So going back to these formative influences was a way of reminding myself of who I am, what I love, and why I started doing this in the first place. It’s a way of reconnecting with that raw, pure love of music that isn’t tainted by industry pressures or external expectations. These songs shaped me as a person and as an artist, and by revisiting them, I was able to tap into that authenticity and creativity that had been buried under layers of doubt and self-criticism. It was a way of grounding myself in my own truth and allowing that to guide me through the writing process.
Ultimately, I think it’s important for artists to stay true to themselves and their own vision, rather than trying to conform to external standards or trends. By embracing our formative influences and honoring the music that has shaped us, we can create work that is truly authentic and meaningful. And I think that’s what resonates most with listeners – that sense of honesty and vulnerability that comes from staying true to ourselves.
So for me, choosing formative influences over contemporary ones was a way of reclaiming my creative power and reconnecting with the essence of who I am as an artist. It was a way of breaking free from the constraints of industry expectations and rediscovering the joy and passion that initially drew me to music. And I think that’s reflected in the music we created for Mirror Starts Moving Without Me – it’s raw, honest, and true to who we are at our core.
I remember being in the car with her, and she had a tape of Purple Rain. She played it, and I was immediately obsessed. I remember watching the movie with her – obviously, I was a little too young to understand the plot, but I remember the colors and the music. It was really formative for me. I think that’s where I got my love for artists who are very singular, very themselves, and very unapologetic about what they do. Prince was all of that and more. He was such a multifaceted artist, and I think that really stuck with me.
How did Prince influence your approach to music?
I think he really influenced my approach to music in the sense of trying to be authentic to yourself and not trying to fit into any sort of box. I think he was always just Prince. He was always doing his own thing, and he was always pushing boundaries. I think that’s something that I’ve always tried to do in my own way, obviously not in the same way that Prince did. But I think that idea of being true to yourself and not worrying about fitting into any kind of genre or any kind of preconceived notion of what you should be as an artist – that’s something that I really took from him.
Did you find yourself revisiting his music while working on Mirror Starts Moving Without Me?
Definitely. I think I always come back to Prince’s music when I’m feeling stuck or when I need some inspiration. His music is just so rich and so full of so many different influences. I think it’s really inspiring to listen to and really helps me get back in touch with what I love about music in the first place. So yeah, I definitely revisited his music while working on this album.
But seeing it play out in a visual medium helped me to start articulating it in my own work. The themes of identity, control, and the blurred lines between reality and fantasy in Perfect Blue really resonated with me as I was working on the album.
There’s a scene in the movie where the main character, Mima, is having a breakdown in a public place, and she’s looking at her reflection in a glass door, and her reflection starts to move independently from her. It’s a really striking and unsettling image, but it felt so relatable to me as someone who struggles with their own sense of self and public persona. It made me think about how we present ourselves to the world, and how that presentation can sometimes feel out of our control.
So, in a way, Perfect Blue helped me to explore these themes of identity and dissociation in my own work. It gave me a framework to think about these ideas and express them through my music. It’s a dark and unsettling film, but it’s also incredibly powerful and thought-provoking. It definitely left a lasting impact on me and influenced the direction of the album in a lot of ways.
The idea is that it helps you process traumatic memories or experiences by essentially reprogramming your brain to process them in a healthier way. I did a few sessions of it when I was going through a really hard time, and it definitely helped me start to work through some of the things that were weighing me down. It’s not a cure-all, but it was a helpful tool in my mental health journey. “Por alguna razón, estaba teniendo los recuerdos o imágenes visuales más vívidos que jamás había tenido mientras hacía esta terapia de EMDR, y de ahí provino gran parte de la imaginería. Hay una imagen visual para ‘Doll Song’ que, mientras hacía la terapia de EMDR, tuve esta visión de mí misma como una muñeca, y simplemente seguía encogiéndome, y caía a través de este espacio completamente oscuro y vacío. El terapeuta te hace preguntas como, “Te encuentras con un marco de imagen en un largo pasillo, ¿qué hay en el marco?” Es muy extraño. Pero fue, sin que me diera cuenta, el ímpetu para las visuales de esta era, de ser esta figura sola en este espacio completamente oscuro y vacío. Y esa imaginería se siente muy representativa de comenzar de nuevo. La muerte de una porrista siendo tan colorida y brillante, y Mirror casi carente de color – literalmente se siente como borrar la pizarra. Fue aterrador empezar, pero estoy orgullosa de ello.
Esta entrevista ha sido editada y condensada para mayor claridad y longitud.
Mirror Starts Moving Without Me de Pom Pom Squad ya está disponible a través de City Slang Records.
Mirror Starts Moving Without Me de Pom Pom Squad
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