Artist Interview: Slayyyter
As the year winds down and we are preparing to write a 19 instead of an 18 on everything, there is one artist that hasn’t stopped catching attention of "stan" twitter—Slayyyter (yes, all 3 y’s are supposed to be there). At first sight, Slayyyter looks like your average Malibu Barbie trapped in her Macbook, but what lies beneath is an eclectic arrangement of music and taste of a forgotten era.
Titled by TheFader.com as ‘the future of pop music’, it’s safe to say the new pop starlet has already made an impression only a few months into the game. But how you may ask? In 2018, where anybody with an iPhone and Garageband can become a rapper or musician, how did Slayyyter find a niche that spoke to her and turned it into her own?
Starting from the beginning of her career, her first release titled ‘BFF’ featured pop wild child and common collaborator Ayesha Erotica. This song was the first glance into Slayyyter’s mind and her idea of pop music. With an all pink, glamorous, and slightly bitch-y demeanor in her lyrics and voice it’s obvious that this is Slayyyter’s world and we are all just living in it. But in the same way Britney, Lindsay, and Paris all did it in 2007 with their designer looks, short skirts and blonde locks, Slayyyter is doing it just
as good and everyone is living for it.
“Bff” itself also sparks many similarities to the classic dance artist Cascada and mid 2000’s era of Britney Spears. After release, the song soon started to capture attention of the "stan" Twitter community. They then started to make memes using the song to tell their friends & mutuals in group chat all about Slayyyter and her music. All this work started to garner hype for Slayyyter which meant the future was only going to be brighter.
After that release, September 2018 became the month of Slayyyter. Each Sunday, fans of the star got a brand new track, some that would later appear on her debut album (commonly referred to as S1). ‘Slayyyter Sundays’ helped gain Slayyyter more and more momentum in the "stan" twitter world, broadening her fan base. That month, fans got new songs “Ghost”, “I’m High”, “Platform Shoes”, and fan favorite “Candy”. “Candy” specifically garnered a lot of attention for it’s risqué lyrics (“my p**** tastes sweet like candy”) and it’s mesmerizing beat. The track has been compared to Blackout-era Britney Spears and Kelis’ “Milkshake”
by Paper Magazine, which isn't inaccurate at all.
By releasing a new track every week, Slayyyter kept her audience anticipating and buzzing more and more that at this point the hype for Slayyyter would never stop. Soon enough, the star would start getting attention from Grimes, Kim Petras, Lil Aaron, and she even got a spot on Charli XCX’s regularly updated Spotify playlist which displays the ‘future of pop music’.
What is it about Slayyyter that has attracted so many people? Whether she was found through a group chat or a video they saw on their timeline, it seems fans’ connection with Slayyyter goes deeper than just a typical artist-to-fan relationship. Spencer, who has personally worked with Slayyyter on their song “Dial Tone”, says “She’s different because she feels a lot more real than other pop stars. She’s glamorous but at the same time very human”. Nowadays it seems having a relationship with your fans is everything and showing your honest self is the way you achieve a real connection in our digital age.
Releasing music independently has been a key point as to what has made Slayyyter Slayyyter. Matt (Twitter user: @mxtt_b) says “Slayyyter is different than other pop stars in that I guess she’s doing it on her own, there’s no label or someone making decisions, she’s just living life and making music how she wants. It almost makes her more like a “real human” in a way.”
With her highly anticipated debut album coming out Spring 2019, fans have been quick to voice their need for S1. The newest single from the album, “Alone” will be available on December 12th for fans. In a 15 second snippet posted to both Slayyyter’s Twitter and Instagram story, fans were teased with Britney style runs, backed with a mysterious and intriguing beat. The track is described to be “a revenge track”.
With future plans for a physical release of S1 and merch launches for fans. This will not be the last time we hear from Slayyyter. Read below for our interview with the up-and-coming pop princess.
What is your inspiration or outlook behind your version of pop music?
My inspiration is the music I grew up on basically! I feel like Gwen Stefani is a big vocal influence for me, I love Nelly Furtado and Britney Spears a lot too of course! I've been listening to big beat music lately too and want to make some stuff influenced by that in the future.
How did you meet frequent collaborator Ayesha Erotica?
Someone [direct messaged] me to check out her music! We haven't met in person yet but I hope to soon <3.
Still living in your hometown, do you ever feel pressured to hide your true identity? What is your day to day life like?
I feel more pressure to hide my identity online rather than in real life, out of not wanting my family or friends getting harassed by people who harass me sometimes! But my day to day life is pretty normal, I just spend a lot more time writing songs lately then I used to!
What can you tell fans about “Alone” and maybe meaning behind the song?
“Alone” is kind of a revenge track about calling out a person who has burned you! When the lyrics get posted there will be more context to the story haha.
Looking forward, what’re you most excited to work on or do?
I'm really excited to work on music in person with people! I'm moving to LA and I hope to work on stuff with Ayesha and actually use a real studio!
What do you wanna say to your fans that are reading and can’t wait for upcoming music?
I wanna say that my supporters all feel more like friends at this point and I’m so grateful for each and every one of you. I never expected anyone to pay attention so It’s really special that I get to share music with people who support it and appreciate it so loyally!
Last question, if your p**** tastes like candy, what candy is it?
Cherry twizzlers lol!
You can follow Slayyyter on all of her social media @Slayyyter and you can stream “Alone” on all streaming services December 12th!
