You’d be mistaken for thinking that Call Me Loop is a newcomer to the music industry thanks to her infectious pop songs like “Rosé,” “Strike,” and many others over the past several years. However, she’s spent several years finding the right tempo and now, she’s poised to have one of the biggest breakouts we’ve seen in quite some time.
The rising London songstress with roots in the dance and electro-pop subgenre has a voice that you simply just don’t forget. In 2019, she captured the world’s attention with her pop anthem “Self Love” and later that year, she was championed by MTV as one of their Push artists. The following year, she put out songs like “Strike,” “Downhill From Here,” and “Rosé” among others although one of her most memorable moments was co-writing The Pussycat Dolls’ comeback single “React,” a song she initially penned for herself.
Fast forward to this year, Call Me Loop welcomed the new year with her explosive single “Year of the Ex,” which subsequently surpassed over a quarter-million streams and counting. Her latest offering, “Painkiller,” keeps the momentum going as the singer tackles intense feelings and heartbreak as she comes to terms with a breakup. Quite often, Loop uses her songs uses music as a way to navigate the complexities of relationships and the challenges that come with young adulthood. Thus far, her latest slew of releases proves she’s an artist worth paying attention to.
We had the pleasure of chatting with Call Me Loop about her latest single “Painkiller,” fashion, and discovering her talent for songwriting to name a few topics! Read our conversation below.
Did you grow up surrounded by music? How did you discover your talent for songwriting and develop your expressive vocals?
Not particularly I would say, like my family weren’t hugely musical, but I became obsessed with pop music at a pretty young age, and as soon as I realized I could sing I decided the only possible career path for me was a pop star. I started writing poems from around the age of 5, about my family, my pet guinea pig, fictitious boyfriends… and it just kind of carried on from there! I used to sing along to Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys, and Destiny’s Child all the time in my bedroom when I was little, and I think I learned a lot of my singing style from that time.
How has the journey been for you so far, and what has changed the most in your everyday life?
A rollercoaster! So up and down, and you have to be very patient and have a very thick skin in this industry because 95% of the time the whole ‘overnight sensation’ thing is a complete fairytale. But it’s worth the time and the grind – those years you spend developing your sound and getting to grips with the industry are so key.
In terms of what’s changed the most in my everyday life… I think probably just having such a different day-to-day to most of my friends. We all grew up together in such the same world, and then I went off to chase this dream, whilst most of them would tell you they couldn’t think of anything worse than having to write and perform songs for a living haha, so that difference in our every day routines is still weird to me.
Tell us a bit about your latest single, “Painkiller.” What is the story behind the song and what was the creative process like?
I wrote Painkiller in January 2021 over Zoom with my friends Hannah and Andy. It was a few weeks into that awful lockdown, and I was in a pretty bad place so was writing quite a lot of sad ballads at the time, which is quite rare for me! I was coming to terms with a breakup from the previous year and was finally feeling ready to write about it, and to be honest the song kind of wrote itself. It’s a song about regret, heartbreak, guilt, but also anger, resentment, frustration. It was extremely cathartic to write and I’ve been so nervous but so excited to put it out into the world.
Your EP, Drama, turns three years old in March—do you recall your favorite memory of putting together that particular project?
Oh my god, how has it been three years! Damn COVID… I think my favorite memory from that project was creating the video for ‘Business’. We had no budget for a visual, so I had to get creative and think of a concept that I could create with a tiny team, a very quick turnaround, and next to no money. With the help of an amazing choreographer and creative director, we came up with and executed the whole thing within a week on a shoestring budget, and it’s still one of my fav videos I’ve ever done.
What concepts or feelings do you explore with your music and lyrics?
Relationships! Love, heartbreak, lust, empowerment, loss… all the phases of falling for someone to having your heart broken or breaking someone else’s heart, to just focusing on and loving yourself. I’ve been through it all, as have most, so it’s just honest, relatable feelings, I guess.
I believe for most musicians; fashion can be just as important when it comes to shaping your identity and how people perceive you at times. How would you describe your style and aesthetic?
Yeah, style is just another wonderfully empowering way to show someone who you are. I’m usually one of two aesthetics… one: sporty, androgynous, grungy… two: girly and glam. There’s not really ever an in-between!
Now that “Year Of the Ex” and “Painkiller” are here, are there any future plans for an EP? What can your fans look forward to throughout the year?
No plans for an EP at the moment, I’m focusing on a quick succession of singles currently, having just come back from a year+ hiatus. So, fans can look forward to banger after banger after banger for the foreseeable future! And maybe a collab along the way…
