Sage Suede On the Making Of ‘Dirty Blonde’
What was the initial spark or idea that led to the creation of 'Dirty Blonde?'
So I was destroying a sweater for my show in Denver this January and I wrote some electropunk. That album was almost titled Dirty Blonde Punk because I enjoy fashion. However, I felt that it is similar to a dirty blonde spirit at parties and being yourself without caring what anyone thinks. My songwriting and beat arrangement are usually all me so I finished the album fast-like static shock.
Can you talk about the recording and production process for 'Dirty Blonde?'
You're looking at the songwriter on every track. For most, I also did the beat arrangement and pre-mixing like panning, vocal doubles, sampling, etc. The Best Revenge has 30+ vocal layers across singers that I arranged for the electro-punk trio. What could be more punk than a big butt?
Lately, I have been getting stoned and making electro fushions with time warps. I've realized that I have to represent and part of doing the right thing is not forgetting the old school when I make electro fushions with genres like hip hop.
Which song do you like the best and why?
My favorite track is “Corn Chip Thot” because of the dirty electro bass that is super heavy and the slapping synths. It's a silly dis rhyme, honestly nothing nasty but arguably the haters I am referring to only care about fashion anyway, not the consequences. There is a women’s suffrage activist on the track and I think that's punk too, because she says "good enough to be a baby mama" and the sample is a protest for voting rights.
What inspired you to pursue a career in music?
For most of my life, everyone has been staring at me while I make music and I didn't know what to do about it. I never had the privilege of a studio in my bedroom as a child like some of the fakest out there and at first, it freaked me out that people were paying attention to my work in real life. My work as a model is also well known and at the time I was modeling Ministry of Supply on a runway in Boston; a raincoat made by materials engineers from NASA space suit material that repels torrential downpour.
People notice what you're doing, even if corporate frauds put you down, and refuse to acknowledge your raw punk talent. I work with individual labels like that and skateboard brands like One Gig Co. Even my cats have learned to ride the board at home.
Do you have any specific techniques or methods for experimenting with sound or visuals?
Most of my visuals are from photoshoots that I do while vaping 420 and sometimes also taking swigs of vodka with other models. For my album ‘Dirty Blonde,’ I'm also featuring collaborators because visually I'm not the only person that forms the concept of Sage Suede or what a ‘Dirty Blonde’ is. It's a collective of ideas across a spectrum of consciousness that are raw and real, even though a lot of corporate music isn't anymore.