Q&A: MO•LOUIE IS 'ISO ISO BORED' WITH BRAND NEW SINGLE
Special guest writer Abbey Stone sits down with electronic sass queen Mo•Louie as she celebrates the release of her new single, 'Iso Iso Bored'.
Q. Congratulations on the new release! 2020 has been rough and we can all relate to being bored! Have you picked up any new hobbies or interests you might not have without being isolated?
Gracias Abbey! Yes, it definitely has been, and continues to be extremely rough! I’ve picked up a few random interests and hobbies. I’ve learnt how to contour my face! Haha, it’s extraordinary, you can give yourself a facelift basically…wish I had discovered this earlier! I’ve also made the leap and started producing for other people which is super scary but a good skill to practice during these times. Ooooo! And my favourite one is that I’ve taken up boxing, which I love! And suggest this for all the little angry Italians out there, it’s very satisfying! Haha.
Q. We love to see a strong female behind the mixing desk and in the production credits! Did you always know that you would eventually self-produce and what does it feel like to call yourself a producer?
I love seeing women in the production and engineering world! Sadly, there aren’t many of us, I believe we make up around 5% of the industry which is nuts! I’ve always had a love of creative direction and knew that I would pursue something to do with that. I mean most artists, although not behind the computer, are also producers. For me personally I have a heavy influence on my vocal production, transition and creative ideas, so in a sense I have always been wearing a producer hat. This time, physically producing on logic, I have a lot more control and freedom and I don’t have to rely on anyone. It feels extremely liberating to release something that I have produced!
Q. 'Iso Iso Iso Bored' is quite a departure from 2017's "Fire Brick". Is this a result of experimentation during lockdown, or the beginning of a whole new sound for you?
Good Question! It’s quite different hey! Since I started my production course at Collarts I feel my music has changed a lot. Also since my last release I have been writing so much music, Youthfire and I have written over 100 songs together, so I’ve really been exploring different music and relentlessly working on my craft since then. It’s made a big jump to electronic, I feel that this song and the other songs that will be on my mixtape (coming soon) are a collection of ideas that have been refined, kind of like J Dilla ‘Donuts’.
Q. The pulsing, electronic elements of the track put me in the deep haze of a sticky and glowing rave. What, other than boredom, inspired this sound?
I have been watching and re-watching aaaaaaaa llllllloooooootttttt of Rupaul’s Drag Race during lockdown. Drag is such an amazing art, it celebrates absurdities and pushing oneself out of their comfort zone artistly, that really inspired me for this project, as you may pick up in the song ;)
Q. You have said that 2020 has given you the "freedom to get comfortable with being uncomfortable". What helped you get to that point?
I’m literally not even joking Rupaul’s Drag Race has changed my life. I feel like I’m now giving permission for the weird ideas in my head to be celebrated, instead of being self-conscious about it. I learnt a lot about self-love watching the show. I also felt because I was shut away from the world a bit, I didn’t have anyone saying anything negative about my music I was just creating and trusting myself and stopped seeking validation or notes from other people. I know I have so much to learn still as a producer, but it was kind of nice to not give a fuck what anyone thought and just enjoy the process! I’ve learnt a lot from my friends Youthfire, Louv & Atalein who are also producers, they have been so supportive during this process. Having those chickens around to lift me up and just support and trust my vision has definitely helped me with my confidence to release these songs.
Q. What can we expect from your brand new mixtape?
You can expect chaos, calmness, obscurities, dance parties, sob stories and dreams.
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