All Of It – Empress Of: ‘For Your Consideration’ (Listening Party)

Date: March 25, 2024
Host: Kusha Navadar (in for Alison Stewart)
Guest: Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of)

Episode Overview

This episode of "All Of It" features a vibrant listening party for "For Your Consideration," the fourth album from LA-based pop innovator Empress Of (Laura Lee Rodriguez). Host Kusha Navadar and Empress Of delve into the album’s inspiration—navigating Hollywood’s culture, the concept of self-validation, collaborative creativity, and the layers of identity present in her music. Through album tracks and candid conversation, Rodriguez reflects on her journey as a first-generation Honduran American artist, the joys and risks of artistic evolution, and what it means to define stardom on your own terms.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Title: ‘For Your Consideration’

• Origins and Meaning:

  • Inspired by frequent FYC (For Your Consideration) billboards in Los Angeles, typically associated with entertainment award seasons (Oscars, Grammys, Tonys, Emmys).
  • For Rodriguez, the title pokes fun at the concept of seeking outside validation and flips it:

    “I'm poking fun out of it and saying, like, I already have [the accolades]. I've given them to myself.” (03:36)

  • The album artwork, showing Rodriguez on a star and painted gold, further lampoons Hollywood self-mythology.

• Defining Success:

  • Empress Of asserts that making the album itself is the achievement:

    “Whatever happens with it, I already feel like I've achieved the success I have by making this album.” (03:53)

2. Hollywood, Fame & Authenticity

• Satirizing the Star System:

  • Imagery like dancing on her own billboard highlights the “outlandishness” of fame (04:34).
  • Rodriguez expresses joy and lightheartedness in playing with the ‘star’ archetype:

    “This is one where... I'm vibrant. I feel vibrant.” (05:00)

• Preserving Self in LA Culture:

  • Despite growing up in LA among star culture, she prioritizes music over industry trappings:

    “I just feel like music is the driving force... The job is music. And when I get on stage and I sing in front of people, I'm like, that's my job.” (05:59)

3. Musical Identity & Creative Approach

• Always a Musician:

  • Rodriguez began making music at 21/22 and never considered another career (06:41).

• From Indie to Pop & Wider Audiences:

  • Transitioning from “indie darling” to broader pop exposure means “the floodgates are open” for criticism, requiring resilience:

    "Now like this is just reaching a wider audience... the floodgates are open." (07:59)

4. Songwriting, Production, and Collaboration

• Process & Voice as Instrument:

  • Beat and melody can start a song; Rodriguez often beatboxes and layers her own voice as rhythm and percussive elements:

    “With every session I did on this record, I was like, cool, can you just turn the mic on? And I'll just try using my voice as a drum.” (10:37)

  • The unique quality of her voice underpins the album’s sound:

    “No one has my voice, and that's what makes being a singer and a songwriter special.” (12:16)

• Exploring Collaborative Production:

  • On this album, she embraced being “executive producer,” steering collaborators, and taking creative risks, especially in a pop context:

    “Instead of being a producer, being executive producer and sort of just steering the ship... There's a lot of cool lyrics on this record that... lean very pop in a way that it's like my take on a pop song.” (13:09)

5. Cultural Identity and Bilingualism

• Spanish-English Lyricism:

  • Rodriguez, a first-generation Honduran American, has always written bilingually, letting musicality dictate language choice:

    “The music leads... whatever fits into the... the beat, the melody, the song, the music leads.” (13:56)

  • She discusses gender inclusivity in her lyrics:

    “Feminine is the gender-neutral of feminine in Spanish... Latina is, you know, gender neutral... saying I want Latinx, like, who, you know, ungendered.” (15:26)

6. Notable Tracks and Collaborations

• Lorelai

  • Background: Inspired by a real-life situation mirroring “Jolene”—written from the other woman’s perspective, and poking fun at people misnaming her.
  • Quote:

    “It's like my Jolene, you know, I wrote this. I wrote the song as the perspective of the girlfriend.” (08:57)

  • [Listen: 09:22]

• Feminine

  • Explores gendered language and inclusion in Spanish, includes playful gender-neutral terms.

• What’s Love (feat. MUNA)

  • Collaboration story: Longtime mutual admiration online led to working together. Rodriguez was “screaming in [her] car” when she heard the finished track.

    “They’re just pro... they sent me back a finished product. I was like, oh, they mean business. And I admire that so much in another artist.” (17:37)

  • Post-breakup empowerment theme:

    “It's not... I'm not crying... It's my thank you, next.” (19:33)

  • [Song clip: 18:52]

• Kiss Me (feat. Rina Sawayama)

  • Written with nostalgic pop influences; Sawayama, a supportive friend and powerful collaborator.

    “I was on tour with Rina... she's such a... she just supports me. And so I sent her that, and... again screamed in my car” (21:08)

  • [Song clip: 21:41]

7. Performing and Connecting with Fans

• Anticipation for Live Shows:
  • Rodriguez emphasizes the unique joy of experiencing the music with a crowd:

    "You spend that time in a studio... it doesn't come to life until you get on stage and you see the fans singing the lyrics back... it's just... so fun." (22:40)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On owning achievement:

  “I've given [the accolades] to myself.”
  — Empress Of (03:36)

• On the ‘star’ persona:

  “Empress Of knows she's a star... I'm just. I'm. I'm vibrant. I feel vibrant.”
  — Empress Of (05:00)

• On the artist’s calling:

  “I just feel like music is the driving force... The job is music.”
  — Empress Of (05:59)

• On handling wider audience and criticism:

  “It's just reaching a wider audience and... the floodgates are open.”
  — Empress Of (07:59)

• On voice as unique instrument:

  “No one has my voice, and that's what makes being a singer and a songwriter special.”
  — Empress Of (12:16)

• On gender-inclusive language in her music:

  “I just wanted... to do feminine... Latina is, you know, gender-neutral... ungendered.”
  — Empress Of (15:26)

• On a favorite collaboration:

  “They sent me back a finished product. I was like, oh, they mean business.”
  — Empress Of, about MUNA (17:37)

• On breakup anthems and healing:

  “It's not. I'm not crying... It's my thank you, next.”
  — Empress Of (19:33)

• On performing live:

  “It doesn't come to life until you get on stage and you see the fans singing the lyrics back to you... it's so fun.”
  — Empress Of (22:40)

Key Song Segments & Timestamps

• [01:36] "For Your Consideration" (album title track, snippet)
• [09:22] "Lorelai" (song excerpt)
• [14:11] "Feminine" (song excerpt)
• [18:52] "What's Love" feat. MUNA (song excerpt)
• [21:41] "Kiss Me" feat. Rina Sawayama (song excerpt)
• [23:44] "Baby Boy" (closing excerpt)

Conclusion

This episode provides an intimate, joy-filled exploration of Empress Of’s "For Your Consideration." Rodriguez unpacks her playful and profound takes on celebrity culture, shares her collaborative enthusiasm, and opens up about authentic artistry and cultural identity. Her humor, humility, and production insights will resonate with fans and music lovers alike. The episode is especially illuminating for anyone curious about what it means to craft pop music with heart, brains, and a whole lot of soul—on your own terms.