Q&A: Caroline Kingsbury Channels Queer Futurism and Pop Maximalism at Lollapalooza
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY KIMBERLY KAPELA ☆
Photo Credit: Audrey Hertel
UNDER THE BLAZING SUN AT LOLLAPALOOZA — Caroline Kingsbury made her festival debut. The queer indie pop star lit up the stage on Friday, August 1, delivering a performance that invites the crowd into her bold, maximalist universe.
The performance served as a powerful teaser for her upcoming EP, Shock Treatment, out September 26. Inspired by the 1981 cult musical of the same name—the surreal follow-up to The Rocky Horror Picture Show—the project blends neon-soaked fantasy with razor-sharp cultural critique. But in Kingsbury’s world, queerness isn’t under attack—it’s the norm. Shock Treatment imagines a reversed society where heterosexuality is the outlier and queer identity is not only accepted, but exalted. It’s a concept that’s as provocative as it is empowering, offering a new blueprint for what pop music can say and who it can be for.
From 80s synths to soaring vocals and unapologetically theatrical visuals, Shock Treatment channels the spirit of queer futurism through a retro lens. It’s a record that blurs the line between reality and performance, turning self-expression into an act of revolution.
Shock Treatment marks the most personal and raw work Kingsbury has ever released. “I’m tackling these themes and emotions because they are very personal to me,” she tells Luna. “With Shock Treatment, I’ve been really trying to explain that my story is rooted in the fact that I was raised in a conservative environment in Florida, in the South, and breaking out of that—really finding myself and my queerness—is what freed me to finally feel like myself.”
At the heart of Shock Treatment is a powerful message about self-liberation through radical authenticity. “That’s just my inspiration behind Shock Treatment,” she says. “The more you lean into your cuckoo, crazy self, the more you will find your people, the more you will find inner peace.”
Coming off a recent tour with Pom Pom Squad, Kingsbury continues to create a space for queer visibility in indie pop. With Shock Treatment, she offers a mirrorball version of reality, where difference isn’t something to be corrected, but celebrated.
If her Lollapalooza set was the spark, Shock Treatment is the wildfire. And Caroline Kingsbury? She’s not just part of the future of pop, she’s rewriting it completely
Following her explosive Lollapalooza debut, Luna had the chance to sit down with Kingsbury for an exclusive interview to dive deeper into her upcoming EP, Shock Treatment. We talked about the bold, cinematic world she’s building with the new project, what it means to her to be a queer artist creating safe and affirming spaces through music, and the electric energy that surrounded her first-ever performance at one of the country’s biggest festivals.
Photo Credit: Audrey Hertel
LUNA: Thank you for sitting down and talking to Luna. Our readers would love to get to know you and your music more. For any readers who aren’t familiar yet, what kind of atmosphere or emotional space do you aim to create for your listeners?
CAROLINE: I am a very emotional person. I'm a songwriter, so everything that I write comes from storytelling but is rooted in real life. I try to do both. I try to do the glam and I try to do the raw songwriting. I try to create an atmosphere where you want to vibe, you want to party. I got you. You want to cry. We could do that too. We could do it at the same time.
LUNA: You are about to release your boldest and most anticipated EP Shock Treatment next month and huge congratulations! I love how it’s so visually striking and really flips the script on societal norms around queerness. What inspired you to tackle the themes and emotions around the project?
CAROLINE: I'm tackling these themes and emotions because they are very personal to me. With Shock Treatment, I've been really trying to explain that my story is rooted in that I was raised in a conservative environment in Florida, in the south, and breaking out of that and really finding myself and my queerness is what freed me to really feel like myself. That’s just my inspiration behind Shock Treatment is the more you lean into your cuckoo, crazy self, the more you will find your people, the more you will find inner peace.
LUNA: That sounds like it was healing to write about after experiencing such a conservative upbringing and finally coming into your own.
CAROLINE: The recording process was so amazing. I got to be in a studio for seven days straight. I recorded with an incredible producer, Jack Tatum of Wild Nothing, which is this amazing band that I have listened to and followed for so many years. I DM’ed him on Instagram, asking if he would like to produce this and it just felt very full circle.
LUNA: Your music always feels cinematic, and this EP seems especially intentional. What can fans expect from your visual world in this new era?
CAROLINE: As soon as I had the song “Shock Treatment” in a place where I knew I was going to release it. I immediately thought, Rocky Horror. I immediately thought, we're going punk, we're going louder, more colorful than I had ever done before. I was really inspired by Rocky Horror, therefore, I found the movie Shock Treatment, which was a sort of failed second attempt of a Rocky Horror franchise in the 70s, but the movie is so good, and it's written by the same guy who wrote Rocky Horror. When I saw that movie and connected it to the song, my brain just exploded, because I didn't even know about that movie when I had the song “Shock Treatment.” It felt very natural. All of these elements and themes and the visual world has been born out of things that have just happened very naturally.
LUNA: What do you hope queer listeners, especially young ones, take away from Shock Treatment?
CAROLINE: The world is so heavy and dark. I couldn't imagine trying to be a high school or a middle schooler right now, or even in your early twenties. The world, especially our country, is so dark and fucked up and unfair. What my job as an artist and a musician is in my mind, I don't know how other artists feel, but I just want to create a space in my music, in my shows, in my visual world, that when they need comfort, when they need fun, when they need anything, that they can just come and enjoy art and forget for a little while. It's not trying to pretend like bad things aren't happening. It's healing to participate in art. It's healing to go to shows and that's my whole spirit and intention with my music, also it's all rooted in performance. I record everything, all the parts, everything, so that my live show is the best fucking shit you've ever seen.
LUNA: In a world where LGBTQ+ rights are still being challenged, how do you see your role as a queer pop artist evolving?
CAROLINE: I definitely have had to educate myself a lot more than I think younger me may have expected, because when I came out, it was 2017 and things were looking up for the queer community. I was also a baby gay and sort of figuring it out. I'm about to turn 30. I feel very much that music and activism goes hand in hand, and I'm just grateful that I have a platform to be able to speak up for, specifically the trans community, because they are systematically being targeted and it's horrible. I feel very grateful that I have the privilege and opportunity to be able to say something.
LUNA: What’s the atmosphere like at Lollapalooza, both on stage and off? How does it compare to other shows you’ve played?
CAROLINE: The energy here is so amazing. Everyone is just so into live music, and that is so my vibe. Everyone here has been so kind and it's been amazing.
LUNA: What did you want your Lolla performance to say—both sonically and visually—about who Caroline Kingsbury is in this new era?
CAROLINE: I’m bolder, brighter and louder.
LUNA: Do you have any specific pre-show rituals or routines that help you prepare for a big performance like Lollapalooza?
CAROLINE: Usually, it's just drinking a lot of water and being silent. I get over-stimulated, and so I need really good moments of quiet to be ready. I need alone time. I like to stay to myself and do my makeup. I had an amazing glam team this weekend, but when I'm on tour, I do my own makeup, and that's such a meditative time.
LUNA: What’s fueling your fire right now—musically or personally—that’s pushing you into this next chapter?
CAROLINE: I think that playing live and seeing people's response to the new music and people already knowing the words and really getting hyped, that is sort of what's propelling me. I want to be a live legacy artist. In 20 years, we'll be talking honey. I really don't care about any institutional awards or anything. I just want to play shows. I'd love to headline festivals and tour the world and make amazing shit.
LUNA: How are you feeling in this current era of your career and what does the rest of the year look like for you that you would love to share with Luna?
CAROLINE: I'm definitely feeling really inspired by the festivals and playing live, and that's just really been inspiring. I'm about to do a tour this fall, a co-headline with Maris. We released a song called “Give Me A Sign,” and it had a little viral moment. We had planned to go on tour together before that, and before the viral moment even happened, and it all just was very natural. I'm really excited to do this tour. We're going to be in North America September 13 through October.
Photo Credit: Audrey Hertel
