Snowblood is feeling a little freaky these days.
The former Millionaires singer-rapper (real name Dani Artaud) has been experimenting more and more with her sound ever since going solo with her self-titled debut album in 2017. What started as an ’80s-hued synth-pop and dark-pop project eventually transformed into something more weird and, dare we say, freaky.
Dipping into hyperpop and happy hardcore territory, Snowblood’s newest single, “Freaky Freaky,” is an aptly-titled celebration of letting one’s freak flag fly, all set to a spacey, sinister electronic soundscape with a helium-high hook.
“It’s basically about a sexy alien babe at a cyber strip club falling in love so hard she wants to leave her promiscuous life behind and be freaky with her new lover forever,” Snowblood shares of the kinky-cosmic concept behind the track.
Listen to the deliciously deviant track song, premiering exclusively here on PopCrush:
The track is the latest taste of new music from Snowblood, who is currently working on an EP “hopefully to come out this fall.”
“I have four more collaborations coming out over the next couple months and I’m planning some shows, both digital and IRL this summer,” she shares. Hopefully, they’ll be freaky, freaky affairs.
Below, Snowblood gets candid about her favorite freaks, why hyperpop is the new frontier, her enduring love for scene style and overcoming misogyny aimed at the Millionaires.
What inspired the sound and production for “Freaky Freaky”?
I’ve been listening to a lot of trance, happy hardcore and hardstyle lately. There’s influence from these genres sprinkled in the track for sure. And I just love dancing to broken beat rhythms, so I was really excited to experiment with this sound with [producer] Mystery Skulls. When that chorus hits I literally cannot not dance!
I produced my vocals on this and I was definitely (obviously, perhaps) very inspired by Britney’s vocals in “Piece of Me.” Such an iconic song. I’ve always been very inspired by her and her music and I’ve been wanting to try this vocal style for a long time.
Do you consider yourself “freaky”? What does being “freaky” mean to you?
I’m definitely a total freak in my own ways, but I feel like this song is a reminder to myself to be even more freaky. To me, being freaky is being sexually free and unafraid to express yourself in any weird way you can possibly think of, never feeling like you have to explain or filter yourself, and defying social norms.
Who are some of your favorite “freaks”?
I’ve always been a huge fan of Cher! Her style over the decades is the definition of iconic. She doesn’t take s–t from anyone and always speaks her mind. I’m also inspired by a lot of freaky artists out there right now like Ashnikko, Slayyyter, COBRAH, Shygirl, Alice Longyu Gao and Dorian Electra, to name a few. I love how artists in the hyperpop scene are constantly pushing boundaries to the most extreme levels — no amount of freakiness ever feels like enough!
What are your general influences when you’re working on new solo music? What sort of sounds and aesthetics do you feel yourself drawn to?
When it comes to writing lyrics, I’m drawn to more fantastical and otherworldly ideas. I’m not very inspired by our current reality, so when I’m writing I go to other worlds in my mind, creating characters in interesting situations and writing from there. When it comes to sounds and aesthetics I’m totally all over the map, so I like to blend a lot of things together. I’m drawn to songs with pop structure and big choruses, but paired with sounds that are dark and heavy like metal, but also bright and dancey like Eurodance.
There’s been a noticeable evolution between your debut album, which had a sort of synth-pop, lighter sound, to your most recent album, which was a little heavier and more hyperpop-leaning. As you move forward into your next era of music, how is your next evolution shaping up? Are you noticing yourself leaning towards any specific style or sound?
It’s honestly so difficult for me to focus on one kind of style or sound, being a true Gemini at heart. I definitely would love to elaborate on some of the sounds from my last album… I think “ANTHR LVL” could be the genesis of a really cool sound for me. I’ve been leaning towards trance, broken beats and experimental noise beats. We shall see what it ends up sounding like!
How did you decide upon the “Snowblood” moniker for your solo music project?
I was very inspired by the Japanese film Lady Snowblood. To me, the word visualizes the contrast between brutality and beauty, which sounds like a fun and compelling character to embody.
In recent years, your music with Millionaires has seen a resurgence and new appreciation, especially with the advent of hyperpop. Looking back on that time and the music from your early career in the 2000s, how do you think it’s influenced emerging artists today?
It’s definitely really cool to hear a lot of newer artists kinda referencing our original sound! There’s so much nostalgia for that whole era right now which is so interesting to see, but I love it and totally get it. Compared to our current reality, it was a much simpler and carefree time. I think people are ready to experience more of those vibes but with a fresh modern sound!
There’s also been a lot of discourse about how women, especially artists and celebrities, were treated by the public and media during the 2000s. I’ve always felt Millionaires faced a lot of misogyny, when similarly “raunchy” male acts received hardly any of the same criticism.
Yeah, definitely. It’s really crazy to look back and realize how many feathers we ruffled. I guess the idea of sex positive women being successful with music that many considered to be terrible and trashy, but really it was future as f—, was just too much to handle for the average person at the time.
How has promoting music on social media/online changed or evolved since the MySpace days?
A lot has changed for sure. Mainly back then it was only MySpace; now there’s a handful of different social media platforms you have to exist on simultaneously to maintain a certain level of presence. There was no algorithm back then and also a lot less artists in the new underground internet music scene, so it was much easier to be noticed and heard. Now it’s a bit more saturated so it’s more challenging to get people to pay attention.
Scene style is seeing a resurgence on TikTok. Harking back to your “DaniGore” days on MySpace, what advice would you share to the new crop of scene kids?
I’ve totally been seeing this and I love it! I think the core of the scene style was very DIY for sure. You’ve gotta color your own hair, make your own customized clothes and try weird makeup and styles you’ve never seen before. Always gotta be about taking your look to the next extreme, the freakier the better!