Teen Vogue/2016/Interview

Interview
Photoshoot
===Interviewhttp://www.teenvogue.com/story/grimes-interview-teen-vogue-april-2016===
Claire Boucher (aka Grimes) straddles the line between counter and pop culture in a way few iconoclastic talents (think David Bowie, Kate Bush, Freddie Mercury, and Björk) have ever achieved. In just a short time, the compelling 27-year-old small-framed innovator has captured the hearts of indie misfits, college coeds, and fashion mavens alike — all the while staying in control of her career and image without compromise. Designer and not-so-secret-admirer Stella McCartney was very much drawn to Grimes and cast her in the campaign for her buoyant new scent Pop, out in April. Under a canopy of lemon trees behind Stella's pristinely manicured Los Angeles boutique, the two budding comrades reunite over vegan breakfast tacos before Grimes embarks on her tour with Florence + The Machine. With similar gumption and ethical viewpoints, the pair prove business and pleasure can overlap, and it's a beautiful thing when they do.
Stella McCartney: Do you want to be Claire, or do you want to be Grimes?
Grimes: Oh, I'll be Grimes. I did "kill" Grimes in my video Flesh without Blood. But now I'm actually OK with Grimes again. I just went a little crazy for a minute.
SM: She's reincarnated?
G: I guess she's reemerged. It's just a little weird for me because in real life I would say I'm quite bro-y. I mostly wear sweatpants.
SM: It's also funny — Claire is sort of a conventional name.
G: I know — tell that to my parents! When you Google it, it means, like, "empty and shallow". It says something like "clear light through an empty pool of water".
SM: That's a wrong interpretation. It sounds very spiritual. For my Pop campaign I wanted to represent young women in a way that is not normally seen in beauty. That's why I was drawn to you. Were you torn doing this?
G: I wasn't too torn. It's definitely something you have to think about, because I've never endorsed anything.
SM: Do you find it hard selling yourself at times?
G: I do think it's an odd thing when you start realizing that people are buying your record. It's kind of a loaded interaction that affects the art you make.
SM: You become conscious.
G: In a good way, because I'm like, "Oh, someone's gonna pay for this — it better be really, really good". It motivates me to do a better job than I've done in the past.
SM: How important is your image?
G: If you're performing, the way you dress, even if it's just a shirt and pants, is a statement in itself whether you like it or not. I see fashion as a positive thing. I see it as a way to enhance the project, or as a whole other aspect that I can play with and use to my advantage. Though I make sure that I look like trash about 20% of the time so no one's ever saying, "That's what she looks like without make-up". It's like, "Everyone knows".
SM: Is it crucial for you as an artist to stay true to yourself and project who you are in an honest way to your fans?
G: Depends what "staying true" is, because I'm totally down to wipe a bunch of paint all over my face — I'm happy if people think I'm weird. In a way it's not important because a lot of it is like acting and being a totally different person. The truest version of me would never go in public or be on camera or walk on a stage. So there is an element of removing myself from things.
SM: Are you a self-taught musician?
G: Yeah, I never played music until probably my early 20s. Honestly, I think you can make any instrument sound good with minimal effort. You can't be a great instrumentalist — that obviously takes work — but getting to a baseline level is pretty easy. I like hearing things that sound messy.
SM: What did you study in college?
G: I double majored in neuroscience and philosophy, and I was going for a double minor in electroacoustics and Russian language. But I didn't graduate, so it's not actually impressive at all.
SM: Where is home for you now?
G: I guess home is L.A. There's always a form of homelessness. When I'm touring I live out of a single suitcase. It's arduous, and it can be stressful if everything is dirty. I have performed in things that I have slept in.
SM: I'm devastated. I'm doing your wardrobe for your next tour. I'm going to have a rack of Stella clothes meet you wherever you go, with fake furs. Speaking of, we're both vegetarians. How did that start for you?
G: My stepdad is Hindu and never had meat, so it was very easy for me growing up; there would always be vegan food around. It is political for me, but also, to be honest, I have no idea how to cook meat. Touring is difficult, but if we're somewhere and I can only have something with dairy in it, then I will eat it because I won't starve myself.
SM: The Guardian recently said that you're the woman making the most exciting pop music on the planet.
G: As long as Beyoncé is alive, that statement is not true.
SM: Your recent album Art Angels has been really well received. Is that overwhelming?
G: It's nerve-racking to just put something out there because there is an element of not trusting yourself. I was pretty certain it was going to be widely hated, so I was very pleased. When I feel really uncomfortable with or embarrassed by something, it's the right thing.
SM: I feel the same way. Sometimes the stuff you hate ends up brilliant. Have you had singing lessons before?
G: I took one or two lessons, and I think they were helpful, but they spent a lot of time trying to cure my speech impediment. I like my lisp!
SM: How did your collaboration with Janelle Monaé on the song Venus Fly come together?
G: I am such a fan. I kept seeing her at festivals, and I couldn't tell if she knew who I was or not or if I should say hi. I sent her a painting, and then she said we should work on a track. Then I had a panic attack.
SM: It's how I got in touch with you. I stalked you.
G: You didn't stalk me — you invited me for drinks.
SM: I know, but that's my way of stalking: fancy stalking. Was it a creepy painting of Janelle by you?
G: No, it was a decapitated head spitting out colors.
SM: Nice! So I keep looking at your tattoos.
G: I just got a new one (a large painted-style cross on her forearm). I wanted to cover up a really bad tattoo that I got when I was younger. I'm not religious, but I grew up religious, so it's a comforting image to me.
SM: This one (points to another tattoo) is in our campaign. I had no idea you had a tattoo that says "beautiful".
G: I never decide until 10 minutes before I'm getting a tattoo what it's going to be. I was in New Zealand playing a show, and this guy said, "I'll give you a free tattoo if I can come to your show".
SM: You could have just given him a ticket and said, "No, you're good. I don't need a free tattoo".
G: I wanted a free tattoo!
SM: Does the feminist title feel antiquated to you? It's so important, but it's such a heavy, heavy word.
G: The thrust of feminism is equal pay and ending domestic abuse. It's really about human rights. Though I do think women in the public eye get constantly asked about feminism to the point where it ends up becoming a little bit reductive.
SM: It seems like people have a lot to say about your body hair.
G: I just started shaving for the first time this year. I am rebelling against my previous body hair, because now people get mad when I shave my legs. So I'm like, "I have the right to shave my legs". I think people policing my body either way is bizarre.
SM: For the shoot you and I did, they didn't know if they should retouch some of your hair, and I said, "No way".
G: There is still an intense vibe in society about body hair. No one I've ever dated has mentioned it. I didn't even think it was weird until I started doing fashion and people would be putting concealer over my legs.
SM: So, basically, fashion is old-fashioned. It's great you're shifting it. I just want to be you, if that's OK. I'm going to give you some lemons to take home.
G: I have a lemon tree, but I think it's dead. It has none.
SM: You can always stop by for lemons. Even if you don't come in and shop, you can just grab some.
G: On the security camera late at night there will be someone grabbing lemons.
SM: Somebody's stealing our lemons — I think it might be Grimes.Category:InterviewCategory:2016