Q&A: promqueen Is Living in a “SCARLETT” World
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
AUSTIN’S OWN PROMQUEEN RETURNS WITH “SCARLETT,” her boldest and most theatrical single yet. This femme-forward trap-pop noir anthem is a cinematic declaration of feminine power, camaraderie and unapologetic glamour, born from real moments of protecting her friends and reclaiming space in a male-dominated world.
“SCARLETT” channels the grit and glamor of classic noir while pulsing with modern orchestral strings, hard-hitting 808s, and a vintage-style voiceover that nods to old-school film narration. It’s a playful yet fierce statement piece that captures the energy of a night out with the girls turned anthem for self-protection and independence. The track, co-written with longtime collaborators KAKI and waverly (who also produced), acts as a transitional flare—setting the tone for promqueen’s upcoming third chapter, szn three, while standing strong as its own moment.
The accompanying music video transports viewers into a lush, noir-inspired burlesque world, complete with scarlet tones, striking choreography, and a powerful visual narrative. Directed by Zachariah Houston Williams with creative direction by Ellena Martinez and styling by Ariel O’Gwin, the video places promqueen as the commanding boss of her own club, leading a queer, BIPOC cast in a story of strength, protection and femme liberation.
We chatted with promqueen to learn the story behind “SCARLETT,” the creative world-building that shaped its sound and visuals and what this new era means for her evolving artistry.
LUNA: “SCARLETT” feels like a cinematic turning point. What sparked the idea for the song, and when did you know it would become a statement piece?
PROMQUEEN: I LOVE cinematic world building drama. The song was inspired by a true story about my close girlfriends experiencing creepy guys hitting on them at a club. My girlfriends just wanted to dance and have fun and these guys were LITERALLY getting in their way of having a good time. This song is my way of clapping back with dramatic style and flair, naturally.
LUNA: You’ve said this track was born from “feminine fury.” Can you talk more about the moment or feeling that inspired the shift from frustration into music?
PROMQUEEN: This song was born out of wanting to defend my girlfriends, who are gorgeous, sexy, smart, beautiful and deserve to have fun without creepy men encroaching upon them. Unrelated to this song, I had been workshopping a spoken line in my head for a while, “Darling, sometimes you’re hard for me to enjoy.” and when I was trying to find a way to write a song to express my anger sparked from these scenarios, I riffed off that spoken line and brought it to waverly and he knew exactly what I was looking for sonically.
LUNA: From the strings to the 808s to the transatlantic narration, “SCARLETT” is packed with sonic drama. What did you want the sound to feel like for listeners?
PROMQUEEN: I love dynamic juxtaposition of feelings and sounds. I wanted it to sound like a very classy Scarlett O’Hara or Liza Minelli speaking in their confident nonchalant way coupled with Beyonce Lemonade energy raining down. Both women don a fur coat, long cigarette in hand, with not even a glance at the man and despite what he may think, she is actually fine without him. In this song, I wanted to explore these sides of women that are strong, classy, sexy, and electric with strong sacred rage, as termed by a friend of mine.
LUNA: How did you build out the visual universe behind the track?
PROMQUEEN: When thinking about this song visually, I thought to myself, “I want to see beautiful queer BIPOC people cast in a noir time period”. The spoken dialogue in the track inspired that for me and plus, I am a sucker for Chicago the musical. I dove in and wrote characters for this story that turned into a whole world of people who are struggling to find out who they are through the safe haven of Rosie’s club run by the courageous Scarlett herself. It truly took a team to build Scarlett’s world. I first brought this idea to our amazing director, Zachariah and my trusted set designer/creative director, Ellena. They built on the story even more, taking it deeper than I could have ever dreamed of. Our hair makeup stylist and costume designer, Ariel, found noir jazz style outfits and dressed the main performers in sleek black vests, bra, and pinned striped black tights. I was adorned in a red bejeweled bra, corset, garter and sequined gloves. The patrons of the club were dressed in a mix of sleek sexy, masc/fem, and nonbinary outfits. For choreography, I mentioned Chicago the musical to my choreographer and Angelina said, well yes and she created fabulous choreography that is flashy, sexy, full of beautiful chair choreography and striking visual lines. All of this with our incredible DP, lighting, gaffer, grip and extras. I’m a lucky girl with a very talented team.
LUNA: “SCARLETT” lives outside your upcoming season three project, but clearly sets the tone. How does this song bridge eras for you?
PROMQUEEN: I love songs that make me feel powerful when I perform like Exotic, POV, and Mountain. Strength is a theme that runs through my parents’ immigrant stories and how I see them. I think my songs will always have an anthemic and liberating through line. Scarlett embraces both the strength and sexy, confident femininity which leads us into szn 3 where promqueen explores who she wants to be and what femininity looks like to her. So, I’d say Scarlett jumpstarts szn 3’s conversation.
LUNA: Collaboration is a huge part of your work, from co-writing with KAKI and waverly, to building a 30-person visual team. What was the energy like on set and in the studio?
PROMQUEEN: The energy in the studio was so silly and fun. I wrote the script for KAKI and directed her takes. My favorite part of directing her was hearing all the quirky mannerisms and sassy character she put into the voice over. I knew she’d be the perfect fit for it and it makes me giggle with glee everytime I hear her on the track. waverly just does his usual thing and adds his tasteful transitions and I’m like period, the song is set. In the film world, I was over the moon. I LOVE being on set and acting because it truly takes a team and incredibly talented folks to make this happen. Everyone loved being in their costumes and had such positive and fun energy! Even though film sets are long days, they are so rewarding when you’re working with a great cast and crew. My favorite moments on set are watching others perform in costume and the world coming to life! It was transformative! From studio to set, I definitely have the best seat in the house!
LUNA: You’ve always celebrated feminine independence in your music, but this one feels more collective, about protecting each other. Was that intentional?
PROMQUEEN: Thanks for noticing! It was intentional in that it came from the story and the feeling of wanting to protect my friends. This song was also an ode to my dancers. They have inspired me to be more comfortable in my body, embrace my femininity and being sexy. The collective sacred rage of women is what I want to express through this song. I am so grateful for my dancers. The heart of this song comes from them and my mom, of course. My mom inspired some of those spoken lines and has said one of those lines verbatim!
LUNA: With performances at ACL, SXSW, and now your own headline moments, how has your relationship with live performance evolved?
PROMQUEEN: I thrive in live performances. It’s where I feel at home. I am so grateful for all these opportunities that have allowed me to be able to practice and flex my performance muscles more. With each show, I find joy in being able to lock in on my dancing, expressions, vocal options, banter and storytelling. It’s more nuanced work that I get to do now versus when I first started out as a performer. Now in live performances, I look forward to finding new ways to connect emotionally to my songs as a performer and new ways to connect with the audience! The question I continually ask myself on stage whether I’m dancing, singing or speaking in between songs, is, “how can I ‘yes and’ myself in this moment and allow myself to follow that magic?”. Basically, how do I get out of my own way?
LUNA: What intentions do you have for the rest of the summer?
PROMQUEEN: For promqueen, we have the szn 3 album to finish up in July, which I’m definitely looking forward to. waverly and I work hard with the business and production side of things and it is often rare to have creative breaks like these. I also have an art exhibit reception July 26th at the Asian American Resource Center for a project I’ve worked on with a dear talented friend of mine, Chie Endo, since 2023. Lastly, my team and I are working on new choreo for szn 3 songs we are performing for a Houston show at the end of September! Personally, I am trying to take moments to rest, read my books, swim laps at Barton Springs and enjoy my summer garden during her harvests!
