Photo courtesy of Baileyrp
UCLA Radio’s Rising Artist Spotlight aims to highlight upcoming artists who have demonstrated unique creativity and talent through their music. Through interviews and features, we delve into their journey, influences, and aspirations, giving listeners a glimpse into the future of music.
Baileyrp is a singer-songwriter whose music embraces glitch pop and hyperfolk with her synth textures and experimental styles. Following the release of her studio debut album _Everthing, she has amassed over 45,000 followers on Instagram and 60,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. Along with posting recorded performances with scenic backdrops of forestry, Bailey actively posts about music gear and technology she incorporates into her work.
This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity purposes.
Amanda Romankiw: Who were your top artists on Spotify wrapped?
Bailey: My top one was myself, because I gotta listen to myself. I think the others were 2hollis and Pinegrove. What are yours?
Amanda: My top five were Fiona Apple, Cocteau Twins, Clairo, Lana Del Rey – kind of cliche. Then my last one is Gwen Stefani, which is the odd one out, but I listened to her album, Love. Angel. Music. Baby., over the summer.
Bailey: Yeah, Gwen Stefani really had a moment back in the day.
Amanda: Is there any new media you’ve been consuming?
Bailey: Honestly, not really. I just started playing this game called Hollow Knight: SilkSong. I just started, and I’m on the first level. I’ve been meaning to watch Heated Rivalry.
Amanda: I was going to bring that up, but I had to hold myself back from asking. Everyone’s been raving about the show.
Bailey: I’ve heard it’s good. I’ve heard it’s gay – I need to watch it. I just need to make it happen.
Amanda: You must. This past August, you released your debut album, _Everything, and I really love it. I listen to it a lot, especially walking around Los Angeles, which I guess is notorious for being unwalkable. I feel like your album transports me away from this busy city into a meadow-like simulation. What was your creative direction behind this project, and what did you hope listeners would get from it?
Bailey: Honestly, when I made the songs, I didn’t exactly have an intention of releasing them. I was experimenting with the pocket operators I had just gotten. It was the first time I had samplers. I took them outside and sampled a bunch of nature sounds. I was also sampling a bunch of TikToks and stuff I would see on my feed. And so I had all these songs, and I realized I should just release them as an album. I didn’t really have an expectation of how people would receive them.
Amanda: Do you have any favorites off of _Everything?
Bailey: “Love Isn’t So Lonely.” I think that’s my favorite.
Amanda: Yeah, that one’s really good. I love the reimagined version a lot, too. I noticed it really emphasized the quirky electronic sounds, which was really fun. Did you have a game plan or general idea of how you wanted to reframe _Everything into this reimagined version?
Bailey: Yeah, that came about because I started posting videos with the pocket operators. I was trying to figure out how I could play the songs live or just make a video of it live. I had to do some different arrangements because I couldn’t really do it the exact way of the initial recordings. That’s what ended up really popping off, and since people liked it so much, I decided to make those alternate versions for people to listen to. Going forward, I think that’s the direction I’ll go because it was received well, and I figured out my setup.
Amanda: Going back to themes of nature, I noticed sounds of birds chirping and leaves rustling throughout _Everything. Even in the videos you post online, you are in the middle of the woods playing your music. Could you elaborate on how the environment and these components of nature contribute to the development of your music and creative identity?
Bailey: I’m a really sensitive person. Not just emotionally, but to stimuli in my environment. My job is very chaotic, and I’ve always been around people whom I love but are very loud and chaotic. I can get very overwhelmed. My escape has always been going into nature. That’s where I can feel quiet, calm, and at peace. Playing music out there feels really cathartic. It feels like a safe space to me.
Amanda: Did you grow up in a musical household?
Bailey: Yeah, I did. My dad always had a recording studio in the basement, and he was in a band. My brother played guitar, my little brother was a SoundCloud rapper, and my mom would always do harmonies in the car. We were very musical.
Amanda: Was there a turning point when you started making your own music?
Bailey: I think I’d always been interested in it, and I’ve always wanted to do it deep down. There have been moments in my life where I’ve strayed from it because I felt imposter syndrome or felt like it was an unattainable career. I have been writing songs and producing music since I was in high school. I went to college for music production. Maybe I did have a moment, because I initially went to college for biology. Then I went to school for a week and hated all the classes, so I just switched my major after one week.
Amanda: I read that you are based in Colorado. Were there any social or cultural factors that you think shaped your music or general outlook on the arts?
Bailey: Yeah, probably. I didn’t grow up in Colorado. I moved here later, but my family used to have a lot of money, and then we lost a lot of money. That played a part – being in a community of people who are very wealthy and then not being in that community anymore. Just being around different kinds of people – I think that played a big role.
Amanda: I’m from Oakland, so the contrast between the socioeconomic backgrounds is stark. I went to a private Catholic school, but then I went to an Oakland public high school, which was more my background. It’s interesting to be thrown into both spheres. Okay, so moving on, when I watch your videos, I see hashtags such as #glitchpop and #hyperfolk, which are genres I’ve never heard of before. What specifically about these genres stood out to you?
Bailey: I had gotten into 2hollis and I’d always been interested in artists like Ed Sheeran and Pinegrove – acoustic stuff. I only got into more electronic, fast music recently. I guess I was interested in just combining those two things. So that’s what I tried to do.
Amanda: As someone who’s not well-versed in music gear, I find it really fascinating to learn about these music gadgets from your content. For example, a pocket operator – I didn’t know what that was, and I still don’t really know what it is [laughs]. Your incorporation of this equipment is really unique – not just in your music but in how you provide informational content to your audience which makes it really engaging. How do you find new tech and figure out whether you want to incorporate it into your sound?
Bailey: I stumbled upon them about a year and a half ago. This guy on TikTok was making a small portable synthesizer called a high chord. I was really intrigued by that, but it was just a prototype. I was looking for other stuff, so I searched on Facebook Marketplace for portable synthesizers. Someone near me had a pocket operator for sale, and I’d never heard of it, so I looked it up, and I was like, Whoa, this is really cool. I bought that one, and then I ended up buying five more. They make a bunch of pocket operators, and they each do something different. I ended up buying a lot of them. It’s been an experimental process of which ones I like and which ones I do want to incorporate. I do switch them out very often, too, so they just get interchanged.
Amanda: Learning about this is so interesting. My friend is making a synthesizer right now. He talked about it in our American Lit class [laughs]. I don’t know the terms, but I’m trying to follow. He says he is putting the circuits together and doing all this stuff, which is really cool. I wish I could do that.
Bailey: That stuff is so crazy to me. I wish I knew how to do that as well.
Amanda: Yeah, it’s crazy. There’s a lot of students at UCLA who want to work in music and audio engineering. I love hearing their stories and experiences building all this equipment from scratch. Are there any gadgets that you haven’t worked with that you want to in the future?
Bailey: The same company that makes the pocket operators makes this thing called the OP-XY that I really want. It’s kind of like a pocket operator but much better.
Amanda: Okay, so you mentioned 2hollis and Pinegrove. Are there any integral artists that you think could be more credited for influencing or inspiring your sound?
Bailey: Ed Sheeran was a really big one because I was a huge fan of his as a teenager. I went and saw his concert. I think it was his X tour, and the live looping was super cool to me. I really internalized that. It was kind of what I do with the pocket operators, but it was a little bit different. I think he’s a big one. Then there’s a lot of influence from what my brothers listen to, even stuff like Lil Uzi. I really like a lot of interesting trap beats. Lyrically, I would definitely say more Pinegrove and Sheeran type stuff.
Amanda: Are there any other artists you’d want to see live?
Bailey: My main one is Mk.gee, but I already saw him live. Honestly, I’m not huge on concerts. I don’t like a lot of people. I get overwhelmed.
Amanda: I’m seeing the Foo Fighters tomorrow, and I’m really pumped because they’ve been one of my favorites since high school. I haven’t been to a concert that big since Ed Sheeran [laughs], so I’m a little nervous, but I think it’ll be good.
Bailey: Are they still releasing music?
Amanda: I think so. I don’t love their new stuff, but they are cool. I like his daughter, Violet Grohl. She has insane playlists on Spotify. I find a lot of new music through her. If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be?
Bailey: Okay, I’m gonna say 2hollis. We can get that out of the way. Going to also say Mk.gee. Truly, I don’t think I have other ones. I haven’t thought about it enough. Honestly, I get in my own world.
Amanda: My next question actually mentions 2hollis. You often post covers online, including your rendition of “poster boy,” by 2hollis, and recently, “Baby,” by Justin Bieber. I really like your version “Baby” because I didn’t realize it was JB until probably too long. When you listen to a song, what makes you want to transform it and break it down into this more hyperfolk style?
Bailey: I’ll get a song in my head. When I have a song in my head, it’s consuming, and I want to get it out. The best way to get it out is to sing it, or, even better, make a full cover. I guess that’s why I do it. I try to take different parts of the song and translate them into my pocket operators and do what I can.
Amanda: Are there any songs that you would want to try covering or remixing anytime soon?
Bailey: I have a list. “hold on,” by nate sib, “Argyle,” by brakence, and “Gary’s Song” from Spongebob [laughs].
Amanda: Oh, that would be very timely with the new movie coming out.
Bailey: Oh, my god, yeah, I forgot about that too. That would be really good. I’m excited for that. SpongeBob has some bangers.
Amanda: I like “Goofy Goober Rock” [laughs]. How do you find new music?
Bailey: Spotify playlists, usually. My discover playlist is usually the main one.
Amanda: So I saw a video of you saying that you made your album on Minecraft and opened up a server for people to join. How did you come up with this idea?
Bailey: I’ve been playing Minecraft forever, since I was a kid. I was an OG Minecraft user, and when I was a kid, I made “Call Me Maybe” out of note blocks in my survival world. When I was trying to figure out how to promote my album, I remembered that, and I was like, I could do that now, but probably better than I did when I was 12. I had my friend Cody, who knows a lot about Minecraft and servers, start a server for me. I created my album in note blocks, but then I had people come on and build stuff to decorate. I’m not good at building stuff in Minecraft unless it’s a song, so other people came on and built a DS and a pocket operator. It was really cool to have people come and share a piece of their creativity. The server is still up. You can still join and build stuff and listen to the song.
Amanda: Are there any other creative projects you’d want to work on in the future?
Bailey: I have an idea for my next project to do an album with a video game and have them be combined somehow, like songs at each level. I could do samples that you can use in the game somehow. I’m still working on it.
Amanda: I think it’s so cool how people come up with these concepts and then turn them into something tangible.
Bailey: Yeah, it’s a process. I feel like I have an idea, and then I’m like, Oh, I can’t actually do that. Then you have to really break it down and think about each step, and like, Well, how can I actually make this happen? It’s pretty fun, actually.
Amanda: I know you have a new song coming out called “halo” in February. Do you think this will lead to a bigger project, or is there anything you want to talk about regarding upcoming releases?
Bailey: Right now, I’m gonna do “halo,” and then after “halo,” I’m trying to work on other new stuff because I want my next project to be that one with the video game. I want to keep dropping stuff, too. I’m working on that until it gets to a place where I’m ready to share songs from it. I probably will just write random singles and eventually get to that next project. So for now, I’m kind of in an intermediate space.
Amanda: I feel like your entire image as an artist is growing rapidly. Within the past month, you’ve gained nearly 20,000 followers/listeners, both on Spotify and Instagram, which is super exciting! Do you feel any pressure from this growth?
Bailey: Not as much as I thought I would because I kind of had a viral moment back in 2020, and then I felt a lot of pressure. I think it was because I wasn’t solid in my vision yet. I wrote this random riff, it popped off, and I didn’t know what I was going to do next. So I just kind of fell off. Now I have a lot of ideas. The stuff that was working was just stuff that felt really true to me, and not something that I really had to try that hard to think about and do. It felt kind of good and gratifying to have people be so receptive to what I would naturally do. So the pressure is there for sure, but now I think it’s kind of lessened a little bit.
Amanda: Do you ever perform live in Colorado?
Bailey: That’s something I want to do more. I did one show in November, and then that’s it. In college, I played a lot, but I graduated in 2020, so it’s been a long time. I want to get more shows, but I’m also just really busy with writing right now, so probably not until my next project. I want to go on a tour. Eventually we’ll get there.
Amanda: Okay, so last question. Is there anything else you’d like to promote before we wrap up?
Bailey: Just “halo.” It comes out February 13th!
Stream “halo” on February 13th, and check out Bailey on Instagram and TikTok, @baileyrpmusic
