Today is a great day to introduce everyone to K!lly !dol, an indie artist that sounds like a mix between YUNGBLUD and The Strokes. On his latest single and music video for “Wannabe!” this artist channels his hunger for superstardom in a well-rounded song. I was able to catch up with the artist for a brief interview about this single.
This song is full of distinctive lines like “I wanna be New York City” and “I wanna be the food that you eat” – can you expand a bit more on lines like this and tell us about the message behind WANNABE!?
The song does consist of these crazy visuals, yes. And I’ve always thought that this song represents an unholy obsession with fame. There are many components to it, but I feel saying something like, “I wanna be the food that you eat,” invokes a kind of disgusting image. Someone in pursuit of acceptance the world over might want to be so popular that they’re associated with “eating food.” I also think most listeners digest music and trends the same way they eat. Meaning, they consume it, digest it, and discard it as often as they do their meals. And in reference to New York, I always felt that line establishes how large suitors-of-fame are trying to be. Then, I just tried to do some sort of wordplay with phrases like “drag queen.” The lyric there is, “I wanna be the drag to your queen.” I digressed a little from the point with this one. Truthfully, I was just calling myself a drag.
What was the inspiration behind the video and what was the shooting/production process like?
The “inspo” behind the video isn’t too complicated, I think. I really just wanted to party around the camera with a guitar and some good people. I had a general direction, which was to try and make it awkward, personify the lyrics, and avoid taking it too seriously. In a way, I feel like the lines speak for themselves and don’t require too much production to manifest.
The filming process was neat, actually. The guys in Heaven. Movies were really fun to be around. We got each other’s humor and knocked out the scenes relatively quick. I really dug filming after-hours in a doctor’s office. It’s super weird and eerie being in an office like that without anyone else there.
Can you tell us more about the imagery in the video and how it conveys the message behind the single?
Well, the imagery, I hope, speaks for itself! Obviously there are some moments that are a representation of what I’m singing. But there are some that I tried to parallel with Oasis’ “Don’t Look Back in Anger” video. I don’t know if we really got that close to it but it was the general direction that we tried to follow. I also wanted to make everyone who watches it to feel crazy awkward. And I think Heaven. Movies did a really fantastic job there. I have to give them most of the credit because I’m terrible at putting my ideas to film <though I did think of a couple here and there, haha>.