Rising indie pop star Sizzy Rocket is back with a brand new BabyDaddy-produced single which takes her signature tongue-in-cheek spit and melds it with a sweet, synth-laden hook, making for a song worthy of as much buzz as her viral Beastie Boys'"Girls" cover.
Written on the fly about an actual encounter with her "bestie," Sizzy plays with typically "male" tropes and flips the narrative, painting herself as the womanizer who isn't afraid to explore her sexuality and take what she wants. We caught up with Sizzy, who you can hear on Flosstradamus' new single "Don't Trip" with Run the Jewels, and who is currently writing with Diplo and DJ Khalil, to talk feminism, flaunting her body and creating an entire hook out of the word "fuck."
Tell me a little about the process of writing "Bestie." Did you set out to do something with a tongue-in-cheek narrative?
Actually, when I first got to the studio that day I intended on writing something darker and more serious -- I think I referenced "Zero" by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. But Scott [Hoffman aka producer BabyDaddy] pulled up that synth sound, the one you hear in the beginning, and I just started writing these really hilarious lyrics about something that had actually happened to me the night before. The song materialized in like, an hour and we were just laughing and having so much fun with it. I never come to the studio with a clear concept or pre-written lyrics because I want my songs to happen spontaneously - the best ones usually happen that way.
A lot of your work (like last year's cover of the Beastie Boys'"Girls") addresses an industry double standard that tends to pit female sexual agency against "catering to the male gaze." How does "Bestie" tackle this issue?
"Bestie" is a tricky one because instead of fighting the male gaze and pointing to it, I chose to embody it. I love the idea of the American man, that masculinity, that machismo. There's a very intense masculine side to my art and I love taking on roles in my songs that are usually reserved only for men -- the kingpin, the heartbreaker, the CEO, the rockstar, and in this case, the womanizer. I think "Bestie" in particular sheds light on the specific issue you mentioned by making a parody of the male gaze and applying it to my own girl-on-girl situation. But don't get me wrong, I take my femininity very seriously too. I want to look a certain way and flaunt my body and post nude pictures and talk about kissing girls because it makes me feel sexy and I am empowered by it, not because I'm trying to please a certain audience.
You also make some really interesting stylistic choices in the song, because while it's very accessible at first listen, there's obviously a strongly sardonic vibe underlying the entire track, expletives and all. Can you talk a little about that?
I love the dichotomy of a sweet melody with a biting lyric -- something that makes you want to rewind and say, "Uhhhh did she just say that?" Pop music has a reputation for being very safe and I wanted to see how far I could push it, like, writing a hook completely composed out of the word "fuck." I want to make sure that I'm always bringing something to the pop conversation, whether it's exploitative or cynical or racy. I'm inspired by shock and camp, which I think pop artists usually stray from. The goal is to startle you, and turn you on, and make you uncomfortable so you can learn something about yourself from your reaction. Underneath that layer of sweetness and accessibility there is definitely something darker, violent even -- with "Bestie" it's about sexual identity, reaction and how I'm supposed to behave as a pop star.
