Payday's new EP, P.U.K.E TAPES VOLUME 3, is out now! We chat to the musician about the release and so much more!
Image: Alexandra Gavillet
Earlier this year, 17-year-old, Cali-born and based artist, rapper and songwriter Payday shared P.U.K.E TAPES VOLUME 3. We caught up with the artist to chat about the release, working with Jackboy, creating during the pandemic and so much more!
With production from SickDrumz, Andy M from Death Grips, Wilie Tafa, Peter Lalich and Nick “Unknown Nick” Audino, the musician brings spitting lyrics and her signature quick wit to the four-track release, atop commanding, genre-defying soundscapes.
Inspired by everything from Tyler, The Creator, Lil Uzi, OutKast, and Kanye to Charlie XCX, Paramore and My Chemical Romance, Payday immersed herself in poems and lyrics, raps and beats from an early age, playing an instrumental role in the artist we see and hear today. Having spent most of 2020 writing and recording music, Payday has three EP's under her belt, with the promise of more new music coming soon,
P.U.K.E TAPES VOLUME 3 is out now! Read our interview with Payday below.
Could you tell us a bit about how you began your musical journey, and your background in music?
Saw other kids my age were doin it and even without a single musical bone in my body decided to try it! Fell in love with it and it eventually became a great escape for me.
Congratulations on the release of P.U.K.E TAPES VOLUME 3! Could you tell us a bit about your creative process when writing and recording songs? And when it comes to this EP, how did you curate the four tracks?
Picking the four tracks for each P.U.K.E TAPE is like smacking a piñata and choosing the four most random candies. As for my creative process, I really get inspired by anything and everything. Just see some shit and write a bar about it.
Can you break down the meaning behind each song for us and how do the ideas for each song come to you?
Sometimes it’s the beat that inspires the song. So for Dolphin we used sounds from the ocean, so of course i had to make the song about being a dolphin. Big Boy was just everything on my mind in that moment, all strategically arranged into a song. Cry is a message for the toxic boys who think crying is a sign of weakness. Meow God is how I really feel, nothing scares me not even a higher power (actually horses are pretty scary tbh).
How did you create the sonic sounds present on the EP? And how do you think your overall sound evolved throughout the creation of P.U.K.E TAPES VOLUME 3?
My confidence definitely grew as we kept making more music.
How did the EP evolve and change as you were creating it, and were there any tracks left on the cutting room floor that you think might have a life in the future?
Of course! I have so many songs it’d feel like a waste to not get em out some day.
Who or what are your influences when writing new music? What inspires you?
Sometimes if I find a weird word or a word you just don’t hear everyday i try to fit it into a bar, for example in meow god when i say “Hyperhidrosis“.
Things have changed in the world over the past year, how do you feel you as an artist worked in the midst of a worldwide pandemic, did you encounter any challenges, or did it perhaps allow you the time and space to explore a whole new sphere within your creative world?
I hate it all tbh but who doesn’t? hahah. I dropped out and moved to LA to pursue my new life and it got fucked because of the pandemic. I don’t care, I’m still gonna give the world a sloppy tongue kiss - no mask needed.
Can you tell us a bit about the process of developing the videos? Every song is accompanied by a really cool visual, how involved are you in the development of this?
There’s like four or five videos that I fully came up with and directed, and then there’s some where I created the concept and got help along the way. It’s just putting the correct visual to the way the music makes people feel
If P.U.K.E TAPES VOLUME 3 was a pre-existing piece of art, which artwork would it be and why?
Probably The Scream painting by Edvard Munch because that shit creepy but still high energy and surreal.
You’ve just released a new remix of Beam, featuring Jackboy! How did this collaboration come about and what do you think he brings to the track to take it to a new level?
Jackboy gives the track an authentic feeling and his verse goes alongside mine really well, as far as telling more of the story.
What can we expect from you next? Will there be another Volume in the P.U.K.E TAPES?
Hmmm not exactly. Expect mediocrity and you shall receive greatness.
With everything that’s been happening in the world touring has changed, what are your 2021 touring plans, what can fans expect from a live show, and is there a chance we’ll see you performing in Australia when you are able to do so?
Fuck yeah i wanna perform everywhere, especially Australia! I think I’d definitely tear it up and it’s great exercise.
RAPID FIRE
Biggest influences?
Lil Uzi Vert and Jack Stauber
Dream collaboration?
Lil Uzi Vert
Album that has had the most impact on you?
Probably Goblin or that other Tyler joint Wolf ? can’t remember
How do you define your musical style in 3 words?
Just for fun.
A release you’re most looking forward to in 2021?
A song called Ode to Soulja Gurl.
If you could create the soundtrack for any film, which one would it be?
My own duhhhh. Netflix hit me up ASAP, I need to talk.
Album you would listen to on repeat on a road trip?
Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge by My Chemical Romance
Last concert you went to?
It was a festival that Tyler, The Creator performed at in Seattle
If you were a Spice Girl, what would your spice nickname be?
Salty Spice
Guilty music pleasure?
Sometimes I cry to Kodak Black
If you could support any artist on tour, who would it be?
I think Joji's fans would like me.
An artist you think has had the most influence on the music industry?
Tyler, The Creator or Andre 3000.
What advice would your current self, give your future self, for a year from now?
Get your shit together, nothing is worth more than your success.
The moment you knew you wanted to be a musician?
When i started seeing it actually impact others.
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