Dansy On the Making Of “Bad Actress”
How does "Bad Actress" reflect your musical journey and growth as an artist?
It took me a while to come back to such a heavy sound, feeling pressured to stick to genres like commercial pop or R&B. But this song feels like coming home to the sound that made me fall in love with music. Growing up listening to Paramore and No Doubt, I always wanted to make music that made you jump around. Something that would have me belting along to it, like I was letting my demons out. It would give me catharsis. Giving myself that permission to go heavy with “Bad Actress” has freed a part of my writing that has been waiting to be set free!
What was the initial spark or idea that led to the creation of "Bad Actress?"
I’ve always been told that my face can’t hide my feelings, and despite my best efforts, my face gives away my every thought. It has forced me into a place of radical honesty that I embrace, and the lyrics came out effortlessly when I was jamming on a riff that I was messing around with. I have a soft spot in my heart for pop-punk and rock that dominated the Australian music scene in the 2000s such as The Veronicas, Rogue Traders, and Jet, and I really wanted to channel that in this song.
What has been one of your favorite memories along the path to making "Bad Actress?"
I’ve been lucky enough to work closely with incredible producer Bailey Judd, who brought my initial vision to a whole new level. It’s hard to pick one specific time that was my favourite, as my memories of making this track fuse together in a blur of laughing fit over ridiculous vocal effects, hyper-active late-night sessions fuelled by energy drinks, and long drives testing mix after mix. It’s a blessing to find someone who understands your sound and make such a safe and creative environment to work it, and that’s what I found with this song.
How do you balance crafting relatable stories with maintaining your unique voice as a songwriter?
I think it’s pretty easy once you realise that you aren’t special, and anything you’ve gone through, there are people who have gone through it or feel the same. Leaning into that gives you a lot of freedom, and takes the pressure off trying to be profound - and gives so much room for people to project their own story onto your art. Because that’s what it is all about. And people can feel authenticity, whether they consciously notice it or not. So giving the listener the respect of showing up authentic and honest is the most important thing.
Is there a specific song that holds a particularly special meaning to you? Can you share the story behind it?
A song that I always come back to with reverence is “What You Waiting For?”, the first track from Gwen Stefani’s Album “Love Angel Music Baby”. It’s such an amalgamation of genre, taking all of her rock background and redefining it in a pop context. It’s music like this that opens up so many people, particularly girls, into the world of rock. It makes rock feminine, sexy, empowering. Hearing so many contrasting sounds weaved together so powerfully with an aggressive and unapologetic female vocal, and an undeniable groove just set the standard for what I want to be able to achieve. If I can give people the feeling that that song gave me, I know I’m doing what I aimed to do.
