It’s a very intimate song, explaining what I’m feeling as I go through in the process of building a relationship, or letting it crumble. I feel like it represents personal anxieties and insecurities as ways that we become vulnerable, in which we find all these triggers that are… hidden. And eventually that’s what helps us evolve in our relationships as humans.

It is a significant point in the song- the first half of ‘Gold’ is what I imagine a perfect relationship to be. It’s that certain kind of connection and union between two souls, where everything just feels so comfortable. It’s the moments where the sun is shining down on the two of you as you’re waking up, and you turn and discuss each other’s dreams or what you were thinking about during the night. That’s the level of intimacy I seek in a relationship. So when the song opens up, it’s like, this is my goal, but then I’m looking at the reality of how things have been. The song ends in me reflecting upon that and revealing what my boundaries are; it’s kind of cyclical, and each time I listen to the song I hear those parts of me left wounded.

When I was producing it, I wanted to invoke portals into this situation where I examine the other person’s perspective in a relationship, but filtered through my viewpoint. It’s over-analyzing my own experience, and then picking it apart as we go.

I definitely feel like the residency changed a lot for me because I was able to find a space in which I felt free. Working in the studio allows me to record the full expressive range of my voice, and capture dynamics of a performance in an environment where it otherwise just wouldn’t be possible. Coming here has unlocked a lot for me creatively, where I can log in several hours in the studio and my job is just being an artist at that moment. It kept me from giving up during difficult periods in life- being in a different place, different situation, and having an alternative to being stuck in the ‘bedroom musician’ zone… because while that’s comfortable, I feel it can lack stimulation. The studio allows you to break that cycle.

I came into the collaboration with an idea of what I wanted the song’s artwork to be. The way I had imagined it was kind of like a painting, because thematically the song evolves from an empty canvas into this detailed, nuanced picture, where some colors are more subdued and others are more expressive. What I loved about working with Teo was the process of bringing forward a visual component I had designed, which he took to a whole other place based on his interpretation of the song.

Yes, because it’s important to me to have artistic input from the other person when collaborating. I think it brings growth to both people, and there is a level of unraveling between two personalities that then re-weave together in a really interesting way.

I always have the performance in mind when I’m writing. I often think about how lyrically the songs will translate to stage- in how I direct it with my body, or how a certain word or verse will emanate movement or actions.

My live performances have gone through several iterations. With previous projects, I would go up on stage and perform with a guitar and electronics. Eventually I moved into mixing my music with CDJs while I sang over my tracks and improvised. I think the future for me will have more musicians, collaborators and live instrumentation on stage, with a focus on inclusivity.