Mothica: Interview

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/mothica

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mckzzz

Bandcamp: http://mothica.bandcamp.com/

How has your life changed from moving to Oklahoma to New York? 

It changed drastically. But not in the way people assume. Most people assume coming from Oklahoma, I wasn't exposed to any new music or fashion or culture. Thanks to the internet, I had all these things and found cool bands and don't have a southern accent unless I'm excited, haha! It was a drastic change because for the first time, I was a stranger. Oklahoma is a very small knit community and there is some amazing art and music, but I thought if I tried to join in, it wouldn't be welcomed. It's strange how a city of ten million people felt more welcoming, or rather, comforting. I felt like I could be myself without a single person having a preconception or giving a judgmental glance. New York is too busy to care and that inspires me to constantly create something new and shed what is old. 

The goals I set for myself in Oklahoma were big, but after being in New York for just over one year, I've realized I can push them even further and it feels amazing to say that.

Can you describe growing up in Oklahoma as a child?

Oklahoma City is a fine place. It's a lot more liberal than people think, especially in Oklahoma City there is an amazing art and music scene. The Flaming Lips are from Oklahoma and having been their neighbor, I got to be in music videos and see their studio space and feel inspired by their wackiness. (It's amazing, there are pink trees and live peacocks.) My mom had to travel a lot for work and she took me with her as a child so seeing other places definitely shaped my view of the world. A lot of traditional views still exist in Oklahoma and it's been nice to get away from that… I don't think I'll ever move back. I want to find a happy medium between small town and busy city. 

What is "gloompop"? 

Gloompop is a genre I made up and want to manifest in my own music. I've described it as "danceable depression." I don't feel like a lot of my songs online right now are what I'd describe it as, but what my unreleased music is trying to achieve. I describe it as catchy songs that have a dark theme. The simplicity of pop lyrics sometimes ruin songs for me, i.e. "I'm addicted to your heart is like an 808 drum." I don't think gloompop always has to be sad, but it has to be genuine.

How has Superhumanoids, Lykke Li, and Wild Belle inspired your work?

 

Lykke Li's first album Youth Novels spoke to me back in 2008 when I was only fourteen. The beats are ultra simplistic, often just drums and mallet sounds and then Lykke Li's voice singing about dancing alone, unrequited love, etc. The melodies are so interesting to me and I still listen to it often. Wild Belle and Superhumanoids are totally different genres from each other but lyrically interesting. They both approach percussion in innovative way.  I saw Wild Belle live a few years ago and she's not only gorgeous but sings in a raspy voice over unfamiliar 'world music' beats and samples. 

What would you say most of your songs are about? 

This is really cheesy, but a lot of my songs are written like love songs but not to a person. I sing a lot about wanting someone to leave me alone, like in my song Visions, I sing: 

"i found you under my spell

you were curled up like the winter

i found me trying to get out of this place

i found you trying to smother me with all your presents and all your visions

i found you calling me your own name

i won't carry you" 

and I'm not singing to someone in particular, but to dealing with depression and an inevitable sadness that I fall into. So, a lot of my songs are love songs about not wanting sadness to take over me. I guess that theme is pretty prevalent when I'm writing songs lately so I gravitate towards it, but I want to write songs that aren't so heavy. It can be exhausting reliving previous feelings when I listen to my own songs and remember how I was feeling that day.

How do you think your first live performance went on SPF420?

http://www.spf420.com/

I thought I did horribly but I got nothing but love from everyone watching. Spf420 brings out some of the nicest, most talented musicians on the internet, and it is really something special. I think almost 200 people tuned in. I was so prepared and rehearsed constantly but as much as I tried to calm myself, my heart was beating so hard I felt my necklace shaking and I think it reflected in my voice. I'm not confident about my singing and I always worry people are going to say something awful about it but no one has yet so I'm trying to be less hard on myself.

In which ways do you plan to improve your live performances when you're in a public venue?

I still want to hyperventilate when I think about performing live but I have tons of ideas for it artistically. I study web programming in school so I've been thinking about projected visuals for my music, programming lights. I have tons of ideas for cultivating my aesthetic, but the performance aspect is something I need to work on. I don't want to play shows until I'm really ready. I need to find my Beyonce alter ego and let go of performance anxiety this year!

Lastly what can we expect with your new EP?

You're not going to hear sad, chill songs like a lot of my songs on Soundcloud. I love collaborating with people because it creates so many sounds but that means my songs are all over the place. A lot of people don't know that I can produce and that's what I want to show. I'm going to experiment with electric guitar, and see how it manifests itself.  It's going to be the first chapter of what Mothica is, and 100% me, I just have to start writing and see what happens.