Swiftologist x Rebecca Black Interview: I Have Total Control And It Cost Everything

Zachary Hourihane (0:00)

Welcome back to Proto Pop, I am your host, Zachary, and today's episode is featuring the iconic Rebecca Black, who you may know from a very viral moment in 2011 Her song Friday made her notorious for making a bad song. Since then, she has lived 100 lives, she retreated into her bedroom in Anaheim, moved to LA and has become a cult classic DJ and is continuing to go viral for all sorts of things, including reclaiming her bad song Friday. I was sent an advance copy of her new album before I decided to invite her as a guest on Proto Pop. She was the top requested guest on my Lizzo episode and when I heard the Age of the Exhibitionist, I knew that I really wanted to talk to her because there's so much interesting material on here about what it's like to grow up as one of the most hated teenagers in the world and suddenly become an incredible, studied and practiced pop star. Proto Pop is my interview series where I get to talk shop with artists who I think are doing something really different in their music careers and interacting with pop stardom in a fun, unique or exciting way. And the theme that I've noticed in our next series of guests that you'll see propping up over the next couple of months on Proto Pop is artists who have either transcended or are trying to transcend the internet in whatever capacity that may be. They might be a niche pop star that is just about to pop off or they could be a niche pop star who's been a niche legend for a minute now and has been deeply influential on pop music altogether. So of course, I wanted to invite Rebecca Black on the show to be our first guest to discuss how she is overcoming being a joke in the industry to write her own story and music as she has so successfully done with this incredible new record without ever having a major label record deal. I hope you enjoy the episode and subscribe for more like it.

Rebecca Black, Swiftologist, welcome to Proto Pop. Thank you. I'm so excited to have you here.

Rebecca Black (1:36)

So excited to be here.

Zachary Hourihane (1:37)

It is an incredible moment. I have to get out my vocal stem before we continue our conversation.

Rebecca Black (1:41)

I'm scared.

Zachary Hourihane (1:42)

This is my moment.

No. I was unironically obsessed with that song. Really? You were an icon to me. Like I really was never on the Friday is Bad and Rebecca Black is Bad train. I was like, that's my queen.

Rebecca Black (1:55)

That's mega.

Zachary Hourihane (1:56)

I was like, I want my own music video and I want my own Friday.

Rebecca Black (2:01)

I mean, you still could.

Zachary Hourihane (2:02)

I still could. I don't think I will though.

But your album is coming out this week. How are you feeling about being an exhibitionist?

Rebecca Black (2:10)

I know. Age of the Exhibitionist is here. I feel really good. I mean, it's so like time always gets so warped for me in these processes. And also like, I think because I'm not like the luxury of an artist that gets to like make everything and then put it out slowly, like I have been really like, I'm like, we're still making the visuals. We're still doing everything as a part of this process.

And so I feel like I've been kind of like in that world, which I feel really comfortable in. And there's always like a letting go of all of that. Once it gets released, that it's always like, it's a little bit heartbreaking, you know? It's not yours anymore. It's not mine. And I really love the music that I make so much. I love the visuals. I love being a part of the process. But that's where I find the real joy, other than being on stage and performing.

I'm a theater girl, you know?

Zachary Hourihane (3:08)

You're ready to be in the spotlight. It's the Age of the Exhibitionist.

Rebecca Black (3:11)

It is the Age of the Exhibitionist. Well, we've been in it, you know?

Zachary Hourihane (3:14)

We've been in it.

Rebecca Black (3:14)

I was in it while I was making it.

Zachary Hourihane (3:17)

And it's going to continue with this tour. I'm very excited about that. But what you said about having to really throw everything at one release or having to really make sure that you're putting everything that you have into putting something out when you're an independent artist. I think something that I'm trying to do with Proto Pop and why I really wanted to have you on today was talk about how it is to try and transcend the internet a little bit when you are an artist that is so native to it. And I think that you have been in such an interesting space for the last couple of years of trying to do that. And it really feels like you're heading to this moment where it's right about to happen or already happening.