Q&A: Keni Titus’ ‘AngelPink’ is a Study on Modern Girlhood
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY SHEVON GREENE ☆
Photo by Christina Posztos for The Luna Collective
WITH HER DEBUT ALBUM ANGELPINK— Keni Titus fully leans into contradiction. Out today, the record is intimate, conflicted and self-aware in its own unique and quiet way. Across the album, there’s a contrast between softness and grit; honesty and performance; and clean-girl aesthetics versus messiness. Listeners got a taste of it through singles like “man like you” and “off day” before the album was released.
Leaning further into alt-pop and indie-folk this time around, AngelPink feels like Titus’ most fully-realized world yet. With sold-out album release shows on the horizon, she’s making her way into her next chapter as both a writer and performer. At its core, the album focuses on losing yourself only to eventually find your way back home—not to another person, but to yourself—while framing femininity as a duality rather than something meant to be perfected. Titus describes it as “drinking a green juice and smoking a cigarette,” holding grace and messiness side by side without an apology. Songs across the tracklist explore emotional spaces shaped by breakups, isolation and moments of self-reflection, all handled with tenderness rather than resolution.
Throughout the writing and recording process, Titus found what made this era distinct: loosening her grip on perfectionism, rediscovering the fun in making art and learning to trust her own instincts.
We sat down with Titus to talk about letting go of perfection, writing through contradiction, and learning how to hold herself gently while making AngelPink. Keep reading for more.
Photo by Christina Posztos for The Luna Collective
LUNA: You’ve described AngelPink as being about losing yourself and then coming home—not just to another person, but to yourself. When you look back on the record now, where do you hear that coming home most clearly? Whether it’s a song, a lyric, or a moment?
TITUS: There’s a song called “baby” that really captures that. It’s about missing someone, but not necessarily wanting to rekindle anything. It’s more about learning how to sleep alone again, or realizing you’re missing something you were so used to having with you all the time. That song really encompasses that moment of being like, “You’re okay.” You’re just feeling things out, and it’s okay to have those feelings. That song probably captures that coming-home feeling the most for me.
LUNA: I love that song, and I can totally see that. It feels really universal too, especially when you’re learning how to release that feeling. You’ve said this record reminded you that making art should be fun, not perfect. Was there a moment during the process where you realized you were holding the work too tightly and had to loosen your grip?
TITUS: At the very beginning, honestly. Before I even started, I had this whole idea of who I was working with and what my schedule was going to look like. I’m a Virgo, so I love a schedule; I love things being in order. Then at the last second, everything changed. People’s schedules shifted, and everything got really messed up. I freaked out. I was in a session with Jake Weinberg, who ended up producing the whole album with me. I brought in a song I loved but I literally couldn’t work because I was crying so hard. I was just like, “Oh my god, everything’s out of order, everything’s wrong.”
That day, we made “pretty in pink,” which ended up being one of my favorite songs on the project. I went into that session thinking my life was falling apart and that nothing was going to work, and I walked away with one of my favorite songs. That was the moment where I realized art is supposed to be fun. You can’t schedule inspiration. Sometimes things work, sometimes they don’t, and it’s just life. Everything ended up being better than I pictured anyway, but that moment was definitely a low for me.
LUNA: That’s such a lesson in itself, though. Being able to look back and say that one of your favorite tracks came out of that moment is really special. The album is tied to modern girlhood; messiness, self-awareness, contradictions. Did your understanding of femininity shift while you were writing it?
TITUS: Definitely. Growing up, I thought that as a girl, if you’re nice to everyone, clean, have a good attitude all the time and do everything right, then you retain some sort of innocence. I put so much pressure on that because I wanted people to like me so badly. But that’s not real. No one is like that all the time. You have dark thoughts, you make mistakes, you hurt people’s feelings.
With this album, more than ever, I really analyzed myself—not in a “what’s wrong with me” way, but looking at low points in my character and things I need to work on. I put less pressure on myself to be this perfect, innocent, beautiful girl trying to impress everyone. Sometimes I’m an asshole, and it’s okay to talk about that. This album taught me that both sides of femininity can coexist.
LUNA: It reminds me of the clean-girl aesthetic but smoking a cigarette, those contradictions. I don’t hear people talk about that enough, and I really appreciate the honesty.
TITUS: Yeah, because nobody is perfect. We all pretend, but it’s like, no—I don’t wash my hair that often. Am I telling anyone that? No.
LUNA: Exactly. I think it’s such refreshing honesty. AngelPink plays with intimacy in a really nuanced way—emotional, physical, internal. How do you decide what parts of yourself go into a song versus what stays private?
TITUS: When I write, I never write as if I’m going to show anyone. By the time it’s ready to share, there’s enough distance that I don’t feel precious about it. I don’t censor myself. I’ve never thought, “I can’t put this in a song because someone will be mad.” Art is art. I can say whatever I want. Whatever I am is what you get.
LUNA: I love that honesty.
TITUS: Some of my favorite songs are about things people aren’t “supposed” to talk about. I love when people don’t censor themselves, so why would I?
Photo by Christina Posztos for The Luna Collective
LUNA: If there’s one thing you learned or a new trait you gained as a writer while making this album, what would it be?
TITUS: Co-writing. In the past, I was very serious about writing alone in my room, torturing myself to find emotions. On this album, I co-wrote, which I’d never been able to do before. That added so much fun to the process instead of everything feeling so serious.
LUNA: I love that. Do visuals come to you while you’re writing, or do you build them after?
TITUS: I’m obsessed with Pinterest. I plan everything there. Before I even start writing, I usually have the name and the world figured out. For this album, I designed the AngelPink girl first. I create the world before the music; it makes everything easier.
LUNA: Visuals really do feel like a whole universe. Sonically, the album moves between folk and alt-pop. Did you have a sound in mind going into it?
TITUS: I write everything on acoustic guitar, so that’s my world—organic instruments, strings, flutes. I wanted it to feel grounded but still cool. Fiona Apple, Feist, Lou Reed, and artists from the 60s and 70s were big inspirations. I wanted the music to feel organic and focused on storytelling. Amy Mann too—I love her.
LUNA: I could definitely hear that grounding. The singles “man like you” and “off day” have different perspectives. How did you decide which songs to introduce first?
TITUS: Picking singles is really hard. My producer Jake was very set on “man like you,” and I was hesitant because it’s slow and moody. We went back and forth for weeks. Eventually, I realized it shouldn’t be about what performs best; it should be about what I’m proud of. I loved the songwriting in that song, so I trusted my gut.
LUNA: That authenticity really comes through.
TITUS: It was scary, but my dad always says if you fail, fail on your own decision. That really stuck with me.
LUNA: That’s great advice. Do you see the album as a snapshot of who you were, or a foundation for who you’re becoming?
TITUS: A little bit of both. Some songs are very melodramatic, like “new doll”—and I hope I don’t feel that way again. But other emotions feel like something I can build from. So yeah, both.
LUNA: Do you have a favorite track right now?
TITUS: It changes daily, but there’s this weird breakbeat moment at the end of “hound dog” that I loved making. I’m really proud of that. I love “pretty in pink” too, obviously.
LUNA: If someone listens to AngelPink front to back, what do you hope they walk away feeling?
TITUS: I don’t care what they get from it as long as they feel something. The worst thing you can do as an artist is make something that makes people feel nothing.
LUNA: I love that approach; letting listeners take what they need from it.
TITUS: Exactly. I never want to limit interpretation.
LUNA: Once the album is out, what’s next for you?
TITUS: I’m getting ready for the album release shows in LA and New York; they’re both sold out, which is wild. They’re my first headline shows. I already have ideas for the next album too.
LUNA: That’s so exciting.
TITUS: If I’m not busy, I get depressed, so I always need to be working. Probably not healthy, but it’s real (laughs).
Photo by Christina Posztos for The Luna Collective
