Los Angeles artist Remi Wolf excels in flamboyantly stylish pop bops that are unlike anyone else.
Words: Sam Taylor. Photo: Meredith Traux.
Remi Wolf isn’t dull. Not even slightly. Between the ages of 7 and 17, she trained as a competitive skier, but now makes the kind of weird, wonderful, free-wheeling pop-funk that brightens up even the greyest of skies. Committed to a Day-Glo aesthetic that sits outside of your standard genre boundaries, whatever she does over the next year, it certainly won’t be boring.
Hi Remi, how’s it going? What are you up to today?
Hey! I am pretty much doing nothing. I ate spaghetti; I’m drinking a Red Bull, I made a Tik Tok, and I’m smoking anxiety cigarettes.
It feels like you’ve had a very exciting 2020, what’ve been your highlights?
Super rollercoaster type year. SO many ups and downs. I think I am most excited that people are really liking my music. And I’m working on new music which feels really therapeutic. I have a lot of processing to do, and I wanna get it all out in my art.
What is it about your music that draws so many people to it, do you think?
My music is truly an extension of myself. It’s my raw and honest expression of how I am feeling. So I think people may be drawn to that honesty. BUT I really don’t fucking know, haha.
How have you found working on new music during the past few months? Have’ world events’ impacted you much there?
I had a couple of months in there where I was incredibly inspired. I think the state of the country, the world and COVID19 have forced me to make major lifestyle changes, start taking way better care of myself and the people I love. I am having a good time talking about all that change and growth in my writing.
It feels like despite everything a lot of musicians have released really good EPs and records this year, what’ve been your standouts?
I’m obsessed with SAULT. Both of their ‘Untitled’ albums they released this year are incredible to me. ‘Fetch The Bolt Cutters’ by Fiona Apple is stunning. ‘Folklore’ by T Swift really got me good. I love every song BENEE puts out. Foushee is sick af, too.
You’ve written a little for other acts in the past, how did those opportunities come up? Is it something you’re going to do more of in future?
Most of them have been pretty random. How it’s gone in the past is I will have had written a song, and for some reason, it won’t feel totally right for my project. And then for some reason or another artists will have heard the song and liked it and then we kinda go from there. I’m definitely interested in doing more writing for other artists in the future. But right now, I am totally focused on making an album that I am completely and utterly proud of.
Has the boost from playlists, TikTok and the like gone some way to making up for the lack of gigs this year, do you think?
Yes and no. People are definitely hearing my music on a bigger scale because of playlisting and apps like that, and nothing can replace that level of online exposure. But still, nothing compares to playing live and actually connecting with people in person. It’s the best feeling in the world. I miss that much, just being sweaty and singing my fucking head off and dancing and screaming and hanging out. The internet stuff feels way more detached and cyborg-y.
Do you have much in the diary for 2021 yet? Planning must be pretty difficult at the moment.
It’s so hard to plan, but I have a bunch of stuff pencilled in in case the world opens up – and a bunch of secret things I am making regardless… Honestly, though, I really need to find a place to live because I have been drifting around California for most of quarantine and my top priority is settling down in a spot so I can feel comfy living my life, lol.
If you could wave a magic wand and have anything in the world happen during the next 12 or so months, what would you go for?
I want love to enter everyone’s hearts and heal all pain. And I want Trump out of office; he’s an evil little elf.
Taken from the December 2020 / January 2021 issue of Dork, out now.
