American singer/songwriter Uffie was part of a cultural movement. Her angsty, synthy teen Myspace hit “Pop The Glock” was a window into the times – house parties, tousled hair, chipped nail polish, Skins, synthetic drugs and synthetic clothes.
She went on to top dance charts across the globe, with underground hits like “Hot Chick”, “Steroids”, the Pharrell-featured “ADD SUV” and a spot on Ed Banger’s hectic “Robot Oeuf” from the soundtrack of Pedro Almodovar’s 2009 film Broken Embraces.
By 2010 she was the darling of Europe’s music subculture scene, lauded for her aloof persona and bolschy, bloghaus sound. Many of her live performances were described as “Warholian” and she was infamous for creating debauched atmospheres. She released an album called Sex Dreams & Denim Jeans to critical acclaim, and then disappeared.
Dylan B Jones got in touch with her to find out what happened next.
“Pop The Glock” was such a moment – what was that time period like for you?
I was a teenager and living in the moment. It was such a special time in music to be in Paris…the scene and sounds could be heard around the world. It was all very organic. A lot of material for a memoire.
You were always quite a mysterious figure; you kept yourself out of the public eye. Was there a reason for that?
It naturally comes when you’re not as much of a mainstream artist. And I personally think having an air of mystery is so important…being a romantic and all. Separating my home life is important to me even more so now having had children. They may be very private people when they grow up (or not) and it’s not my right to take that choice away from them.
Would you be able to tell us a bit about yourself now? What are your feelings on the industry? How did you get into music and how did everything start?
I’ve always loved poetry and writing. “Pop The Glock” was supposed to be a one-off for a monthly release called Arcade Mode. It was a blue 7” vinyl, limited to 100 copies. But I wanted a music MySpace profile like my friends, so I uploaded the song. It just kind of took off immediately from there. Now working in LA, especially as a songwriter as opposed to just making my music, is a whole different world. I feel incredibly blessed to get to work with such new talented people each week and I’m really loving it. My return has been a very positive experience and I have no complaints.
I saw you at Koko in Camden years ago when you had green hair; it was a crazy gig, someone smashed a glass on stage. Do you remember that?
Yea that was a fun one! Love that venue! Charlie Le Mindu did my hair that night…piles upon piles of glorious blonde and green curls…fuck, that was heavy. He’s a genius. I was wearing latex pants and was terrified they were going to split up the back while stage diving and crowd surfing.
A lot of your music is about partying and excess – why is that?
I think lyrically I’ve definitely passed that now…but a lot of what I write about is what’s going on in life and inspiring me. I was on the road constantly and that was what I was interesting in at the time.
I think some of Ke$ha’s very early releases were very similar to yours – would you agree with that? Do you think she used your music as inspiration?
I steer clear of that drama.
Tell us a bit about your life now. What have you been doing during your hiatus?
I just needed some time to be a human, grow and reconnect with myself. Being a new mum while trying to do everything else was really difficult, so when I became pregnant with my second child I knew it was time to take a break and focus on myself and my family. I moved to Joshua Tree for a year and just wore kaftans, read, and painted. It was magical. I took up some studies in science and interned at a zoo as well. I really needed that time, and am so thankful I took it… but I really missed music. My personal and work life now has a nice balance and harmony to it. I’m splitting my time between my artist project and writing for other artists now. I love writing sessions that aren’t for me – it’s refreshing to get out of my specific head and message, but also makes coming back to it incredibly rewarding.
Your new music – I think you’ve certainly stayed true to your sound. What’s it motivated by? What made you decide to release new music after a few years?
I can’t really explain it…it’s just something I have to do. It brings me deep happiness and fulfillment. When I get messages from fans that my songs have helped them through tough times…that’s what it’s all about.
Tell us about your relationship with Charli XCX – she always says “Pop The Glock” is one of her favourite songs, and you featured on her mixtape a couple of years back.
I actually heard about Charli from an A&R friend in London before she popped off. When I moved to LA we connected and she invited me to hers for a house party. It ended well after daybreak and was an epic night. She’s a boss bitch and I’ve got mad respect for her game. Nothing but love.
Finally – what are your future plans? Is there an album coming?
I’m working on a new EP at the moment – but am super excited about the visual world I’m building with it. It’s such a fun puzzle to put together and I cannot wait to share it. There will be a proper album but this year has been about freedom and no rules with releasing. The music industry feels a bit like the Wild West right now, and being an independent artist I’m taking full advantage of that. Let’s goooooooo!
Uffie’s new single “Mine” is out now.
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