Q&A: PRECIOUS Goes Full Pop Star on Debut Album ‘Flop Queen’
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY MARIAH ESTRAN ☆
Photo By Veesentay
PRECIOUS IS WHAT BUBBLY-POP Y2K DREAMS ARE MADE OF—Through a magical blend of nostalgia-inducing charm enveloped in experimental production, the singer-songwriter and producer is claiming her artistic identity on the debut album Flop Queen.
After the release of her single, “Don’t Hate the Girls,” the empowering track gained notable traction, ultimately going viral on X and TikTok. The well-deserved recognition from new listeners praised her style, making it known that it’s currently on repeat.
For PRECIOUS, that love for the new music and new era she was stepping into was proof that people were connecting with her art, especially as an independent artist. Not only that, the fanbase is rooting for more black girls in pop music, and her creative ambition is paving the way for so much more.
“To know that I put this together and made the entire thing with the resources that are a bit limited to me as an independent artist, it means a lot to me that it can mean so much to so many people,” she says about the experience.
With that motivation, she gave the listeners exactly what they wanted: a full-length album. Flop Queen brings the 2000s energy, drawing inspiration from pop royalty such as Janet Jackson, Beyoncé, and Britney Spears. The 12-track project includes even more fan favorites like “Tweaking” and the internet’s most recent obsession, “Uh Huh.”
PRECIOUS took time to tell us more about her debut album, producing it on her own, what she has learned about her art, and what she hopes for the future of mainstream pop.
Photo By Eye of Isis
LUNA: What made you want to pursue music?
PRECIOUS: I was always a lover of music. As long as I can remember, I was consuming music—watching MTV music videos when they used to play them all day long.
I had asked my mom for a guitar when I was around 16 or 17; that was the first time I started playing my music, learned how to make my songs, and brainstormed what I might look like as an artist. From there, I started posting covers on YouTube, just singing different popular songs and then posting more of my own music.
When I posted on TikTok, it took off. I posted one of my pop songs and asked people to listen to it; that’s what definitely pushed me to be where I am.
LUNA: You've released your debut album. It's received a lot of love on TikTok and X. So, I want to talk about that and how it's been seeing fans respond positively.
PRECIOUS: It has been such an amazingly gratifying feeling because this is truly something I made in my bedroom and recorded at home. I put so many parts of myself into it. It’s also important to me because, as an independent artist, I do not have many resources—I fully fund myself.
Knowing that I put this together and made the entire thing with limited resources, it means a lot to me that it can mean so much to so many people. People recognize the beauty and artistry behind it, and it is all that I could ask for when putting out my first-ever album.
LUNA: It’s full-length, so you get the entire vision and the experience of seeing how you've integrated those 2000s pop sounds we're so familiar with, but also, there is that experimental twist of what’s happening in pop now. Tell us more about the production process.
PRECIOUS: Producing or making the beats is my favorite part of it. So, it usually comes from being inspired by other artists, whether they are artists I grew up with or artists who are popular today. PinkPantheress inspired some sounds on there; it also has a Britney Spears influence. I listened to “Toxic," and I was like, How can I flip this into more of a modern feel, but also still have that 2000s kind of sassy flavor to it? A lot of it just came from songs that I've loved.
LUNA: You encapsulated the 2000s sounds so well. What other artists do you think defined that era or inspired you while making this?
PRECIOUS: When I'm asked this question, I always give my flowers to Beyoncé because, you know, she is in all genres at this point, but in the 2000s, she gave R&B-pop. She was making catchy hits. There are songs on [Flop Queen] that were also inspired by hits of hers, like “Déjà vu” and “Kitty Kat.”
Then, there is Janet Jackson; she is the original black pop girl. I think that she is the blueprint for pop stars in general. She pioneered so many amazing sounds in pop music and mainstream music. Going back and listening to her, it is so inspiring to me every time, and it inspired a lot of this album.
LUNA: What do you feel like you learned about yourself while making Flop Queen and producing it?
PRECIOUS: I learned more about my artistic identity. I have had an artistic identity, but I think it is becoming more solidified, and something that I am more certain of when putting out a complete project. It’s so different from just putting out little singles here and there that can sound like anything.
Making something that comes together in a story, while also having so many different sounds, but no matter what the sounds are, they all exude the same sort of vibe that tells people who I am as an artist.
I learned a lot more about my artistic identity and what I want people to hear from me as an artist moving forward.
LUNA: It's not only the sound, but you also give complete pop star with visuals, fashion, and photography. Tell us more about how you integrated this into your new era.
PRECIOUS: That is part of why I put out the album, because I wanted to put out music and then focus on the visuals and create the aesthetics around it.
In this era, I am focusing a lot more on cute and polished dance visuals, which is something I am working on currently. You will see that for the next one that I am going to put out, which is for “Uh Huh.”
LUNA: As we talk about pop star aesthetics and music, I understand that you're being brought up in the conversation around black pop stars and recognizing the ones who are making their mark within the genre. How do you feel about being part of that conversation, and how would you like to see representation change within the genre?
PRECIOUS: I think that it is amazing that I am part of that conversation. I, of course, also agree that many more black pop stars should be more into the mainstream; that is somewhere where the music industry has much further to go.
I feel like opportunities are not given to rising black pop artists or black artists who are making sounds outside of what people expect from black mainstream artists. There’s a lot further to go, being able to let black artists be represented in a much broader fashion without having to fit into the expectations that people want from us in the mainstream.
LUNA: I know this is just the beginning, and I'm sure we're going to see a lot more of you. How do you hope to inspire others when they listen to your music or see the art that you're creating?
PRECIOUS: The main thing, for me, is to have the same effects that my favorite artists had on me growing up, which is feeling inspired by the music, feeling moved by the music that helps you emotionally in some way.
If that happens, I already feel so grateful for what I have done as an artist. The number of people that I have touched with my music already is something I am very proud of.
I get a lot of DMs from people saying, “I have your album on repeat all the time” or “It saved my day, I was having the worst day ever.” Little things like that tell me that I’m reaching what I set out to do as an artist.
I would also love to be able to tour sometime as well—just a small, little tour, or if it turns into a big tour.
