Q&A: rlyblonde and Nathalie Miller on New Music, Queer Storytelling, and Saying the Thing You're Scared to Say
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
THERE'S SOMETHING REFRESHING ABOUT TWO ARTISTS WHO GENUINELY LIKE EACH OTHER SITTING DOWN TO TALK ABOUT THEIR WORK. No posturing, no PR-approved answers, just two friends who happen to both be releasing singles on the same day, asking each other the questions they actually want answered. That's exactly what happened when indie-pop artists rlyblonde and Nathalie Miller turned the interview format on its head for Luna, trading questions about their respective September 18th releases: rlyblonde's "Girl in New York" and Nathalie Miller's "teeth filed down."
Both songs arrive at pivotal moments in each artist's story: both simultaneously gearing up for their debut albums, both all about love, heartbreak, and getting through it all. What emerged from their conversation was something honest, funny, and surprisingly revealing about what it means to make music that is entirely, unapologetically yours.
RLYBLONDE: Hi Nathalie! Happy release! Let’s get into it. On your last two EPs, you strayed away from writing "love songs" or "breakup songs" in an effort to challenge yourself as a writer, covering topics like platonic friendships, chronic illness, and women's roles in society. With "teeth filed down" being the debut single off a new album that focuses mainly on romantic relationships, did you find it "easier" to write about love this time around, or did this come as a new, unique challenge?
MILLER: I think it came pretty naturally this time. My holdup before was that I kept writing about the same thing, so I set up a boundary of "I'm not allowed to write about romance again until I have something new to say" — and I had a lot of new things to say this time around. I think it probably also has to do with being older and having a lot more experiences now. In a way, it was easier, because I wasn't trying to figure out a new way to say something I'd already said before. It was all a blank slate.
RLYBLONDE: As a songwriter, you definitely do not shy away from a good metaphor. Was "teeth filed down" the initial idea or spark for this song, or do you ever start with a concept and use metaphors to obscure the more blatant meaning? Is metaphor a way to protect your vulnerability as an artist, or to give the listener more options for interpretation?
MILLER: "teeth filed down" was always the original line — it kinda just came to me like that. I'm a very referential person in my day to day. Everything reminds me of something. I think that translates into metaphors when I'm writing, like translating a feeling. I try not to think too much about obscuring the details because I wanna make sure what I'm saying is unrestricted. If I take a step back, though, the metaphors definitely do protect me — but it's not an intentional act of protection. It's just how I'm processing my emotions. Maybe it's a subconscious protection I'm not aware I'm doing.
RLYBLONDE: Is there anything you've tried to represent or articulate specifically about a queer experience with this song and upcoming album, or are you more organically writing from your lived experience? Is it important for you to have lines that indicate to the listener that this is not a story about a heterosexual relationship?
MILLER: I thought about lyrical indicators a little more this time than I usually do. I tend to write in second person, so the songs could read as anyone, but there were some places on the album I could've left ambiguous and I chose not to. I more so felt I owed it to the relationships I was writing about and to myself to be direct. "I'll be your man if you hold on just like a child" was me playing with the "man, wife, child" archetype — like we can't be traditional, but we can still be everything we need to be a unit. I also thought about it more explicitly with the music videos. The mainstream queer representation I'm used to seeing is sometimes removed from queer culture, and I wanted to have relationship dynamics unique to queer culture visually represented.
RLYBLONDE: You've made this song with your longtime producer and collaborator Brian Charles. Was there anything about working on this song that felt sonically challenging outside of writing about new topics? Did you approach this song and album differently than last time, or do you have your process pretty dialed in?
MILLER: We were actually a lot faster this time around. It was taking us about two to three eight-hour days per song in the past, but some of these were one-day turnarounds because we kinda know what fits in the universe now. It can be easier to sound corny on love and breakup songs, but I think we steered clear. I hope. I did force Brian onto some new instruments — he had to play the accordion on teeth filed down, which he said was difficult, but he made it look easy.
RLYBLONDE: Your visual world seems to often incorporate aspects of a bedroom, seen across your online content and in the music video for "teeth filed down." What was the process like working with Sarah Kendric on this video and was the bedroom motif intentional? Was the more minimal approach a dedicated choice or an evolution of your visual branding?
MILLER: Working with Sarah was so fun because she's such a sweet person. Sarah pitched the concept of these monochromatic, minimalist sets and the bedroom just happened to be one of them. I actually hadn't thought about the recurring bedroom motif until now. Things repeat accidentally because they're in line with the whole project — and it's fun to notice afterwards. We also wanted the sets to feel not super lived-in because the song takes place at the beginning of a relationship when you're still getting to know someone and your imagination is filling in the blanks. It's like the beginning phase when it's hard to conceptualize that the other person is real and has this whole life that's colliding with yours now.
RLYBLONDE: From one ex photographer-model-hybrid to another, how do you feel your visual art background prepared you for being a musician? Do you ever wish you knew you wanted to pursue music earlier, or do you think your photography background has informed your music practice? Would you change anything about your creative path if you could go back?
MILLER: I think it was helpful to have a visual background because I can save money for some things like social media content and photography and put the funds back into the actual music. I do wish sometimes I knew I wanted to do music earlier though. I'm not sure I would've been any good when I was younger — a lot of my songwriting is reliant on a perspective I just didn't have as a kid. If I could change anything, it would be accepting more help early on. When asked about superpowers, I always want time travel because I feel like anyone who says they wouldn't change a thing is lying. A Life Is Strange playthrough hates to see me coming.
RLYBLONDE: You release music under your legal name, Nathalie Miller. Do you feel there is any separation between your artist persona and yourself, or do they bleed together completely?
MILLER: Online, they feel very separate. I see people speculate about what has happened to me when trying to figure out the meaning of a song and it never feels like they're actually talking about me. In real life, though, I don't think there's much separation. My friends listen and go "is this about ___?" and we talk about the songs like they're part of our spill session. When people get stuff wrong, I don't really feel the need to correct them — their relationship to the music has nothing to do with me in a way.
RLYBLONDE: You are playing your debut live shows in NYC soon! How are you feeling about bringing your sonic world to the stage and what's it been like gearing up for that?
MILLER: I'm excited! I started accepting bookings without saying that I hadn't played before and I'm just hoping for the best. I'm super excited for our show on October 6th because it's a lineup of all friends so the sense of community is super strong — it reminds me of a sleepover talent show or something. I haven't been on a stage since I quit dancing so it will be a fresh experience.
RLYBLONDE: What are you most excited about with this album cycle coming up? Anything else you can tease?
MILLER: I'm just excited for the music to be out! The release process is very delayed when you're independent, so I've had these songs for what feels like forever. I'm excited for other people to have them too.
Okay, now onto you. This is your first original single release since 2024. What's the sonic and visual evolution been like between your upcoming era and Star of the Show?
RLYBLONDE: "Girl in New York" has the signature "spunky" RB sound people have come to expect — sarcastic flirty lyrics, crunchy guitars in the chorus, a sexy guitar solo, big chorus room vocals. It's a good intro into the new project without throwing listeners off too much. For some of the other tracks I tried not to lean so hard on my usual tricks — hiding behind a distorted vocal, never writing a bridge. It's a debut album, you know? It has to do a lot. I felt like I needed to prove something with this project. But I guess you'll have to wait and see. As far as visuals, there's always at least one song during a release cycle where I like to do a bit of a "drag" look — for "Girl in New York" I wanted to pay homage to the iconic Juno Birch. Something alien but charming. The rest of the new era has a bit of a different visual feeling, telling more of a larger narrative story. A bit more stripped down and a bit more real, but still with an element of fantasy. That's all I'll say for now.
MILLER: If "Girl in New York" came to life as her very own person, which movies would be in her Letterboxd top four?
RLYBLONDE: Big Fat Liar is an obvious one. Next would be Eloise at the Plaza. I'd add Synecdoche, New York, and then… the Sex and the City movie.
MILLER: Is there a lyric or production moment you're particularly proud of?
RLYBLONDE: This is the first time I'm getting production credits on a song, which I attribute a lot to working so closely alongside my producer Robbie G for the past few years — so that's a milestone I'm proud of. There's also a synth in the pre-chorus that when I originally tracked it at home at 2am was absolutely bonkers, completely tuned all over the place. Robbie worked his magic on it and it stayed in the song. And what I call "the mosquitoes" in the second post-chorus — a funny textural thing that I felt really added to the visceral feeling of a late-summer romance fizzling out. Sun going down, bugs coming out.
MILLER: What's been your favorite show audience or fan interaction so far?
RLYBLONDE: Getting recognized at a Pride event by a fabulously drunk lesbian who had been at our show the night before — she was showering my praises in a way I did not expect and that truly warmed my heart. We also had a show right after Dolly passed and we pulled out the full glam to honor her. Afterwards, someone in the audience told me that watching me felt like watching Dolly on stage, and that made him really happy in the wake of the loss. My jaw was on the floor. I hope Dolly would approve.
MILLER: Visuals are an integral part of the rlyblonde project. Where do the ideas start?
RLYBLONDE: A lot of times it's at night, in the hours before sleep where my body is barely awake but my insomnia keeps my brain running. I'll pull my phone out and jot something down and flesh it out in the morning. I'll be listening to a mix in the dark and it's like watching a movie in my brain — the whole thing just plays out and then I know it's time to start making the storyboard. I think the girls that were on Tumblr in the 2010s watching movies like Eternal Sunshine and Virgin Suicides are all sort of on the same subconscious wavelength. My life inspires me, so the visuals are finding a way to translate real life experiences into something fantastical — something personal but detached, so that anyone can see themselves in the story.
MILLER: How does it feel now that your private creations from the past two years are gearing up for public consumption?
RLYBLONDE: Horrible and amazing! It's been so long in this process that it doesn't feel real. Any artist can relate to the feeling of having a song only exist for you — that's the only time the song is truly mine. Even the minute I bring a demo to my producer, it turns into something else. So these songs are in their final moments of being my private treasures, and now they get to be something else for somebody else. I'm feeling ready to start rolling out this music, and I'm ready to celebrate something. It's been a long time coming.
MILLER: You've written about Hollywood in the past and this new single shouts out New York. How do these cities relate to you and your project?
RLYBLONDE: There's something so promising about both cities — these are the places people go to make their dreams happen. My life is shaped by where I live, the work ethic here, the venues and spaces I've been able to grow in. New York is so big with so many interesting scenes and communities. I'm a Sagittarius, so I'm fascinated by exploring other worlds. The endless exploration that NYC allows for is a huge part of what keeps me inspired, because there's always something new to experience.
MILLER: You've cultivated a beautiful community around your project, from collaborating frequently with Robbie Guariglia to hiring your friends for visuals. How does that community translate to a live show environment?
RLYBLONDE: I feel really lucky to have grown such a fruitful and supportive community over the years. In a live music environment, I get to push that even further — it's a space where people can have fun, meet people, be themselves, enjoy art. The live show is its own thing, fleeting and loose, which is usually the opposite of the energy when working on a project behind the scenes. And the live shows are an access point to folks I don't know, people who are just meeting me for the first time on stage — and that's really special.
