INTERVIEW

DEATHBYROMY ISN’T HERE TO PLAY NICE — She’s here to bleed, burn and resurrect—and on her latest album HOLLYWOOD FOREVER, she does all three. A fierce and cinematic alt-pop statement, the record thrashes, aches, and seduces in equal measure, chronicling the dizzying highs and soul-crushing lows of growing up in the surreal, seductive, and often brutal sprawl of Los Angeles.

Released earlier this spring, HOLLYWOOD FOREVER finds Romy dismantling the illusion of Hollywood glamor, only to resurrect it on her own terms. But where others might get consumed by LA’s unforgiving vortex, DeathbyRomy emerges as an artist who refuses to flinch.

On Saturday, May 17, that vision came to life at Chicago’s Beat Kitchen, where Romy celebrated her record with her first-ever headline show in the city. Drenched in crimson lighting and surrounded by an audience of loyal fans who dressed for the funeral, she poured herself into every note. “Thank you for welcoming me with open arms,” she told the crowd. “I poured my whole heart into this project. It means everything to share it with you tonight.”

Throughout the night, Romy delivered a spellbinding set featuring standout tracks from HOLLYWOOD FOREVER, including fan favorites “XXXhibitionist,” the dreamy and vulnerable “LITTLE DREAMER,” and the fiery, unapologetic “CORPSE KISS.” Backed by her razor-sharp band, she also dipped into her earlier catalog, performing songs from her Entropy EP that reminded fans how far her artistry has come while staying rooted in raw emotion.

Before the show, Luna sat down with DeathbyRomy and her band backstage to talk about how the HOLLYWOOD FOREVER tour has been treating them, what it’s like to finally have the record out in the world, and the unexpected moments that have defined this new chapter.

LUNA: Welcome back and thank you for talking to Luna again. It's super exciting to have you back since the last time we talked about your single “PRAY TO ME.” I would love to catch up and see how life has been treating you and what have you been up to since the last time we talked.

DEATHBYROMY: I finally got to drop the album. HOLLYWOOD FOREVER is now out and in the world and it has been for a few weeks now. Since dropping it, we immediately hit the road. Literally, the day after it dropped, I threw a release party on the night it came out, which was really sick. A ton of people showed up for me, which was really cool and honestly unexpected. My heart was very full, and then immediately, the next morning, we set off for this tour. We have been touring the album all over the US for my first US headline, tons of prep went into that, tons of fucking marketing and creation of ads and targeted posts and everything. Me and Ally were losing our minds setting up this tour, and all of that prep really paid off. The rooms have been full every night. We've sold out half the shows and it's been really incredible.

LUNA: Now that HOLLYWOOD FOREVER is officially out in the world, how does it feel to finally share this body of work with your fans?

DEATHBYROMY: It felt like a massive sense of release when I finally got to put this project out, which I've heard many other artists describe, and that I don't think I've felt in the same way before than when I did with this project. It felt cathartic. It's been really sick hearing which songs the fans reacted to the most and which ones seem to be hitting the most. Because I have my own personal favorites, but it's been really cool to see how other people interpret the stories within my songs and learn what those songs mean to them.

LUNA: What has the response from listeners been like so far?

DEATHBYROMY: The listeners' responses have been incredible. I've gotten a lot of ‘this is your best project yet,’ ‘this is your greatest work,’ which is obviously an honor, but also feels good to hear. I did put my everything into this project. I always try not to limit myself with everything I do, every opportunity I'm given to do so. I'm glad that my fans are seeing that.

LUNA: You’re also on your headlining HOLLYWOOD FOREVER tour—how has the experience been for you? Have there been any standout or particularly memorable moments on the road so far?

DEATHBYROMY: This tour has been the most rewarding tour I've ever done in my life. There's a different freedom that comes with getting to headline that is quite honestly priceless. It's so reassuring every night knowing that everyone in the room is there for me. I feel like a weight was lifted from me as a performer, while getting to play these rooms to my fans only.

The first week of this tour, I was incredibly sick, like, more sick than I've been in years, and that was a hard thing to push through, both physically and emotionally. I was having a lot of upset and turmoil. Why now? Why now would I be so fucking sick the second I like have this big moment where I really need to physically show up for myself and my fans, but I pushed through it, and since then, it's honestly been smooth sailing. We started selling out a bunch of shows, as I stated earlier, which is the best and most gratifying feeling. My favorite thing about these shows has been getting to meet the fans, getting to hear people's personal stories of how my music's helped them, of what different things I've written meant to somebody, and getting to personally thank all of the people who made this possible for me.

LUNA: Do you have any pre-show or post-show rituals that help you ground yourself or get into the zone before performing?

DEATHBYROMY: I drink throat coat religiously. From the morning I wake up to when I'm going on, as many opportunities as I have. I do a couple little stretches, do my armband. I try to stretch my neck out because I have a neck tension issue that gets in my way. I try to hype up my bandmates and tell them I love them. We make sure everyone's feeling good. Check in with everybody. Make sure we're all ready for the show.