TOMBOY

Interview by Mago

Mago __ Tomboy is a fresh name. Where did your name derive from?

Tomboy __ It was my Instagram bio for years. My first artist's name was Sativa, which was not working for me because I don't even smoke so it was not jiving well. To make a long story short, I had short hair for some time when I moved out to LA to develop as an artist. And all my friends would call me Tommy and it works with the hair and it just stuck.

Mago __  I think it's pretty original. So tell us a little bit about how you got involved with music.

Tomboy __ I’ve always been singing or belting out sounds [laughs]. When I was really young all I heard on the radio was Mariah Carey, Britney Spears, and most pop music in general. I also grew up listening to classic rock. Queen is one of my favorite musical bands. Oh, and I cannot forget that soulful voice of Mary J. Blige. It was a wide variety of music that influenced me to who I have become today.

Mago __ Sounds pretty diverse and eclectic.

Tomboy __ Totally, my dad was really into rock, and then my step-dad was into classic rock. They were each into different kinds of music, so it was helpful for me in my development. I got to experience both worlds of a variety of different artists.

Mago __ Has your music evolved since you started?

Tomboy __ Yes, it has. I first started music in New York, and at that time dance, EDM, and House were really happening. A good friend of mine from Amsterdam would send me beats via WhatsApp asking if I could write some hooks. I started collaborating with him and voicing some ideas. He thought they were really great which was very encouraging. That was my first start and then later in the game, I moved to LA where my style was more pop-influenced. I started experimenting and writing more cool music to switch gears a bit. Currently, the lane that I'm in is more on the level of Dua Lipa. I feel very comfortable with my style at the moment.  

Mago __ How has the pandemic and subsequent isolation influenced you as an artist?

Tomboy __  It has been interesting. I'm an extrovert, a huge extrovert, and I feed off of the energy of others and everyday experiences. But to be honest with you, Mago, it was challenging in the beginning.  I got to focus and just do my craft all day long, uninterrupted, without any outside noise. I made High Tea, which is a song of mine that's coming out in March. I worked on nine solid songs in the quarantine.

Mago __ During the pandemic, were you inspired by any specific movements or anything happening? Geopolitically, lots of stuff was happening here in the US. Did any of that have any influence or effects on your music?

Tomboy __ For  sure it did. When I wrote High Tea this was before things started happening. It was actually at the beginning of the pandemic right when it broke out. But, as things started to evolve, my songs became less focused on love and more focused on social causes or empowering messages. So I felt a responsibility to put out music that had a solid message that would resonate with what we were all going through.

Mago __ What are some of those messages that you resonated with?

Tomboy __ Well, I wrote a song called Pucker Up, and basically the message is empowerment. To stand in your truth and to be firm in who you are. Also, when the protests were happening my friends and I really wanted to be involved to make a difference but we know the importance of safety so we made 30 signs and laid them out on the lawn for anyone who wanted to really take part in such a powerful movement. 

Mago __  Let's get a little bit more into the single “High Tea” that you're about to drop. Talk to me about it. What a great title!

Tomboy __  Thank you, Mago. I write all my own songs, which is a fun fact about me. I take a lot of pride in my songwriting. High Tea just came to me really. I had this idea once, the pre-course, which is: it doesn’t matter the time moment or the place. It doesn't matter the vibe or just one familiar face. And, so I had that, and then I had the hook idea, and then High Tea came out, it just became a quarantine love song, I guess. It's fun and upbeat, a lot of energy you can say. It's kind of a seventies vibes, a little retro, which works with the haircut, you know. [Smiling]

Tomboy __ Two of my biggest influences, artistry-wise, would be Freddie Mercury - he’s iconic - and Gaga. I freaking love Gaga. I think these two really resonate with me.

Mago __ Just to return to your fashion sense, because I think it's something that really does set you apart. Orange is in. Tell us about orange. What about the orange vibration that makes you feel good?

Tomboy __ You know, you can never be sad when you see orange. You're  always happy when you see this color. I feel that's part of it, but also it's such a unique color. I never see it often. It's not as common, which surprises me. Also, I take a lot of inspiration from The Fifth Element - Leeloo, Dallas - if you've seen that movie. I actually used to have orange hair when I first came to LA when I was starting to pursue music. But it was definitely not the vibe for me. My hair was really dull so I had to go back to my real brunette color. Once I went back to brunette, I was like, okay, I have to incorporate orange into my fashion as much as I can. Even my sporting water bottle became orange. I'm dedicated to the cause, I love it!

Mago __  Now, what made you move to LA?

Tomboy __ I started taking voice lessons in New York for the first time ever. In a meeting, my previous management asked me if I wanted to come out to LA and try to do music full time. So I just did it. That's really how I ended up here. But you know, the lifestyle here is way more chill doing music. So it's kind of like my home now.

Mago __  And are you signed to a record label? 

Tomboy __ I am independent. 

Mago __ How does it feel to be an independent artist today?

Tomboy __ When I do music! If I'm sad or depressed or going through something fucked up. I know it sounds cliche but when my head is solely in whatever I'm singing, I feel the most beautiful and I feel the most seen in an authentic sort of way. I’ve also gotten into meditation and that's really helped me ground myself and who I am as a person. It’s been really helpful, especially in the pandemic.

Mago __ So what's your routine like in the pandemic, what's a normal day in your life?

Tomboy __ When I get up, I have my little morning routine. I wash my face, brush my teeth. I meditate twice a day and that's something that I'm really big on. Some days it's extremely busy and then some days it's more low-key where maybe I end up working out and then writing music and just chilling.

Mago __ What’s a busy, hectic day for you?

Tomboy __ Back-to-back meetings. Right now a lot of my meetings have been about the visuals for High Tea. I'm working with this director, Bell Soto, who is a really great director, and my stylist, Olga, on the visuals and there's a lot of coordination.

Mago __ And how do you feel about the direction of that project?

Tomboy __ So freaking excited. I don't want to just throw a concept. I want to make art like Gaga. One of her most inspiring eras for me was Judas giving birth at SNL who the fuck does that? Gaga wearing a meat dress, you know, these are key things that you remember, that defined her as an artist and helped her be whoever she wanted to be. That's exactly what I'm going for in my art.

Mago __ So it’s more conceptual, it's almost an installation that you want to create. You want your work to be a 360 experience.

Tomboy __  Totally. It’s not just music. It's about the visual arts, it’s about the fashion, it’s about the makeup, the hair, it's all a cohesive thing.

Mago __ One secret about you that no one else knows.

Tomboy __ That I speak pretty fluent Spanish. No one would believe me, but I actually do. I pretty much learned the language in high school.

Mago __ De verdad?

Tomboy __ [Laughs] Sí, es verdad.

Mago __ Tell me about your high school experience. Were you the kind of person that stood out of the crowd? Did you feel like you knew that one day you’d become this artist that shoots with recognizable photographers and works with such creative teams?

Tomboy __ I was a transfer student. I started off with absolutely no friends. I knew no one, and I was a math and choir nerd. So the odds were stacked against me. The one thing I can say about high school is I would set my outfits for the five days and I never repeated one outfit in all my four years of high school. And that's hand on the Bible. I swear to God.

Mago __ Wow. That's really amazing. Tell us a little bit about your family and your background.

Tomboy __ I'm from a city called Springfield, which actually is where basketball originated, a fun fact. For most of my school years, I grew up being one of the only white girls in my school. So I grew up around a lot of diversity, which was extremely helpful. I grew up with a really strong mom and having that strong female energy was really helpful for me as well. I'm quite independent today and don't really like to rely on people. That strength growing up helped me form who I am.

Mago __ Let’s talk a little bit about diversity. Growing up in a diverse school, how did that affect you in the way that you see the world and our current state?

Tomboy __  It educated me. Not everyone grew up the way I did. I was friends with whoever I wanted to be friends with. I do not see race or gender. It is really about if you are a good person inside and out.