Q&A: Sadye Gets Real with Dark Pop Anthem "The Joke Is On Me"
ENIGMATIC ARTIST SADYE RETURNS WITH HER LATEST SINGLE “THE JOKE IS ON ME”, and continues to push boundaries. This darkly humorous track delves into the emotional aftermath of a difficult chapter in Sadye's life – her battle with cancer.
"The Joke Is On Me" isn't your typical ballad about overcoming adversity. Instead, Sadye utilizes her signature sarcastic wit to grapple with the psychological scars that linger long after the physical fight is won. The song's catchy melodies and edgy production belie the depth of its lyrics, creating a unique sonic tapestry that is both introspective and undeniably catchy.
With "The Joke Is On Me," Sadye compels listeners to confront difficult realities while simultaneously offering a glimmer of hope through her infectious melodies.
In our interview, Sadye opens up about her creative process, her fascination with emerging technology, and her desire to challenge the status quo of the music industry.
LUNA: The song uses dark humor to grapple with these experiences. How did you develop this lyrical style, and how does it help you process difficult emotions?
SADYE: I’m sarcastic by nature so that’s just kind of baked into my lyrics. I’ve always used humor to deal with difficult things in life. I think that’s a survival mechanism. It’s not like I’m searching for the humor in things, it’s like, if I don’t laugh I might not recover.
LUNA: Your music blends dark themes with pop melodies. What's the creative process behind balancing these contrasting elements?
SADYE: I don’t want to make songs that “sound sad.” If you listen to my lyrics they’re not the most uplifting, but if you aren’t a lyrics person and you listen to the records, they’re fun. To be honest, making heavy sounding, slow songs, about heavy subjects, isn’t something I can really handle right now. Writing isn’t always the most therapeutic for me. Sometimes writing a sad song, then hearing it and performing it over and over, is like twisting the knife. I wanted the songs to feel like a positive release for me.
LUNA: What drives you to create music that pushes boundaries and offers a unique perspective?
SADYE: I think if you’re writing from your own personal perspective, that music will always inherently be unique in some way. Sonically, I sometimes feel like we’ve barely scratched the surface of our own existence so why not try some weird things in the studio. I love sounds and melodies that give me feelings of nostalgia that I can’t place.
LUNA: Your background started with traditional songwriting. How did you evolve into creating alt-pop with influences like Kim Petras and Nine Inch Nails?
SADYE: I think the evolution came naturally from wanting to explore different instrumentation. I went from acoustic to electric guitar, and different sounds moved my writing in a different direction. I started gravitating towards industrial bands like Health. I think they were the heaviest band I’d really listened to, but they contrasted that heaviness with simple, pop melodies, and that shaped my writing a lot. I started working with producers who understood that vision and through those collaborations my songs took on a whole other identity.
LUNA: You have a large online following and play with the idea of being an "industry plant." How do you use this concept to spark conversation and challenge pop culture norms?
SADYE: To me the idea of being a plant is fantasy. The fantasy of the gatekeeper just passing you the key. I think with the plant narrative, the ease with which an artist’s career seem to happen makes people so mad. It seems unfair. Like an injustice. But who doesn’t want to win? I crave that ease in my career. So I just decided to become it. There’s a lot of truth in it, but the truth is kind of up for debate, right?
LUNA: “The Joke Is On Me delves into a difficult chapter. What themes or emotions are you exploring in your upcoming music?
SADYE: A lot of my unreleased music explores the future. I’ve been obsessed with learning everything I can from different computer and cognitive scientists. I think the world is about to change so much in a short window of time and I’ve been down that rabbit hole of technology, love, death and consciousness.
LUNA: What intentions do you have for this spring season?
SADYE: More releases and hopefully some live performances before the summer.
