What does releasing “ego” as your first solo single represent for you personally and creatively after years of major collaborations?
I think what excites me most is continuing to paint the picture of who bbyclose is. There’s a lot of people out there who know all the words and can sing along to my songs but they don’t necessarily know me. ‘ego’ feels like a chance to really introduce myself and to bring people into this fun, playful, dreamy and bright world.
You’ve worked with some of dance music’s biggest names — how did stepping out on your own change your approach to songwriting and production?
It’s really no different! I think that I feel that all my collaborations could also just be bbyclose tunes on their own. A lot of my melodies I start at home and bring them into the studio. ‘Kisses’ was a melody I came up with in 15 mins on my piano one afternoon and I had it for months before I brought it into the studio. With
‘Craving 4 U’ the entire first line and melody came to me on a walk around St Pauls in London. Whether it’s a song for me or with someone else, I always just try to write something that speaks to me and from there I let the rest fall into place.
“ego” feels both sleek and defiant — how did you want listeners to feel when they first hear it?
Like a bad fucking bitch honestly!
There’s a balance of vulnerability and power running through the track — how do you explore that tension in your music and persona?
I’ve always been interested in characters who have juxtaposing characteristics, the way someone can be so confident and still be shy. That’s reality for most people I feel, to be a little bit of everything. So I always try to have some contrast – whether it’s sonic or lyrical friction, because the space in between feels interesting and thought provoking.
Having already shaped global hits like “Kisses,” what was most liberating about crafting something that’s purely yours?
Honestly it’s been getting to choose the team involved with me. From my label team to my creative team, I have been able to surround myself mostly with women. My team and I have a level of communication and synergy that I’ve never really experienced before and I feel really lucky to have that. We work hard, play hard and are really united in what we are trying to do.
How has your experience in the club scene and working with producers like Sub Focus and FISHER influenced your solo sound?
I feel so lucky to have been able to observe and learn from DJs who have really put in their 10,000 hours to hone their craft. Both Sub and FISHER have created such worlds for themselves and it’s inspiring. I’ve always been a club goer and been able to picture my songs in those settings, but this summer I got to see Sub drop ‘On&On’ at Ally Pally, and Fisher play ‘Blackberries’ to a crowd of maybe 10,000 people at Greenwich Docklands. To see my voice and my words on that big of a stage is not something I’ve ever seen before and it helped me envision how my own bbyclose songs would fit into that landscape.
Confidence seems central to this new era — what does confidence mean to you when it comes to being a woman in dance music?
Confidence to me is remembering that you are the magic. You bring the magic and to never let anyone make you question or doubt your magic. Us girls have to stand up for ourselves and our inherent magic.
You’ve said this marks a “fully formed creative era.” How would you describe the world or vision of bbyclose that’s emerging from “ego”?
FUN. FUN. FUN. SILLY. FEMININE. CONFIDENT.
As an artist blurring the lines between pop and underground energy, what do you think defines the sound of this next generation?
I think lyrical identity is going to be such a defining factor and identifier for any artist who is looking to be part of this next wave of music.
What’s coming next after “ego,” and how do you plan to build on the momentum of this debut into 2025?
Next year is going to be really fun… We’ve just decided on my next single which is a song I adore and one that truly waves the flag for the bbyclose spirit. There’s a couple collabs which I know people have been waiting on and i’m really excited for them to finally have and I’m also looking forward to start playing some live sets and digging into that world more.
