Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (2:55)

So I'm from Los Angeles. I have seen FYC billboards all over LA my whole life. I just thought it was such a bold title for a record in the music industry, you know, for consideration and sort of just taking that term and defining it in my own terms, what.

Kusha Navadar (3:13)

Does that term actually mean? Like you See it on billboards for the Oscars. Are you saying, or.

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (3:17)

Oscars, Grammys, Tonys, Emmys, like, you know, for your consideration. It's, you know, it's, it's, it. It's tied to award season. Everyone thinks of fyc, like your FYC campaign for your short film, your. Your feature film, your Grammy consideration. It's, you know, it's, it's. It brings to the mind, like, accolades and achievements and, I don't know, I feel like I'm poking fun out of it and saying, like, I already have them. Like, I've. I've given them to myself.

Kusha Navadar (3:45)

Oh, give it. So that's, that's interesting to say. So given them to yourself. Unpack that a little bit. Like, you don't need it. You're going to define your own success.

McDonald's Employee (3:52)

Yeah.

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (3:53)

So I love this album. I love this album. I am very proud of it and I just sort of am like, you know, whatever happens with it, I've already. Yeah, I already feel like I've achieved the success I have by making this album. And, you know, I'm on a star, like, over the back line of LA as album cover. I'm the backside is me completely painted in gold like a statue. It's cheeky. It's fun. I'm having fun. I don't know. I love it. I love it.

Kusha Navadar (4:23)

When you think about the bizarreness of Hollywood, what's specifically about the culture, you know, of Hollywood, of being famous in la. Were you trying to poke fun at. Were you trying to examine.

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (4:34)

Well, one of the images from my album is me dancing on a billboard of my own album cover. So that is, you know, absurd in itself. The, you know, the sort of. The zooming in of your career, the outlandishness of your career, the being a star, you know, I'm on a star on the album cover.

Kusha Navadar (4:58)

Right.

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (4:58)

And I'm just like.

Kusha Navadar (4:59)

On the nose.

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (5:00)

Yeah, on the nose. Like, there's even been press. It's like Empress of knows she's a star. Do you, you know? Yeah. Like, I just think it's fun. I think it's funny. I have been, you know, I. This is my fourth album and, you know, I have been various stages of myself throughout these records, and I think this is one where. I don't know, I'm just. I'm. I'm vibrant. I feel vibrant.

Kusha Navadar (5:23)

Would you say this is like your star era that you're going through right now?

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (5:27)

I feel like a star. I don't know. Yeah, I'm just like, whatever people Interpret it, you know, interpret it as you will. But I feel like a star.

Kusha Navadar (5:36)

Yeah. And you sound like a star when you're on this album. You said that you're. You grew up in la, right?

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (5:41)

Yep, yep.

Kusha Navadar (5:42)

So you've been exposed to this culture for quite some time.

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (5:46)

Yes.

Kusha Navadar (5:46)

Do you feel like you've gotten or have been at risk of getting lost in that culture? Has it been hard to preserve your sense of self before you became self proclaimed? But also everyone else proclaiming star, how's that been like for you?

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (5:59)

The word star is so funny as well. Yeah, I don't know, being, being in LA and like, like I said, seeing these images everywhere and seeing, seeing this culture, I don't feel lost in it because I just feel like music is the driving force. I love making music and you know, when I, when I'm at a red carpet or like, you know, event like that, I'm always just like, oh, this is so, this is part of the job. But it is not the job. The job is music. And when I get on stage and I sing in front of people, I'm like, that's my job, you know.

Kusha Navadar (6:38)

Did you always know that you wanted to be a musician?

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (6:41)

I don't. And there was never another career.

Kusha Navadar (6:46)

Yeah.

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (6:48)

But yeah, I just started making music when I was 21, 22 and I don't know, I haven't stopped making it. I haven't stopped making music as empress.

Kusha Navadar (6:58)

Of what's some part of life outside of the industry of Hollywood that you miss or that you can't get as much of as before you were a famous artist.

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (7:07)

Well, I've never considered myself a famous artist until you just said that.

Kusha Navadar (7:10)

But we'll label it.

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (7:11)

On behalf of us, we're keeping, keeping with the theme of the record.

Kusha Navadar (7:14)

Exactly, exactly.

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (7:15)

Leaning into it, you know, just acknowledging that the criticism, whether it's good or bad, will be out there. Like before when you're like an indie darling, you know, and you're, you have the like pitchforks of the world that are like, you know, giving you these accolades and stuff, that, that's cool. It feels safe. And when you, I, when you get into like the pop sphere, the more like the wider sphere of the world, that the, that's something that I've noticed is just like, okay, cool. Now, now like this is just reaching a wider audience and it's open. The criticism is the floodgates. The floodgates are open.

Kusha Navadar (8:00)

The magnifying class, right?

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (8:01)

Yeah. So it's like with the good and the bad and, and you know, I'm just learning. I'm learning to take that, you know, with a grain of salt.

Kusha Navadar (8:10)

Absolutely. And what a wonderful connection to the title of the album, actually. For your.

McDonald's Employee (8:13)

Exactly.

Kusha Navadar (8:15)

Consideration.

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (8:16)

For your consideration. Yeah, it's actually. It's hilarious.

Kusha Navadar (8:21)

Yeah. Because the magnifying glass is the consideration big time.

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (8:24)

Yeah. Yeah, for sure.

Kusha Navadar (8:26)

Well, let's listen to a song from that album.

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (8:27)

I would love to.

Kusha Navadar (8:28)

We're going to play the first minute or so of Lorelai. What's the story of how the song came together.

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (8:33)

So my name is Laura Lee and everyone calls me Lorelai. And I was just poking fun at it not being my name. And there is another story behind the song, a love story. I don't know if I should get into it right now.

Kusha Navadar (8:53)

Well, you brought your call. We can listen to the album right now.

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (8:57)

I'll tell, I'll try to tell it really quickly. Basically, some guy was cheating on his girlfriend with me. I didn't know this. And I wrote the. It's like my Jolene, you know, I wrote this. I wrote the song as the perspective of the girlfriend and she's like, you know, does she know how much she makes me cry? Lorelai. But I also use that as an opportunity to poke fun at my name.

Kusha Navadar (9:21)

Let's listen to it.

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (9:22)

Yeah, let's listen to it.

McDonald's Employee (9:26)

I want to be sweet but there's too many scars. I want to love you free, but I can't see the stars, stars, all I taste is bitter, you kiss my lips. I know you've been with her cuz your mouth still red. What's her name? What's her name?

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (9:58)

All the girls.

McDonald's Employee (9:59)

Does she know how much she made me cry? What's her name? Does she know how much she. My star life I want to believe last wasn't here.

Kusha Navadar (10:19)

So a lot of the songs on this album, this one included, they've got driving beats to them. You know, they're. They're club esque rhythms, you might call it. Like we just heard on that song. When you first get an idea for a song, do you usually start with a beat and go from there or do you begin with the idea and find the beat?

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (10:37)

Both.

Kusha Navadar (10:37)

Either.

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (10:38)

Yeah. So I am a producer. I have made a lot of my albums. I co produced this with other collaborators and I was. I really wanted to start this record Beatboxing. So every session I did, 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 the. My voice as a drum. So it's like. Like my voice is the snare, like, and like the hi hats. Like the kick. And you can hear, like, lots of breaths. Very asmr and this grade for radio wnyc. So, yeah, it's. You can hear a lot of that in the driving force is actually my voice on this record, and I think that's really special. I love it.

Kusha Navadar (11:26)

Well, it sounds like you start with the beat then because you think about the percussion. I mean, you're using. You beatbox, I'm guessing, right?

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (11:31)

Yeah. But it can also just be like, you know, the song for consideration is just like. Like lots of ahs. And, you know, it could be anything, like, like little. There's another song on the record where I just started going, na na na.

McDonald's Employee (11:42)

Na na na na na na na na na na na na na.

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (11:45)

And like that. We loop that over and over again. I just think, like, making electronic music is so fun like that, you know, it's. The rules are no rules.

Kusha Navadar (11:56)

Well, you know, as a producer among. You know, we have producers in the studio with us right now as well. There is this sense of possibility, this expansiveness. It's whatever you can think of, you can find a way to create it. And I think it's so interest that your voice often stands as the piece of that. Not necessarily just the melody, but all of the other elements too. It's whatever you can think of. Bringing it into reality.

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (12:16)

Absolutely. I have always said that no one has my voice, and that's what makes being a singer and a songwriter special, is like, cool. No one's gonna sound like me. And I wanted to use that to the extreme.

Kusha Navadar (12:30)

How did you find your own voice? What was that like in your musical journey?

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (12:33)

Four records in. It's a constant exploration. I think this record is, you know, is even pushing more explorative than the other ones with, you know, that. That theme of, like, my voice, the breath, the beats and everything. But I feel like an empress of record is gonna sound like an empress of record. It's gonna feel like little dreamy, mystical. Make you dance, you know, it's. I don't know.

Kusha Navadar (12:59)

So it follows those themes. Dreamy, mystical, makes you dance for your consideration. What makes it different? What's maybe the creative risk wanted to try on this record?

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (13:09)

Yeah, the creative risk. I mean, really, you know, leaning into collaborators and. And instead of being a producer, being executive producer and sort of just steering the ship and I feel like songwriting. There's a lot of cool lyrics on this record that, I don't know, lean Very pop in a way that it's like my take on a pop song.

Kusha Navadar (13:35)

The lyrics is a great point to bring up because with the lyrics as well, it's bilingual. You know, there's. You go back and forth between Spanish and English. You are first generation Honduran American. Is that right? So is it a conscious choice when you want a lyric to be delivered in Spanish versus English, or does the difference really mean nothing to you? It's whatever comes up organically. How does that work?

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (13:56)

The music leads, you know, whatever fits into the. The beat, the melody, the song, the music leads. And. Yeah, I don't know. I've been making music like bilingual music since the beginning of my career and it feels very natural to me.

Kusha Navadar (14:11)

Well, let's listen to an example of that on the. On the album. Let's listen to feminine. If you're just joining us, we're talking to Laura Lee, who performs as empress of on the new album. For your consideration, we just learned, we just heard a clip from the song feminine. And Spanish is a gendered language. So please correct me about this if I'm missing the mark, but I noticed that in the song you use words like Latin instead of Latino or Latina. As a natural Spanish speaker, can you speak more about how you think about trying to use more inclusive language?

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (15:26)

Yeah, I mean, I. That was just something I did with this song. So feminine is the gender. Gender neutral of feminine in Spanish, you wouldn't. You want feminina or feminino? So I just wanted. Yeah, I wanted to do feminine. Latina is, you know, gender neutral. Quier un Latine? That's like me saying I want, you know, Latinx. I want, like, who, you know, ungendered. And I noticed that your Spanish is great. You were singing along to the song.

Kusha Navadar (15:59)

Thank you. Well, that's coming from you. That's really nice.

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (16:02)

Thanks. But yeah, so I just. Just trying to use, you know, the language that I use every day with my friends in the song.

Kusha Navadar (16:11)

Well, we gotta take a quick break, but we wanna come right back after this. We're talking to Laura Lee, who performs as empress of her new album for your consideration. More. This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Kushan Avadar and here in the studio with us is Laura Lee Rodriguez, AKA Empress of her new album just released last Friday. It's called for your consideration we're doing a listening party. Let's talk about your song with Muna because you talked about how this album slightly different from your previous ones because a lot of Collabs, right?

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (16:51)

Yeah.

Kusha Navadar (16:51)

So they're obviously a huge band right now. They're signed to Phoebe Bridgers label. How did you first connect with. With them and what do you like about their sound?

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (16:59)

I'm gonna preface by saying muna, greatest band in the world. Yeah. We've been, you know, mutual admirers of each other online for years. You know, it starts. It starts with a follow, then it's a dm. You know, it's, oh, my God, I love this, I love this, I love this. And then it, you know, I was working on this album and I sent them the record and, you know, what's Love? Stood out to them. And they recorded on it. And I received the email back and screamed in my car.

Kusha Navadar (17:31)

What do you like about their sound? You say that they're the best. Best band in the world. Where did that come from?

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (17:37)

They. I mean, Katie has such a beautiful voice. And I say it over and over again and I won't stop saying it, but they are. They're just pro. They are so pro. They recorded their own vocals, they did their own production on their vocals. Like, you know, those, like, harmonizer layers. They sent me back a finished product. I was like, oh, they mean business. And I admire that so much. In another artist I aspire to be that when someone asked me to work on a song and I just. I love their music.

Kusha Navadar (18:08)

It's the producer in you, right?

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (18:10)

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, those are the things that I'm like, oh, like, oh, this is next level. I love Rina. Rina Sawayama, who I also worked with on the record. Who. The same. The same level. Like, it's such a high level of, like, professionality that I'm just like, you know, singing aside, like these. These are incredible singers.

Kusha Navadar (18:31)

Well, let's listen to a little bit of it. You mentioned the name of the song that you did. It's what's Love. It's the final track of the album. Let's listen to a clip of it. Here's what's Love.

McDonald's Employee (18:52)

I wasn't. If a lot can make you break you shape you lose love oh, if love can make you break you shape you. There was love. Oh.

Kusha Navadar (19:25)

Laura Lee, you've said that this song is kind of like a breakup song. How did writing this song and the album as a whole help you process post breakup?

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (19:33)

Yeah, so I feel like people really love my breakup songs. I have another song called When I'm with him, and people are always like, your song got me through my breakup. Your song got me like, you Know, through this. And it's. It's such an amazing feeling, you know, thing to hear about your music. This song is different because it's not. I'm not. It's the first song I've written where I'm. I'm not crying. I. I've told people there's, like, my. Thank you. Next. You know, I'm like, oh, the Ariana Grande. Yes, the Ariana Grande song. I'm like, thanks. Thanks for the heartbreak, you know, I wouldn't have had it any other way, you know, And I don't know if that is, like, me as a therapized, you know, more. More. A more therapized person, you know, I'm like. I'm like, oh, I needed to go through that, you know, and so. And that's like. That comes out in a song. But, yeah, I say it's a breakup song. It's not broken. It's just like, you know, it's. It's. Thank you. Yeah, next. But not thank you. Next.

Kusha Navadar (20:37)

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (20:37)

But yeah.

Kusha Navadar (20:38)

You've also collaborated with Rina Sawayama, which you had mentioned, for a song on this album. It's called Kiss Me before we listen to it. Why did you want Rena on this song?

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (20:48)

So this song is, like, such a sweet, nostalgic pop song. And, you know, I had so many references when I wrote it of, like, Britney and Dream, which is like an older band. And. And I was. I was just like, who could. Who could meet me there? You know, who had the.

McDonald's Employee (21:08)

Who.

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (21:08)

Who had the delivery? And I was on tour with Rena. I opened for her in Europe and in the US and we became friends. And, you know, she's. She's such a. She just supports me. And so I sent her that, and she was. I was like, can you please, you know, think about singing on this? And she's like, of course. And send me vocals. And I again screamed in my car because I listened to my demos in my car, and. Yeah, it's.

Kusha Navadar (21:35)

Well, let's listen to a quick clip of it. This is Kiss Me.

McDonald's Employee (21:41)

If you right up the stairs Just touch my lips and pull my hair Come with you I'd go anywhere oh, kiss me Kiss me Slowly, slowly Whisper, whisper slowly show me that I'm your one and only Kiss me, kiss me slowly, slowly Whisper, whisper Show me show me that I'm the one and only Kiss me, kiss me Slowly, slowly Show.

Kusha Navadar (22:25)

Me so you have a few live shows already scheduled this spring. You'll be Back to play three shows in New York on May 22nd, 24th and 25th at Elsewhere in Brooklyn. What are you looking forward to most about playing this album live for an audience?

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (22:40)

My God, I'm so excited to play. I think the. All the shows are sold out, but maybe, maybe wink, wink, I'll announce another show for this album in New York. I'm just like that. Playing records live is a joy because you spend, you know, I spent two years making this album. You spend that time in a studio and you know, there's. There's no, like real. There's no real life. Like, it doesn't come to life until you get on stage and you see the fans singing the lyrics back to you. And you know, you see the sweat, you see the dance, you see the moves. It's like that is. It's just. It's so fun. It's so fun.

Kusha Navadar (23:24)

And it'll be super exciting to get to see that. I'm sure you're really looking forward to it.

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (23:28)

Yeah, I'm so excited.

Kusha Navadar (23:29)

So let's go out on one more song. I've been speaking to Laura Lee Rodriguez who performs as empress of her new album is called for your consideration. Lauralee, thank you so much for joining us.

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (23:38)

Thank you so much for having me.

Kusha Navadar (23:40)

Absolutely. Here it is, baby boy you know.

McDonald's Employee (23:44)

My love for life love for now baby boy want you to fly me high love me down baby boy I know you're not the one just a little fun you know my everything but that doesn't mean that you, you can't fly me high let me down baby.

Uncle (24:11)

Boy I'mma put you on, nephew all right, unc.

McDonald's Employee (24:14)

Welcome to McDonald's.

Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (24:15)

Can I take your order, miss?

Uncle (24:16)

I've been hitting up McDonald's for years. Now it's back. We need snack wraps. What's a snack wrap? It's the return of something great. Snack wrap is back.

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Laura Lee Rodriguez (Empress Of) (24:35)

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