I feel like that song does have like a very sad quality to it just because even though the lyrics, like it starts with this like money drugs chains on my chest. And then I think when you re sing the that kind of part in like a softer, sadder way, like it's kind of like all the things that you like dream about or longing for like maybe feel unattainable to you. And I feel like that this like world like felt very unattainable to me when I was like younger. But like now that I'm like here or like in it like it's not like I wish it was the version I had in. my head when I was like a teenager, I guess. And I think that this song has kind of like a nostalgia for kind of like when you're younger

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Maybe I'm a god. Oh, yeah, I did. Well, I mean, I feel like this album, like I was inspired by the production of that album a lot. but I wasn't like referencing it like directly. Okay. Forget about that. Old technology. What does old technology do?

What is it communicating to you versus the world of the new technology that we live in today? I think it can represent a lot of things. I think that it feels to me like a metaphor for even like doing like drugs in a way that's like an old technology or like smoking weed out of like a water bottle bong or like whatever. Like I think that. EPA free, of course. BPA free. See, there's like a time where like I didn't even know what BPA was. We're talking about like pre the pre-BPA awareness days.

Yeah. But I think I don't know. Like I think when I was younger, I think that like everything with music or like the internet, like there was like something that felt so different about it than it feels now. I feel like everything is so at our fingertips, whether it's music streaming. You can listen to any song from any artist at any point whenever you want, wherever you are. And I think with AI photos, everything looks so perfect and retouched and like. poorless and like it's like so robotic and feels like and I feel like as everything gets more advanced, I think people naturally start to gravitate like backwards. We have like really high quality

cameras on our phones, but everybody likes the digital cameras now. And it's like more of a pain in the ass to like put the photos on your thing and upload that on Instagram. But I just think there's something about like vinyl or like listening to music on an iPod or even like I love like CD players listening to like a CD all the way through on like a Walkman. Like there's something that feels very charming about that. And I feel like it makes media feel like more of an experience, like, when you're listening to an album in that way, rather than when you can just like throw it on. I forget who this quote is from or like where I've seen this, but I think maybe it's just like a saying, but like convenience being like a killer, like convenience is the biggest

killer. I fully agree with that. I feel everything is just too easy. I just think, yeah, I feel like even with the mixing of this album, I was like, I don't want it to be mixed to perfection. Like, I want, I want things to, like, clip a bit. I want it to be a little, like, I wanted to, like, hurt the ears a little bit. I wanted to feel a little blown out in some places. Like, I didn't want it to be, like, everything is just so perfect these days and so mixed to perfection. Every image is so, like, airbrush to perfect.

Like, I just, I wanted to step into, like, a real or uglier place for this project. Which is a radical departure from your last album, which, you know, opens up with a song about sort of celebrating Hollywood. And Hollywood is, you know, and the album has some of the rough edges for sure, but a lot more like it's a really clean, big Hollywood polished kind of sound. Yeah. I want to talk about your vocal process. When I was talking with Nate and Kyle, they said that you are super tuned in to vocals. Again, like you go and know what you want.

I notice on the song, Yes, God, you let the drums push the voice out of the. the way. Yeah. Like, duct by the drums. Very powerful. Yeah. So I want to know more about how you approach making a vocal and also on this song, why you try to include that sort of push and pull back and forth between the instrumental and the vocal. Yeah, I think, you know, every song kind of requires a little something different. I feel like I don't really use one singular version of my voice either, which I feel like, you know, when I first started as an artist, there's always like pressure where it's like, what's your sound and like, what's your voice? but I feel like I have so many different

almost like accents or like versions of like how I sing and how I like rap, how I talk. I like call it like tweak or twang a little bit. Like on some songs like crank, like it's like a little bit of like Missouri and like kind of like a grading like like you know what I mean? Like I feel like it just feels like different personalities

but like I think every song requires something a little bit different. I think with this album every single session I was like distortion, distortion like throw the distortion on. I don't really love like clocky like auto tune as much. I feel like the distortion makes your voice like crackle and like you can lean into it in different ways with like screaming and it just like I just love the way it sounds. I love the way that like harsh things like sound in my ears. So that's probably has a lot to do with why this album turned out the way it did. But you then also have like the opposite with like unknown lovers is a song where it's

very airy and light. And it's the exact opposite of a song like crank which is just in your face that sort of brassy distorted sound. Yeah for sure. Both have distortion, though, which is funny. It's more of like a telephone kind of vocal on unknown lovers. But yeah, I think that's like with this project, especially putting Unknown Lovers after Yes God, it's like this like screaming like the end of the song is like this electronic breakdown. And then it's almost kind of like funny like the needle drop into like, burn you a CD. Like it comes down to this like little soft little like, you know, girl in her bedroom having a crush place.

Yeah, I feel like I approach vocals differently for every song, but the through line is just like whatever it needs or like whatever the song kind of is kind of like what personality comes out. So it's almost like, like, yes, God is like talking shit. So it's like louder and like more aggressive and like I'm just like screaming bloody murder. And then Unknown Lovers is kind of like this insecure. Like I hope he likes me back kind of like crush song. And it's like a little more like timid. The vocals feel like a little more like shocked. I guess, but I feel like vocal processing, like I can't even record unless the vocal processing

on the mic is like somewhat what it will end up being like. We always like change things around, but I need all these different things just to like hear it and like lean into recording it right. I feel like it helps the performance better. And everything to me is about like the performance. There's like a liveliness and like a magic to it that way, I guess. The sound of the vocal deeply informs how you're going to perform the vocal, which affects the emotion that we perceive of the vocal. Absolutely. Like if I recorded cannibalism with like no distortion on it and just like did my verses and then had them put it on after, I probably wouldn't have been like, like, ah, like, hit-da-da. You know what I mean?

Like it doesn't make you like cry or like wine or crackle your voice in the same way, I guess. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. There's these two somewhat confessional songs. Maybe that's the right word. Maybe the wrong word. I'm actually kind of famous.

I'm actually kind of famous. And what it's like to be liked. Yeah. Can you tell me about those? I feel like actually kind of famous is almost like a joke. I definitely don't feel famous. I feel like the song, though, it almost feels like you're having like a bad acid trip. And like someone, whether it's me or someone talking to me is like cornering your room being like, you know, like, I'm actually like, I'm kind of a big deal.

Like it's like one of those. It's the worst girl in the world kind of attitude. It's the worst girl in the world attitude. I'm so not that person. But to me like the actual worst girl in the world in America or whatever is like someone who like thinks they're hot shit like that. And like sometimes I feel like I go back and forth to where I'm like, nobody cares about me. Like no one likes me. Nobody wants to play with me on the playground.

And then I'll have this flip where I'm like, I'm the greatest artist that ever lived and you're all wrong. Like I don't know if that's like mania or like what, but I get into these swings of like false confidence. And then I think that song kind of comes from like a drunk punisher at a party kind of like mentality. So it's like either I'm saying that to someone or someone saying that to me. but it could be one and the same. And I feel like the whole way that it unlocks, like it's just spoken word the whole time, but I just feel like it feels like a funny,

it feels like you're getting cornered in a bathroom and some girls like, I never said that like you're having auditory hallucinations. Like the whole thing is just like a waste. It just feels like unhinged. I did have the feeling St. Louis was a big influence of making this record. A lot of the sounds to me sound like

what happens in a really dirty New York City club bathroom. And I mean that in the most positive way. It's just like it's unbridled. It's grungy. It's like everything is happening at the same time. Yeah. There's a little of that energy on there. I would argue that people like everyone like when you think of like nightlife in like major cities like New York or L. everyone's like, oh, the party. People in the Midwest, I promise you like drink crazier. I've seen it with my own tune eyes. I've been the criminal. I've been the culprit. I've been like yes to like the dirty New York bathroom, but like dirty St. Louis bathroom, go get out, get out now. You know what I mean? It's not safe. It's not safe. The drugs are not what people say. The alcohol is stronger somehow. I don't know. I don't know the science behind it, but I always say I'm like, I get drunk in a way that is not normal in like when I drink in St. Louis. I don't know if the pouring is heavier. I don't know if there's like some kind of like government, if they're putting something in the liquor bottles out there. I don't know what it is like it is just crazy. Yeah. But what about like in comparison to like what it's like to be liked, which is, maybe title-wise dealing with a similar kind of feeling.

Yeah. But presenting that same concept in a very different way. I feel like that song almost feels like two truths in a lie or two lies in a truth where it's, I feel like the lyrics being so like I look stunning and like I live in a mansion and I get designer. It's like those are all such false things to like me and my life. But I feel like when you hear those like lyrics, it's kind of on this like sad kind of like brooding beat. And then it gets into like. me like being a little more real being like oh like everyone thinks I'm a loser everyone thinks I'm a cheap copy of other artists like I want to die I want to like just spend every last time of

my money and like move back in with my mom like that is kind of where it ends on but it starts with this very like false narrative of like bullshit which I think as an artist everyone tries to put on you are though a little bit on a bit of a roller coaster these songs have been received very positively have been some of the most successful rollouts of your career you made something going for broke have made things that are really resonating with folks. What are you hoping to leave people with? And maybe at the same time, what are you wanting to get out of this? I just want to keep creating, like, constantly. I feel so addicted to making visuals. I've always been a very artsy kid, like, whether it was drawing or, like, making little, like, shorts that I would see on Tumblr and

like rhinestoning stuff. Like, I just, I love creating stuff. I want to keep doing that for the rest of my life as long as possible. I hope that what people take away from like this rollout, especially artists or people that are in any kind of like creative zone is that, you know, I was almost done with this album, signed it to, signed to a major to like release it all. And like, yes, I did have like budget for the first time to like play around with. But the approach was really more like DIY than I think people would realize. It felt like making things with my friends constantly. So I would hope that people or smaller artists realize that you don't need to like fluff up your your visual, your creative world with like so much to make something compelling, like to make a compelling visual. Just like think about what your music evokes out of you.

Like think in your head when you hear your song like what does it make you think of and like approach that. Like have your friend grab a camera and like just go shoot stuff and like try stuff and like make things and get your hands in there. Like make your own costumes. Like don't always leave it. I feel like I feel like the magic. of this album is that it's not, like, leave everything up to, like, teams and, like, have, like, final approval at the end. It's, like, every, all of us, like, made this together. You know what I mean? I hope people feel inspired to, like, make their own stuff and make their own things in their

own way and know that you don't need, like, money to do so or budget to do so. It's just, like, a creativity thing, you know? Yeah. I so appreciate the call to just keep on creating. Yeah. It's something I most admire in my favorite musicians. Yeah. Oh, thanks. Slater, thank you so much for chatting with me. Thank you for having me. And thank you, Nate and Kyle. Shout out to Nate and Kyle. Aren't they delightful?

For their phone in. It was really fun to chat with them. Rianna, I got to say, after my conversation with Slater, feeling a little bit more daddy AF. I'm glad. It's always great to hear somebody is converted to the daddy A.F lifestyle. She's spectacular. Yeah. Really, really dig this record.

Its job is to make us feel things that we don't always articulate, I feel like. When I listen to it, I was honestly really. shocked by the vocal dexterity that she has on this album. Wow. Yeah. There's multiple tracks on here where I was very surprised at how she sounds. I'm like, you don't sound like the Slater I know and love. And that's great, you know?

She's trying new things. She's really reaching new heights with this project. I'm excited to see where she goes. Yeah. It's one of those things where I remember sometimes I would walk into like a L.A. art gallery and see a thing on a wall, be like, whoa, really glad I did not come to this show with my mom. But then you're like, oh, but this is like really thoughtful and challenging work, even though its sort of first impression is like hit you in the face with something really over the top.

Totally. And I feel like that's what I'm getting from her work. It's just as sensitive as it is hedonistic. Exactly. And I think that's what she does really well and has always done really well. You hold Daddy A.F. next to a song like mine, which is so. so sweet and saccharine and the two can exist alongside each other. And I think that's really special. Contains multitudes.

Switched on pop is produced by Rana Cruz, edited by Alyssa Sop, engineer by Brandon McFarland, illustrations by Iris Gottlieb, video by Nick Rips, music by Zach Tenario, and Jossi Adams of Arc Iris. Remember the Vox Media Podcast Network, production of Vulture, which is part of New York Magazine. You can subscribe at NYMag.com slash pod. We'll be back again next week with another show. And until then, thanks for listening.