FKA TWIGS Talks Stans, Eusexua, Seduction

Summary

The Adam Friedland Show – FKA Twigs Talks Stans, Eusexua, Seduction

Episode Date: February 4, 2026
Guest: FKA Twigs
Main Theme: Artistic evolution, identity, fandom, and the interplay of sensuality, class, and personal agency in FKA Twigs' artistic life

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Episode Overview

In this detailed and candid conversation, Adam Friedland and his co-host sit down with FKA Twigs, the Grammy-winning experimental pop star, to explore the complexity and evolution of her life and career. Their discussion engages topics like growing up between worlds, finding power through performance, the changing music industry, challenges of relatable fame, and maintaining mystery in the era of stan culture and social media. The tone alternates between playful, irreverent banter and moments of deep reflection, giving listeners a multidimensional portrait of an influential artist navigating art, identity, and modern fame.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. FKA Twigs' Upbringing and Class Identity

• Mixed Class Background:

  • Twigs describes growing up working-class in the outskirts of Birmingham, raised by a Jamaican father, a Barbadian stepfather, and a mother from the “Black Country” (09:11–10:20).
  • She attended a private Catholic school on scholarship, coached intensely by her mother after her local school refused to put her forward for the grammar school entrance test (10:31–11:32).

• Navigating Class and Race:

  • “My mom was very free-spirited, very beautiful, very daring…there are a lot of things that made me stand out. Being biracial as well—there just weren’t a lot of people of color where I was from.” (13:08–13:55)

2. Becoming an Artist – Early Work Ethic and Drive

• Multiple Jobs in Early London:
  • Upon moving to London at 17, Twigs juggled four jobs (dancer, youth worker, Selfridges, and bar work) (25:49–27:03).
  • She credits a supportive stepfather who enabled her to quit two jobs for six months to focus on music, leading to her first record deal (26:48–27:03).
  • Work ethic instilled from childhood (“You have to work 10 times harder,” a lesson from her stepdad about race and ballet) (58:09–58:54).

3. Artistic Process and Vision

• Interdisciplinary Approach:

  • Music creation is visual and multi-sensory, often developing only when she “gets a vision” that accompanies the sound (27:30–27:57).
  • “It’s like 360...music is the core of everything I do, but I just don’t feel [the industry] is able to facilitate everything I want to do.” (28:02–28:54)

• On Collaboration:

  • Favors letting collaborators express themselves so she can later edit—valuing fun and creative freedom in the studio (47:06–47:19).

4. Stan Culture, Fandom, and Social Media Pressures

• Changing Landscape of Fame:

  • Twigs notes how the Internet, especially stan culture, has changed what it means to be a musician—from distant allure to constant self-promotion (29:54–30:10).
  • “We’re just expected to market ourselves so much…nobody knows my true personality because I feel like my personality is constantly at gunpoint with social media.” (30:33–31:29)

• Maintaining Mystery:

  • “For me personally, I’ve been on a five-year journey...I’ve seen other artists absolutely crushing it [online]. With me, I just can’t seem to find that because I don’t want to put the things I’m practicing at online. It’s for me.” (32:43–33:14)
  • Pushback on quantification: “You can’t quantify the amount of people inspired by your work...to quantify success by listeners or likes is just not valid.” (34:43–35:09)

• Interaction with Fans:

  • Twigs is grateful for genuine artistic impact—her fans’ (“Twiglets”) energy directly inspired much of her music, especially the transitions from "Usexua" to "Afterglow" (36:21–37:00, 43:47–45:21).

5. Identity, Sensuality, and Artistic Themes

• Sensuality vs. Sexuality:

  • Pole dancing and sensual performance became acts of reclaiming self-agency after medical and professional setbacks.
  • “Pole dancing, for me, is like reclaiming experiences that I went through as a young woman and empowering myself to be in charge of my sensuality on stage. And I say sensuality instead of sexuality...” (53:02–54:01)

• Dual Identity in Art:

  • FKA Twigs reflects on balancing high-brow operatic/artistic inclinations and deep-rooted cultural/community ties: "I can swing from doing a performance with Valentino...to then really being so into my roots and supporting my own community, feeling really grounded...” (13:55–14:29)

6. Navigating Representation & Longevity

• On Longevity vs. Viral Success:

  • She favors a long career over fleeting fame, citing role models like Martha Graham and Laurie Anderson (37:25–37:55).
  • “People like Martha Graham or Pina Bausch or Laurie Anderson, PJ Harvey...people that have been able to sustain a creative life. I’m looking forward to getting old.” (37:25–37:43)

• Navigating Being Ahead of the Curve:

  • Comfortable starting conversations before the culture “gets it”—as with operatic innovations on “Magdalene” (55:37–56:48).
  • “Sometimes I make the suggestion very early and it allows culture to make something so beautiful from that starting point...” (56:21–56:48)

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Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Early Career and Drive:

  • “I literally remember having this rucksack and it had almost different costumes for my different jobs. Any shift that came up, I would run around...” (25:49)

• On Navigating Relatability and Self-Promotion:

  • “Nobody knows my true personality because I feel like my personality is constantly at gunpoint with social media.” – FKA Twigs (30:33)
  • “I just can’t seem to find [online relatability]... I want to deliver something when it’s a fully rounded thought. It’s a nightmare to be making work I really care about, and then there’s this whole other side, which is like McDonald’s. It destroys all the mystery.” – Twigs (32:43)

• On True Impact:

  • “You can’t quantify culture...to be able to say, oh, this is what success looks like because it’s Spotify listeners or awards or likes...that’s just not valid.” – FKA Twigs (34:43)

• On Fan Inspiration:

  • “Usexua for me was such a well-rounded piece of work...in Afterglow I wanted to deconstruct everything I’d learned...that wouldn’t have happened if the fans hadn’t given me permission.” – FKA Twigs (44:30)

• On Sensuality and Agency:

  • “Pole dancing, for me, is like reclaiming experiences...empowering myself to be in charge of my sensuality on stage. And I say sensuality instead of sexuality.” – FKA Twigs (53:02)

• On Being Ahead of the Curve:

  • “I’m not trying to do anything. I’m okay with making work and it seeding into culture and it taking its sweet time.” – FKA Twigs (56:50)

• Work Ethic and Challenges of Representation:

  • “Black or brown artists have to work ten times harder because we can’t get away with being average...we have to sing really well, look incredible, dance really well, be polite...because we’re not given the grace that other people are.” – FKA Twigs (58:54)

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Memorable Lighter Moments

• On Fashion and the “Blues” Outfits:

  • Twigs jokes about dressing in all blue—“the same blue”—when she doesn't want to think about outfits. (06:44–07:05)

• Playful Banter:

  • Adam repeatedly jokes about “have you ever seen a movie?”, pressing Twigs about obscure cultural references and celebrity contacts (prevalent throughout, ex. 17:03, 47:41).

• Dog Interludes:

  • The recurring presence of “Icy,” a rescue dog, lightens the mood and becomes a running distraction. (07:22, 60:16, 64:01)

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Important Segment Timestamps

• Twigs' Upbringing, Scholarship to Private School: 09:11–11:32
• Navigating Multicultural Identity & Fitting In: 13:08–14:29, 19:16–21:31
• Move to London, Early Career Grind: 25:49–27:03
• Artistic Process, Collaborations: 27:30–28:54, 47:06–47:19
• Changing Music Industry, Stan Culture: 29:03–33:55
• Fandom’s Influence on Art: 36:21–37:00, 43:47–45:21
• Sensuality, Agency, Pole Dancing: 53:02–54:48
• Longevity vs. Viral Relatability: 37:25–37:55, 56:21–56:48
• Representation & Work Ethic: 58:09–58:54

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Conclusion

FKA Twigs offers an unvarnished look into the pressures and paradoxes of modern artistry, sharing her personal struggles with identity, industry change, and audience connection. Through candor and humor, she illuminates the realities behind her visionary work and perseverance—a testament to self-actualization amid shifting cultural and digital ground.

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For Listeners Seeking Key Takeaways

• FKA Twigs is resolutely independent, prioritizing creative freedom over fleeting online virality.
• Her dual identity—between avant-garde art and grounded lived experience—fuels both her challenges and staying power.
• “Relatability” is a burden she rejects; mystery, incremental progress, and meaningful connection define her artistry.
• Despite digital pressures, she’s sustained by genuine fan feedback and her own evolving, rigorous practice.

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“You can’t quantify culture...The data around art is not the point. What matters is what lasts and who’s changed by it.” – FKA Twigs (34:43–35:09)

Transcript

[Adam Friedland]

Do you know what the show Seinfeld is?

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

Okay. All right.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Have you seen movie before?

[FKA Twigs]

The movie Seinfeld?

[Adam Friedland]

A movie.

[FKA Twigs]

A movie?

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[FKA Twigs]

In my life.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

I don't know because I was.

[Adam Friedland]

These thoughts were popping in my head while I was doing research. I was like, she may have not seen a movie before.

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah, I've seen a movie before.

[Adam Friedland]

Okay, all right, we got that out of the way.

[FKA Twigs]

This guy.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

What do you mean? Hello and welcome back to the Adam Friedland show. Adam here. First off, I'm doing Helium Comedy club in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in about two weeks, February 19th to the 21st. There's some tickets left, low ticket warning, I believe. The following month I'll be doing Helium Comedy club in Portland, Oregon. Noticing a trend, March 27th to the 29th.

[Adam Friedland]

It's a great club, very fun room.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Finally, the Netflix is a joke festival. Regent theater, Los Angeles, California, May 9th. They've added a second show. The first one, there are only single tickets left. They said it was a tremendous. They booked a second show for me. Also, I'd like to thank our members for supporting us here on YouTube.com. please, guys, support the show.

[Adam Friedland]

If you like the show, it's five bucks a month.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

You get early access to all of our episodes.

[Adam Friedland]

And if you join at the second.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Or third tiers, you'll get your name.

[Adam Friedland]

In the credits of our show that you see today.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

If you'd like to join the Friedland family foundation, you can do so by clicking the join button here on YouTube or by clicking the link in the description below. Also, we have a Patreon. If you prefer to support us through Patreon, there's a link in the description. Also there's merch AdamFreedland show. Check it out.

[Adam Friedland]

Great crap.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

My guest this week is Grammy award winning artist FKA Twigs. Congratulations to Twigs on the Grammy. She got. What was that Sunday night. Huge, big one for the show. Listen, guys, you've seen the intros before.

[Adam Friedland]

They're the most popular part of the whole show. They are.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

People watch the intro, turn off the fucking interview. Which really hurts my feelings. But it's that Caleb magic. Is that Thomas magic?

[Adam Friedland]

It's the energy in this room.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

It's the crt television. Listen, it sucks. This week has sucked on a sincere note. It's just crappy what's going on right now. And not that that's an excuse for.

[Adam Friedland]

Us not doing our work, but it's just. I don't know, Nothing. It didn't feel good.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

We're all in a crappy mood.

[Adam Friedland]

And you know, we're seeing people getting shot in the head on TV and stuff, and it's fucked up.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

There was a silver lining.

[Adam Friedland]

Is that correct? At the 11th hour, we got an assist from probably the most unlikely of sources.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

And he had a brilliant idea to.

[Adam Friedland]

Tackle the subject tastefully. So without further ado, check this out. Let's break down this idea from the top. So. So there's a new group that we're starting. Just explain it to me again.

[Guest or Contributor]

You should try F I R E. You should try it.

[Adam Friedland]

That's immigrant relations experts. Expert executive. Yeah. Okay, and so fire, or the opposite of ice. Yeah. And then how does it relate to Game of Thrones?

[Guest or Contributor]

And you're recruiting. You're recruiting for fire.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[Guest or Contributor]

You're gonna. And the way you do the.

[FKA Twigs]

The, the.

[Guest or Contributor]

Qualifications for ice, you're gonna make the qualifications for fire tougher and make it tougher by just like another minute or something stupid.

[Adam Friedland]

Oh, so you have to run a mile and a half in 13 minutes instead of 14?

[Guest or Contributor]

Yeah, because fire is tougher than ice.

[Adam Friedland]

That's funny. That's funny. Oh, and it's like Game of Thrones.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

That's why.

[Adam Friedland]

Cuz it's fire and ice.

[Guest or Contributor]

That's the whole point.

[Adam Friedland]

And Westeros is what? Washington D.C. i think this is good. And the north. And the north is min. Minneapolis.

[Guest or Contributor]

Minneapolis. Which is freezing. It's a freezing tundra.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, but the wall is Mexic. No, no, no. But the wall is Mexico.

[Guest or Contributor]

Yeah, the wall is Mexico.

[Adam Friedland]

And they're letting in fire people into the country.

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

And the. The fire walkers are good guys.

[Guest or Contributor]

And your motel. We are fire.

[Adam Friedland]

That's funny. Okay, I think I'm gonna try and do this. Something like this. You there?

[Guest or Contributor]

I mean, it kind of makes sense in a way.

[Adam Friedland]

I think it's a good bit.

[Guest or Contributor]

It takes a piss out of ice.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah. There. It's like a satire. Yeah, it's speaking truth. Power. Anyway, Dad, I gotta get back to work. I love you, though. I'm gonna send you that computer. Yeah, okay. Mazel toe. All right, bye. I said we just do that.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Ladies and gentlemen, this next guest was named the Godlike Genius of 2022.

[Adam Friedland]

Is that correct?

[Co-host/Interviewer]

NME's Godlike Genius Award of 2022. And they haven't named one since Twigs, everyone.

[FKA Twigs]

Hi.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

She's got cake. Thank you for coming.

[FKA Twigs]

Thank you. Hi, Icy.

[Adam Friedland]

Thank you for coming.

[FKA Twigs]

Hi. Thank you for having me.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

And thank you. She brought a whole squad of just.

[Adam Friedland]

Some of the, you know, some of.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

The luminaries of the fashion industry.

[Adam Friedland]

We have Anna Wintour.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Give it up for her, guys. The Devil wears Prada.

[Adam Friedland]

You got.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

You try to make me wear some.

[Adam Friedland]

Some like, a poodle jacket.

[FKA Twigs]

You wanted to wear it.

[Adam Friedland]

I didn't want to wear it.

[FKA Twigs]

I had to prize it off you.

[Adam Friedland]

I just wasn't sure if I was dressed cool enough. Because you're like a very.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

You're a fashion. Do you consider yourself a fashion icon?

[FKA Twigs]

No.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Are there any days where you just want to dress like shit?

[FKA Twigs]

Um, I have this thing called the blues. So I have outfits which are all blue.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Oh, if you're sad.

[FKA Twigs]

No, If I just don't want to.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Get dressed or like Picasso's blues.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[FKA Twigs]

Period.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[FKA Twigs]

Well, just all the clothes are blue, and it's the same blue. So I can put on the blues and not think about it and it kind of looks fine.

[Adam Friedland]

What does it look like? It's like jean. Jean jacket, Jean shirt, jean pants.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

No, it's kind of Canadian tuxedo.

[FKA Twigs]

No, it's kind of very worn in patched up Japanese leisurewear.

[Adam Friedland]

Oh, yeah, of course. Yeah, I know. I know. Exactly.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

My dog is here. You asked for an animal.

[FKA Twigs]

I did.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

I feel like this is the first time Icy has been on the show.

[FKA Twigs]

Hi, Icy.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

I've told this story. We could cut it. But I've told the story to other.

[Adam Friedland]

Guests about this dog. But I got her from the street. She was a homeless teen mom. They used her to breed fighting dogs. And then she met a Jewish man and he changed her life.

[FKA Twigs]

Sweetheart.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah. She's really sweet. I mean, when I got her, she was like, depressed because they took her puppies away too young. And her nipples are, like, distended from breastfeeding.

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

And she was like, just. She's like, come out of Vietnam. But now she's like. She's a very happy girl. She's like 10 now. She changed my life. You have two dogs?

[FKA Twigs]

I have two dogs. Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

But like little. Little Ewok kind of things.

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah, yeah. That crazy.

[Adam Friedland]

Do you like to take them around, like Legally Blonde, like, kind of situation?

[FKA Twigs]

They're very wriggly. I mean, before 6 o', clock, they're very wriggly. And then after 6 o', clock, they're like floppy teddy bears.

[Adam Friedland]

You're from the. The west of England by Wales.

[FKA Twigs]

The, like, middle. The Midwest.

[Adam Friedland]

The Midwest.

[FKA Twigs]

The middle of England to the west.

[Adam Friedland]

Like Indiana kind of England? My.

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah. My family's from Birmingham.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Are they Villa Villa?

[Adam Friedland]

Aston Villa? No, I feel like you don't. You've never heard of sports?

[FKA Twigs]

I grew up with a lot of sports in my house. I'm kind of. I think because of that, I just, I'm not really that into it. Sports, like football kind of scored my childhood because it was always on, especially at the weekend. It would just be.

[Adam Friedland]

It's kind of nice though.

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah, it's nice. I mean, I think it's. Yeah, it's just. Was always on in the background of my life. But I'm the type of person that when I get home, I'll put the TV on for the background noise.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Was your town like a Tory town?

[Adam Friedland]

Was it like Tory country, England?

[FKA Twigs]

I think so. Well, I mean, it's kind of weird where I grew up because it's quite, it's quite mixed, I would say, like.

[Adam Friedland]

Working class and posh.

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I think that where I'm from there's not a lot in the middle.

[Adam Friedland]

What side were you on?

[FKA Twigs]

It's like a commuter's town. I was very much working class but like moonlighting as middle class because when.

[Adam Friedland]

I, when I like first heard of you, you seemed very like, like high brow, you know what I mean? And then when I found out you're kind of from like small town, it's like, kind of was very like. I didn't expect it. Right.

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah, well, my parents are from like working across Birmingham.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[FKA Twigs]

I have like my biological dad who is from working across Birmingham, of Jamaican descent. My stepdad who raised me like actively till I was 11. He's like second generation from Barbados, like very working class. First black family in a working class area in Birmingham and my mom's from the black country in Birmingham. And again like very. Just humble, chill beginnings.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah. Was there like a notion of class that stuck with you from a young age? Because I know you went to like a boarding school, like a good school, and you were like on scholarship or whatever it's called in England.

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah. So when I was 11, my mum just got it into her head that I was going to go to a private school, a Catholic school in Cheltenham. And she basically like coached me to get in and I did a lot of like tests throughout my summer holidays to get into this school that had good education. My primary school had said that I wasn't intelligent enough to go to the grammar school and so my mum was just like, how? No. And so she basically coached me through the summer holidays to go to a private school.

[Adam Friedland]

Was the grammar school the public school?

[FKA Twigs]

No. Well, I think grammar school is kind of like a better school, but I don't think you have to pay for it. But your school has to agree that you're clever enough to take the test, to go to a free, aspirational, better school, whatever that means. But my primary school wouldn't put me forward even for the test. So then my mum found a school that was like, they had a scholarship and she put me forward for the scholarship. But the academic test was like a really big part of getting that scholarship.

[Adam Friedland]

So you were smart. You seem like you're very, like, when you talk about your work, I'm like, this is a very intelligent, way smarter than me person that I'm gonna struggle to ask questions about. No.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

I mean, no, but, like, were you. You strike me as, like, were you.

[Adam Friedland]

Like the girl that, like, didn't talk and was drawing horses and stuff?

[FKA Twigs]

A little bit?

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah. Yeah. Were you like, you did kids consider you to be, like, a weirdo or like a freakazoid?

[FKA Twigs]

I think growing up, I had two very distinct personalities or versions of me. And the one side was, yeah, like a bit of a weirdo. And I was very much into, like, ballet and opera and.

[Adam Friedland]

So annoying. How old were you into opera?

[FKA Twigs]

Honestly, like, 8? 9.

[Adam Friedland]

You did like the Spice Girls?

[FKA Twigs]

I loved the Spice Girls.

[Adam Friedland]

Oh, okay.

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah, I was a big Spice Girl.

[Adam Friedland]

Who exposed you to like, that kind of stuff, though?

[FKA Twigs]

Well, when I was nine, I got a singing teacher, a lady called Dorothy, who was the lead singer in Carmen in the Covent Garden Opera House. And so she started teaching me to sing and in Latin and Italian opera. And that was my first training. But it was.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

If I went to school with you.

[Adam Friedland]

I'd be like, shut up.

[FKA Twigs]

But I didn't tell. I didn't tell anybody this, you know, I think you're embarrassed of it. It's not that I'm embarrassed. Listen. Being first of all, working class, second of all for a lot of my life, from a single parent family. Third of all, growing up in an area where a lot of it is middle class, upper middle class, keeping up with the Joneses. So already I've stood out because my mum was very free spirited, very beautiful, like very daring. You know, my mum, when she was younger was like, really, really iconic. And so already there are a lot of things that made me stand out. Yeah, Being biracial as well. There just weren't a lot of people of color where I was from. So I think I've always kept a lot of these things secret. And even now I, you know, it's something that I even battle with now a lot people not understanding that side of me because it's funny. I can kind of swing from doing a performance with Valentino and, like, doing something really high brow and incredible, to then really being so into my roots and where I'm calm and supporting my own community and feeling really, like, grounded and expressing that part of myself which is like, deeply rooted in culture and also black culture as well, because I'm mixed race and these are two equal, equally important sides of me.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[FKA Twigs]

So it's funny because even in one of my singles I just released Cheapo Towel, like, it's just kind of super vibey. And the videos really, like, low key and sexy and filled with girls that I would want to hang out with and beautiful women that look different and express themselves, like, looking really cool. And then, you know, I can go from that to then doing cellophane. And I think it's definitely polarizing. But these two sides of me, like, they're both a part of me.

[Adam Friedland]

Right. Like a lot of your work has. There is a class element to it. I feel like you worked as a hostess at a strip club and you were in burlesque and then you've kind of created characters around those experiences.

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

How old were you when. When you moved to London?

[FKA Twigs]

I was like, 16 and 17 when I first started spending a lot of time in London. And I think just before my 18th birthday when I made the full jump.

[Adam Friedland]

Were you like one of those, like, I just gotta get out of this town? You were one of those. Right. No one understands me here.

[FKA Twigs]

Not even.

[Adam Friedland]

Did you see London as, like. How did you view London from, like, a small town? Was it like a dream?

[FKA Twigs]

I remember lying on my mum's bed. We had this tiny flat and I remember lying on my mum's bed and listening to College Dropout.

[Adam Friedland]

Changed my life.

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah. And I remember, like, listening to that.

[Adam Friedland]

We were the same age, right?

[FKA Twigs]

I think so. 38. And then.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Yeah, yeah, we were 16.

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah. So I listened to that. And I had a boyfriend at the time who had a car and we drove up to London and saw Kanye west at the time and Jay Z perform and he performed Jesus Walks in London. I remember, like, we drove all the way up to London and then drove back that night. And it just changed my life. Like, just hearing Jesus Walks and everybody was just in this venue and stamping and it just, like, was the first time I experienced, like, the aspiration of life through art and music, like, bringing me to tears as a, you know, mid to older teenager. And then I went back home and nothing was the same. I was like, I need to make it to a big city. Like, something can happen for me, but it's not gonna happen for me here.

[Adam Friedland]

We're the same. We're the same guy. Seriously. I mean, honestly, I wanted to move to New York so bad. I thought it was nighttime, 24 hours a day. Everyone was the Strokes, and I'm like, I'm gonna move there. Or I thought it was Seinfeld, where, like, an ugly Jewish guy could get, like, a really hot girl. And it turns out that that was kind of true. Yeah.

[FKA Twigs]

In New York, for sure.

[Adam Friedland]

I used to. Yeah. What is cheating?

[FKA Twigs]

That's just. I think there's, like, a lot more girls than there are to men in ratio.

[Adam Friedland]

There's a lot of gay guys.

[FKA Twigs]

Oh, is that what it is? I just thought there was more women to men.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, yeah. No, there's, like, a lot of gay guys. So the straight. Straight guys to straight women ratio is. I feel. I mean, it's incredible.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

It is a place where Costanza could.

[Adam Friedland]

Go out with, like, a Victoria's Secret model.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

I thought it was just because it was on tv.

[Adam Friedland]

Do you know what the show Seinfeld is?

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

Okay. All right.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Have you seen movie before?

[FKA Twigs]

The movie Seinfeld?

[Adam Friedland]

A movie?

[FKA Twigs]

A movie?

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[FKA Twigs]

In my life.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

I don't know, because I was.

[Adam Friedland]

These thoughts were popping in my head while I was doing research. I was like, she may have not seen a movie before.

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah, I've seen a movie before.

[Adam Friedland]

Okay. All right. We got that out of the way.

[FKA Twigs]

This guy.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

What do you mean? No, because, like, your interests are so. It seems to me, like, when you.

[Adam Friedland]

Get interested in something, you go all the way in. Right. Like, when you got into, like, pole dancing, you went to, like, the best pole dancing teacher in the world.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

That's a thing.

[FKA Twigs]

I didn't go to the best pole dancers.

[Adam Friedland]

You went to the.

[FKA Twigs]

I go to people. No, I just go to people that can. No, like, I mean, for me, like, I go to people that care. So it was important for me when I first started to learn pole dancing that I trained with another woman of color, that I trained with somebody that had their own studio, that had a passion for the movement.

[Adam Friedland]

In my opinion, she's the best in the world. Okay. That's just one man's go there.

[FKA Twigs]

Listen, there are a lot of amazing pole dancers, but I think for me, I just wanted to go to a place where I could feel safe. And whenever I pick a teacher, it's because they have safety, something like, they have a want to get to the root of the cause and a Respect for the community as well around the.

[Adam Friedland]

What kind of music did your parents show you when you were a kid?

[FKA Twigs]

Oh my gosh, so much.

[Adam Friedland]

Did you like it?

[FKA Twigs]

I really did. At times I felt very embarrassed by it, but now I'm so grateful because there was a lot of like acid jazz, jazz fusion, you know, non verbal jazz. Like people singing scat over beats or.

[Adam Friedland]

Huh. No, like the Scatman song.

[FKA Twigs]

Like, you know that song? No, I don't.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Know.

[FKA Twigs]

I was thinking more about like Tanya Maria.

[Adam Friedland]

Oh, she's a scatter.

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah. One of her. Well, a few. Tina Marie, Tanya Maria.

[Adam Friedland]

Oh, never mind.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Did you ever like having like. Oh, my Caribbean roots and like, like being mixed race.

[Adam Friedland]

Did you ever get into like kind of like dub or reggae or like kind of second wave ska?

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Did you like the Specials?

[FKA Twigs]

I did, but much later. I love the Specials. That was more in my 20s, like for me, more in my teens it was like discovering bashment and dancehall and. Because I grew up in a place called Cheltenham which is very white, but then literally like 20 minutes away there's a place called Gloucester which has not only got like an amazing black community, but also a Jamaican community.

[Adam Friedland]

Sound clash and you went to like, like dub and reggae?

[FKA Twigs]

No. Well, there was a club there called the Jamaican Club and it was when dance hall and bashment was huge. And I remember going to that when I was 16 and like there were loads of rastas there, but it was like people that have like just come from Jamaica and. And have created a community there. And that's when I really discovered myself. And I had like a huge breakthrough actually, because I had best friend at the time who was white and blonde and really pretty and super popular and I would really want her to come with me to the Jamaican club. And I remember her saying to me that like, she didn't want to come. And I was like, how old were you guys? They were like 16, 17. But I'd always like done stuff with her and all of my like white friends in. In Cheltenham, you know, like whatever they wanted to do and partied. Yeah. Like go, I don't know, do stuff that my white friends wanted to like go to a skate park or celebrate Easter.

[Adam Friedland]

No, I mean that's. They like that. What do you mean? I'm sorry.

[FKA Twigs]

No, I mean like talk about like getting a Tony and guy haircut or get ghd. Well, exactly. What is that?

[Co-host/Interviewer]

I don't understand. I don't know what these white people are up to.

[FKA Twigs]

Nor do I. Yeah, no.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Like, is that what they do ghts?

[FKA Twigs]

I don't know, like, get like GHD and go to Tony and Guy and get, like, layers in their hair and talk about Rachel from friends. Like, I don't know. But I was a teenager and I.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Great haircut.

[FKA Twigs]

No, I was at teenage. I was like a teenager, and I was just like, where do I find myself in this? And I remember naively, like, I started going to this Jamaican club in Gloucester, and I remember trying to get my white friends from my private Catholic school to go to this club with me. Because I was like, I'm always going to your staff. I was like, can you come? And I remember one time, I was just like, why don't you want to come with me? I have no one to go with. And the answer was, like, there were just too many black people there. In that moment, I realized.

[Adam Friedland]

You'Re different.

[FKA Twigs]

I was different. Yeah. I realized I was different. And I also tried to explain my friend. I was like, I am always with white people in Cheltenham. So how you feel when you go to Jamaican club? That's kind of how I feel every single day. But it was kind of just a bit, you know, like this. I was like, do you know what? I need to go and go to London and. And just, like, expand my knowledge of the world and meet more people and be in a more multicultural environment. Cause I was like, otherwise, I'm just gonna die a slow death here. Like, I'm just gonna get crushed.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah. And also get exposed to your cultural roots.

[FKA Twigs]

Exactly.

[Adam Friedland]

I imagine.

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah, exactly.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah. You were in a band? Delirium.

[FKA Twigs]

Delirium tremens.

[Adam Friedland]

Oh, nice. Like the beard? Yeah, yeah. Can I hear it? Do you have any?

[FKA Twigs]

No, this is like. This is basically pre Internet.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Was it like, riot Grrrl?

[FKA Twigs]

It was. I was. It wasn't my band. It was kind of like my friend's band. And I would be like, the additional backing singer in the band.

[Adam Friedland]

You were like the bez?

[FKA Twigs]

I don't know. The bez.

[Adam Friedland]

The guy in Happy Mondays with the. The. With the tambourine?

[FKA Twigs]

No, I was like, the backing singer. So I do, like, additional, like, screaming, I guess.

[Adam Friedland]

Really? Oh, so you didn't play any instruments?

[FKA Twigs]

No, no, I would scream, like, to double his screaming.

[Adam Friedland]

Oh, it was a guy who was making you scream?

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

Was it guy, girl, band, or. You were the only girl?

[FKA Twigs]

No, I was the only girl. But I was like an addition. I wasn't like the main one.

[Adam Friedland]

You were weird but popular. That's my new decision about you.

[FKA Twigs]

I was.

[Adam Friedland]

She was. She was cool.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

I could tell by the way she's talking to me right now.

[Adam Friedland]

She was popular in high school. I could tell. Why are you mad at me right now?

[FKA Twigs]

Because I don't want these false narratives. But I was like, the runt of the popular girls group. That's where I'd place myself. But then outside, like, if I did dancing or when I'd come to London, like, that was super chill. I'd say I wasn't popular or not popular. I'd say that when I came to London and was doing dancing, singing, hanging out, I'd say that, like, I was just, like, in the mix, like, having a good time.

[Adam Friedland]

What about.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

So you became.

[Adam Friedland]

You moved to London, became a dancer.

[FKA Twigs]

Yes.

[Adam Friedland]

And you were like, in videos and stuff. You were coveted, from what I understand.

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah, I had a good career as a backing dancer. I had a solid. I had a career I'm proud of as a backing dancer.

[Adam Friedland]

You danced for Sheeran?

[FKA Twigs]

I danced for Sheeran.

[Adam Friedland]

So chill as a guy.

[FKA Twigs]

Sweet.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

When you were in dance, though, did you, like, you wanted to be at the front of the dancers? Do you had an ambition there?

[FKA Twigs]

It's not that I was at the front. It was just that, like. It's not that I wanted to be at the front. It's that, like, I was very expressive, but I couldn't, like, fit into the group.

[Adam Friedland]

Because you were getting twice as much money when I heard. That's what. In my research.

[FKA Twigs]

For what?

[Adam Friedland]

When you were the best dancer.

[FKA Twigs]

I wasn't getting twice. Twice as much money. No, I wasn't.

[Adam Friedland]

I would be proud of that.

[FKA Twigs]

No, me too. If that was the case. When you dance, you get, like, a flat rate usually.

[Adam Friedland]

But are the girls cunts to each other? Is there a Black Swan kind of thing happening?

[FKA Twigs]

I never experienced that.

[Adam Friedland]

Because you were above all that drama?

[FKA Twigs]

No, I just made good friends. Like, some of my dance friends from when I was back in Dancer, I still, like, know now. I actually hooked one of them up with my piano teacher. They just had a baby.

[Adam Friedland]

Really?

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

So. Wow.

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah. One of my oldest dance friends, I did a piano lesson in lockdown and I met this guy and I was like, you have exactly the same personality, like, humor as my old, like, backing dancer friend. And then I put them in a group text and I was like, you guys should know each other. The worst that can happen is that you'll be friends. And they just had a baby.

[Adam Friedland]

How's it feel?

[FKA Twigs]

Well, my friend sent me a message.

[Adam Friedland]

And said, it's a little bit your baby, too.

[FKA Twigs]

I don't need more responsibilities, but.

[Adam Friedland]

No, you don't need the responsibility, but it's your baby. But you don't have to do anything. It's the best case scenario.

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah, I guess so. But she sent me a message and she was like, hi, I'm new in the world and I feel like you've got something to do with me being here. Just wanted to meet you. I know. Maybe you want to cry. I know. It was really cute.

[Adam Friedland]

So beautiful.

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah, it was really sweet.

[Adam Friedland]

You should take responsibility for that.

[FKA Twigs]

I don't need to take, like, you.

[Adam Friedland]

Gotta be the man who showed up.

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah. I think it's just nice.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

So you were also like, were you.

[Adam Friedland]

Supporting yourself at the time? You were a young person living in the big city?

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah, well, I had a lot of jobs, so from when I left home, I literally would have, like four jobs. I was crazy. Like, I was just like, run around. I was a dancer, I was a youth worker. I worked in Selfridges and I worked in a bar. And I would take any job. I literally remember having this rucksack and it had almost different costumes for my different jobs. And any shift that came up, I would run around, run around. And then when I got to. I can't remember, actually, maybe it was like 22, 23 or 24. I can't remember what age. Early 20s. I said to my stepdad, who I'd reconnected with, that I was doing all this stuff and I really wanted to make music. And I said, can I quit two of my jobs for six months? I said, I'll keep two, I'll quit two. And will you help me with my rent in London? And he was like, yeah, because I didn't go to university and I was like, very independent from when I was a teenager. I always made my own money. So he was like, I'll support you with your rent for six months so you can quit two of the jobs, and then with that time, you can go in the studio. And then I said, if in six months I don't get signed or anything, then I'll just go and get a normal job. And he supported me for six months. And almost like at the end of that time, I then got a record deal.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Transitioning to music.

[Adam Friedland]

In the way I've read you describe your process, it sounds like you're almost like a movie director, like an auteur. Right. There's a visual aspect of a song, there's a dance aspect of a song, there's the actual song. You know, there's multiple aspects of the aesthetic. Have you started a song on a vision, like seeing a visual of something, or do you start with the chords? That was a decent question.

[FKA Twigs]

That was a really good question. I think, like, I think I start with the music, but if the song speaks to me visually, then I want to finish it. So if I get a vision of what the dance could be or how it would be live or a visual or an image that's a storytelling piece to go with the song, then they're usually. Well, they're always the ones that make the record or end up coming out.

[Adam Friedland]

It's almost like you're making a theater piece sometimes to some extent, right?

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah, it's like 360. But I think that's kind of the. That's sort of the thing I'm coming up against now, because obviously, I've been doing it for a while. I just am trying to figure out what type of artist I am, and I think I'm realizing that the music industry, although I'm very much a part of it and music is the core of everything I do, I just don't feel that it's able to facilitate everything, really, that I want to do. So I. I'm kind of in. Not like a transitional phase out of it at all, because I always want to make music and power albums, and that will always be the number one thing at the basis of who I am. But I think. I don't think that the way that it works right now is conducive for me making my best work.

[Adam Friedland]

I kind of picked up on that also because, like, you, I guess, in 2014. Is that right? Like, when you kind of had a breakthrough. Is that right?

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

So that's like a decade in an industry that seems as if it's changed a lot.

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

What's happened is, like, in 2014, you broke through.

[Adam Friedland]

Like, Twitter was new, basically.

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

There was.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

It was Stan Culture a thing at that point?

[FKA Twigs]

I mean, probably, but I don't think, as an artist, you were fully aware of. It existed in letters that you might come across if somebody happened to give it to you or you recognize the same people at shows that, you know, gave that energy.

[Adam Friedland]

Has it become kind of a necessity of an industry at this point, like, to have a. You know, there's a distance between artists and the consumer, and then the Internet has blurred that. So, like, I guess like, a Swifty is like, kind of an aspect of Taylor Swift llc, you know, like, it's become sort of an amorphous blob, and it feels like that has, like accelerated maybe in the last 10 years. Is that your experience?

[FKA Twigs]

An unbelievable experience to be a part of.

[Adam Friedland]

Have your guys acted embarrassing ever? Have they gotten pissed at other people? What are they called?

[FKA Twigs]

Twiglets.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Twiglets is cute.

[FKA Twigs]

I think on the whole, people that listen to my music are quite sensitive and artistic and creative, and I would like to think that they are sort of equally invested in their own creative endeavors and their own lives as they are in my music, which is. Which hopefully creates some safety and a healthy relationship. I think I've definitely experienced, since yousexua has come out, a different side of fandom and what that could feel like. For me as an artist, it's my job to create something and to create it for myself and for other people eventually, but to not really care about what people think. But now as an artist, we're just expected to market ourselves so much. And for me, that's one thing I really struggle with. Because the truth is, nobody knows my true personality because I feel like my personality is constantly at gunpoint with social media. That's just not really who I am. And I've never really been able to find a way of portraying who I am because truly who I am is not on doing that. Truly who I am is just in a studio practicing something and getting better at something and feeling happy about that and. And me monitoring my own incremental advancements in a craft. And I can't do that if I have to put it on the Internet. So all that's left is for me to try and put my personality on the Internet and try and be like cutesy boo boo and try and be relatable. And for me personally, I've been on a five year long journey. I think it was really probably like after Magdalene where this word relatable started to come up with publicists. You know, I had this publicist a few years ago, she was grey, she was northern, and she was like, do you know what, Twigs? You're so funny. We just need to warm you up a little bit, you know, you're so funny. If people could just see how funny you were. And I was like, okay. I was like, yeah, I can be funny, you know, but it's like this thing at like gunpoint and it's just not who I am. And I've seen other people really overcome it. I've seen other artists, other contemporaries of mine who initially found this thing really awkward and spoke about it and now are absolutely crushing it and they've found their niche. But with Me, I just can't seem to find that because I don't want to put the things I'm practicing at online. I just don't want to, like, it's for me, and I want to get better at it in the choir, and I want to deliver something when it's a fully rounded thought. And so, to be completely honest with you, like, it's kind of a bit of a nightmare to be making work that I really care about. And then there's this whole other side, which is like. For me, it's like McDonald's. And it just destroys all of the mystery. Like, it just takes everything, everything precious and everything sacred away. And I look at, like, you know, other artists and I think, wow, they're so good at it. They're so good at making something feel casual, like putting. Putting a phone up and just doing something funny. And I don't know how many drafts of that are in, but there's someone.

[Adam Friedland]

Looking at that and literally going insane.

[FKA Twigs]

Do you understand the other side of it?

[Adam Friedland]

I want to counter that by saying that I found that very deliberate decision to be admirable because a, you create a distinction between your own life and between your career. Right. And I think that it just seems like you think of your work in a different way, where it's thought out and it requires effort in a way that it doesn't feel like a lot of artists have to grapple with. Right.

[FKA Twigs]

No, I think a lot of artists now are making incredible work and really thinking about it, I don't want to put myself on a pedestal like that. The difference is the same.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

I am.

[FKA Twigs]

That's very sweet. But I think that it's the ability to be able to connect with your fans and do this cutesy boo boo, effortless thing that I'm just not good at. I'm the type of person, I just want to disappear. I just want to put out something and then not think about it and not have to promote it. And the thing that I find is you can't quantify culture. You can't quantify the data around culture. You can't quantify the amount of people that are inspired by your work, who create work based off your work. How when you make something, it changes the cultural DNA. Even if 10 people see a piece of work, that's incredible. It might change the cultural DNA of the way that people see, I don't know, queer people, black people, political ideas, women, you know, like, you can't put stats behind that. And so to be able to say, oh, this is what success looks like because it's Spotify listeners or awards or likes on Instagram, you know, or likes on TikTok. To be able to quantify the success of an artist by these things, to me is just not like, it's not valid, to be honest with you.

[Adam Friedland]

It's a mature response to a ridiculous thing. Because if you think about the like I've been told by my people, listen, I'm also one of the biggest whatever pops pop in America. I don't know if you've heard, but.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

But like, yeah, like, post pictures of yourself, like, hanging out. And I'm like, who the fuck wants to see that? But what you're doing is. You're like, some guy's looking at his.

[Adam Friedland]

Phone and he feels like there's this.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Unhealthy, parasocial kind of relationship that he has with me, who's a complete stranger. So, like, I did a podcast for a long time and it felt like it was a kind of a friendship.

[Adam Friedland]

Simulator for a lot of people. And, like, they'll come up to you and they'll make a joke at you and you'll be like, what the fuck are you talking about? And they'll walk away and they'll be like, idiot, I'm fucking stupid. I'm stupid. You know?

[Co-host/Interviewer]

But like, in reality, like, doing this.

[Adam Friedland]

Show where I'm like, talking to different people and stuff, it does feel like I can more easily create that distinction where I'm like, this is the work that I'm doing. And then in my normal life, like, no one respects me. No, actually I'm one of the.

[FKA Twigs]

I mean, I love communicating with my fans and I love the back and forth of my fans. I hate my fans.

[Adam Friedland]

I mean, they, whatever.

[FKA Twigs]

The Twiglets and the people that have enjoyed my music through Usexua have directly affected, created, and encouraged me to make afterglow. Afterglow is 100% a conversation between me and the people that liked you. Sexua really? 100%.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

What do they say to you?

[FKA Twigs]

It's like a feeling. It's like seeing the way that people move on stage to the songs. It's about seeing the parts of the songs that they love. It's about seeing the looks on their faces when I talk about certain things in my lyrics and me thinking that felt good. Like, I want to, but if I did something just 10% in that song, I want to take the 10% of that song and blow it up. So it's 100% of another. So that's the bit that's connected with people.

[Adam Friedland]

Making someone dance must feel incredible.

[FKA Twigs]

It's the best feeling in the world. But that's what I'm saying. Like, that type of interaction with my fans and my audience is the best feeling in the world. The part that I personally struggle with is shoving myself like Talia to down people's throats.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Do you think that you would have.

[Adam Friedland]

Made more money or something if you were?

[FKA Twigs]

It's not about money. It's about a career of longevity. It's not like you could make millions of pounds one year and then no one will speak about you the next year. For me, I'm really looking forward to getting old. For me, people like Martha Graham or Pina Bausch or Laurie Anderson, P.J. harvey, people that have been able to.

[Adam Friedland]

I wouldn't call them old. They're lovely.

[FKA Twigs]

Well, Martha Graham, 22, has passed on. I'm sorry, but.

[Adam Friedland]

No, I'm a. I'm a bat.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

I'm a terrible.

[Adam Friedland]

I'm just obnoxious. No one likes me, okay?

[FKA Twigs]

They do. Don't say that about yourself.

[Adam Friedland]

Oh, no.

[FKA Twigs]

Words of spouse.

[Adam Friedland]

It's true.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

I mean, I had one guy, Zach the intern.

[Adam Friedland]

He's not even here right now. He's just left me alone on this. And he's the one person that makes me feel safe.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

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[Adam Friedland]

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[Co-host/Interviewer]

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And it turned out she was a racist. It was pretty cool. There's a documentary about it.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

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[FKA Twigs]

I always think as an artist I like to create things that other people might not have the privilege, the time, the ability, the know how to put into words for themselves. So say for example something like Cellophane. I went through something and then I wrote the song Cellophane with couple of wonderful collaborators and then that has spelled out the words from many people that have gone through a breakup and that's the type of fan interaction that I really love. And that's the type of fan interaction that spurs me to make another version of that song or to explore that feeling further. The same way that I was saying when I performed you'd sexual alive, it encouraged me to make Afterglow. I was very inspired to by the reaction to make Afterglow and I was also very inspired on Afterglow to produce so much more myself and play so many more instruments myself. And because Usexua for me was such a well rounded piece of work that I was so proud of that I created in Aftergirl. I wanted to, I don't know, deconstruct everything that I'd learned. Like deconstruct the beats, play more instruments, use my voice in a different way, subvert the clarity of you sexual into a hazy, gauzy muffled kind of wavy after party of afterglow. But that wouldn't have happened if the fans hadn't have given me permission and authority also to do it was really joy, right? Yeah. And then it was a conversation.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

And also, I think it sounds like.

[Adam Friedland]

You do know what kind of artist you are.

[FKA Twigs]

No, no, I do, but it's the goal post, keep on changing. Of what you have to do to be an artist. Just.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

You don't have to post your breakfast.

[Adam Friedland]

Just make. Go make tracks, dude.

[FKA Twigs]

100%. My point is, every time you do an album, the goal posts of what you have to do change. So, for example, this era, videoed podcasts, really important. This era doing tiktoks with other influences, really important. When I first started for the world, when I first started, you would do like a Fader interview and a Pitchfork interview on a phoner. You'd go to. When I first started making music, you would go to your record label, you'd sit there for two days, you'd do Foners with Pitchfork, the Guardian, Fader, a couple of others, and that would kind of be it.

[Adam Friedland]

And there's no music press kind of anymore, is that what you're saying?

[FKA Twigs]

There is, but I think the thing. This is messy. The thing that's kind of bigger is. Is displaying is like being likable and being relatable. And for me, that's equally as important as the music. And honestly. Oh, that's so sweet.

[Adam Friedland]

You're not.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

No, I mean, I think you're like a serious.

[Adam Friedland]

I think, going like, you know, I never, like, studied your process or your career, and I kind of want to go back to it, like.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

But like, you.

[Adam Friedland]

It seems like you have a.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

There's something in your head that you're seeing.

[Adam Friedland]

Right. Is it difficult, like, to seed, to delegate if, like, let's say, like, if you have a collaborator that doesn't see the thing that you're seeing.

[FKA Twigs]

I mean, I have an interesting way of working with collaborators that are, like, really talented but can't see it is. I. I just want them to do them and then I'll kind of edit it later.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah.

[FKA Twigs]

So I just want people to, like, go the farthest they can possibly go with within their vision. And then I like to take it and sort of edit it down for how it fits my mood.

[Adam Friedland]

You just want people to have fun.

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah, 100%. Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

It's really fun in the studio.

[FKA Twigs]

It's really fun. Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

I should start a little bit.

[FKA Twigs]

You should start.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, I gotta. I have a couple. Yeah, but it's not your kind of music. It's like more like acoustic. Singer, songwriter, kind of.

[FKA Twigs]

That's cute. I like that too.

[Adam Friedland]

It's really serious, actually. I wouldn't say cute.

[FKA Twigs]

Okay.

[Adam Friedland]

But it's very constant. No, I'm just kidding. Have you heard of Bob Dylan before?

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

Nice. You're met Bob Dylan?

[FKA Twigs]

No.

[Adam Friedland]

Can I go through your phone at the contacts?

[FKA Twigs]

What kind of.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, who you have?

[FKA Twigs]

Well, like what?

[Adam Friedland]

I just want to see. You have Drake in there.

[FKA Twigs]

Probably an old number.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Like, what's your favorite guy? He's my favorite guy.

[FKA Twigs]

I don't know.

[Adam Friedland]

My phone is the best guy. No, you don't have to do. I can't imagine. I, I, It's.

[FKA Twigs]

It would have been quite funny. Honestly.

[Adam Friedland]

It would have been funny.

[FKA Twigs]

There's nothing to hide.

[Adam Friedland]

Is Future the best guy?

[FKA Twigs]

He's very professional in the studio.

[Adam Friedland]

He's a genius.

[FKA Twigs]

He's very professional.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[FKA Twigs]

He really, like, he really, like, delivers on what he says he's gonna do.

[Adam Friedland]

Do you think, you think he'd do a future for the Adam free lunch? What's wrong with me?

[FKA Twigs]

Maybe I can ask him.

[Adam Friedland]

Really? Do you think he'd like me? I feel like we're kind of a very similar guy, except I don't do infidelity. Yeah.

[FKA Twigs]

I think you just need to, like, if you ask a question, let people finish it and so that.

[Adam Friedland]

I'm just excited.

[FKA Twigs]

No, I know. It's really cute. It's just hard to concentrate.

[Adam Friedland]

Just annoying.

[FKA Twigs]

You're not annoying. It's endearing.

[Adam Friedland]

There's an excitement about me.

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah. It's like a puppy. It's cute.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, IQ wise, especially. Yeah.

[FKA Twigs]

I think you're smart.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah? Yeah. Like an adult dog.

[FKA Twigs]

No. Like, I don't know, your brain just moves quickly.

[Adam Friedland]

I'll let you finish. About Future. Tell me more about Future.

[FKA Twigs]

What do you want me to tell you?

[Adam Friedland]

Apparently you have something to say. Are we fighting? All right. When you entered the industry, were there like, other, like, more established artists that kind of took you under their wings?

[FKA Twigs]

Not really.

[Adam Friedland]

You don't have OGs?

[FKA Twigs]

No.

[Adam Friedland]

Is it kind of a lone wolf game?

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah, it's a lone wolf game.

[Adam Friedland]

You don't have a squad of other musicians, like, not production people, but, like, other, like, artists?

[FKA Twigs]

Not really. I've always been quite a lone wolf. I'm really trying to think so. I don't want to exclude anyone's.

[Adam Friedland]

Elton John never hit you up. It was like, I love seeing you do your thing.

[FKA Twigs]

No, I don't think. Well, actually, do you know What I do, but kind of through someone else. So my personal trainer is married to Jazzy B. From soul to soul. And I'm not, like, really close with Jazzy B. It's not like we hang out. But through afwa, I've always had a lot of comfort just finding out things about the music industry that I didn't necessarily know. So I'll be on the running machine. I'll just be talking about something, and she'll give me an example about, like, Jazzy's career, and then I can talk.

[Adam Friedland]

Gossip with your traitor.

[FKA Twigs]

It's not gossip. It's more just kind of her looking out for me. Like, she calls me, like, one of the youngest.

[Adam Friedland]

Who are your goats? Like, who have you. Have you met a goat before?

[FKA Twigs]

Prince?

[Adam Friedland]

Did you ever, like, like, completely like brick in front of a goat. Did you ever, like, fuck it. It's so. I imagine it would be so nerve wracking.

[FKA Twigs]

Janna, maybe.

[Adam Friedland]

Have you met her?

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

And you did?

[FKA Twigs]

Well, I think I complimented her too much and then I made her shy.

[Adam Friedland]

Really?

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah. Well, she's very gracious. Like, her personality is very gentle and gracious. And I was just like, I love you so much. You're amazing. You changed my whole life. I wouldn't be here. It was. And I think it was just a lot, but I meant it, so that's okay.

[Adam Friedland]

Her bro changed my life.

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

He's the best of all time.

[FKA Twigs]

Mm.

[Adam Friedland]

Can you imagine? Is it amazing? We shared a planet with Michael.

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

I miss him so much. Where were you when you found out Michael passed away?

[FKA Twigs]

I remember where I was when Aaliyah passed away.

[Adam Friedland]

Where were you?

[FKA Twigs]

I was in Pineapple Dance Studios in the clothes shop.

[Adam Friedland]

Is that your life?

[Co-host/Interviewer]

You dance every day?

[FKA Twigs]

Mm, I try to.

[Adam Friedland]

You maintain a practice every day?

[FKA Twigs]

I mean, not every day because obviously I'm working so much, but I always try and move my body.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, same. Yeah. Go to work, do a celebrity interview. Major pop star. Trying to figure out if she's mad at me or not.

[FKA Twigs]

I'm not mad.

[Adam Friedland]

You're pissed at me.

[FKA Twigs]

I'm literally not.

[Adam Friedland]

So tell me about.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Tell me about you.

[Adam Friedland]

Sex. What got you interested in singing about sex? I'm sorry.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

That was a bad question.

[Adam Friedland]

Who wrote this?

[FKA Twigs]

YouSexUA isn't about sex.

[Adam Friedland]

It's an 11 pillar. Kind of like wellness is a feeling.

[FKA Twigs]

That I just discovered that I want to be in more, and I wanted to share that feeling with other people.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Has it caught on?

[Adam Friedland]

Do you feel like people are using you? Sexual?

[FKA Twigs]

I think that the idea that we can be our best selves has caught on. I feel that in my shows, I feel like there's an idea that you can kind of overcome everything in your life and be in a feeling of beautiful nothingness, acceptance of yourself, presence in the moment, no ego, no one. Just kind of pure human experience. I think that that idea has caught on.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah, I did an immature sex thing at the beginning, but what's interesting to me is, like, from your early jobs is, like, working in burlesque and as a hostess at a strip club in seeing you perform. And, like, there's kind of a seductive aspect. Like, you kind of, like, are a seductress of an audience, really.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

There's kind of a kind of a.

[Adam Friedland]

Relationship of, like, a woman on stage or even doing pole dancing or something.

[FKA Twigs]

I feel like pole dancing, for me, is like reclaiming experiences that I went through as a young woman and empowering myself to be in charge of my sensuality on stage. And I say sensuality instead of sexuality because, you know, as a young girl, like, we go through so many horrific things, finding our womanhood, and, yeah, what am I doing? And so for me, starting to pole dance at a time when I'd had, like, a very big operation. I had fibroids, and so I had to go through a lot of hospital appointments and doctors and operations to fix my fibroids. And they're basically like benign tumors in the uterus. Yeah. So it's, like, very invasive. And it hit me at a time in my late 20s where I was very in charge of my sexuality, and I had just had a huge surge in my career, and. And I was dating someone very famous, and it was very much like, who's that girl? Energy. And I was about to almost, like, step into my grace and step into my light and step into my power as a star, and I had to completely step back and choose myself. And choosing myself at that point was about breaking down my sexuality and finding strength in it and a power in it, which I don't think I had found before in my 20s, because I don't think society encourages women to find their power and their sexuality because it's deemed as something that's controversial or dangerous or dirty or, you know, all of these things. So, yeah, it forced me to take a step back. And so then I started martial arts with a sword Wushu. And I started. And I started pole dancing as a way for me to connect with my body. So for me, when I pole dance, it's not really for anyone else, you're.

[Adam Friedland]

Also a dancer too. It's a different kind of dancing, right?

[FKA Twigs]

It's very different because it's in the air and it takes like a lot of. It takes like a lot of internal strength and a lot of slow strength. And it's not. It's big, powerful moves. But you have to be very present because otherwise you'll fall off the pole and hurt yourself. So it's like this beautiful dance between the mind safety and your body.

[Adam Friedland]

You're from the Midlands, right? You're from like, you know, you're from a working class kind of background, but your work seems very high brow, you know.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Do you worry that it's.

[Adam Friedland]

It could potentially make you inaccessible kind of to like, you know.

[FKA Twigs]

But I think this is what I.

[Adam Friedland]

Mean is that.

[FKA Twigs]

It just might not hit straight away. So say, for example, you know, like, Magdalene was a beautiful baroque, operatic, real world, real instrumental expression of like, womanhood and pain. And I'm so proud of that project. And when it first came out, you know, although it was very critically acclaimed, like the masses didn't understand at all. And now five years later, you know, that feels so much more plausible that an artist can sing opera on a pop song or create something.

[Adam Friedland]

What's her name?

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah, exactly. Rosalia. I mean, it's so much more plausible that that can be a pop song, you know, or it's so much.

[Adam Friedland]

You created it.

[FKA Twigs]

No, it's not. No, no, no, no, I don't think that at all. No, I don't think that at all. I just think that sometimes, like, I make the suggestion very early and it allows culture to kind of breathe and make something so beautiful from that, like, naive starting point, you know? And I think that in my career I've been lucky enough to be a part of or start a conversation early. So I don't know. I'm trying to think of other examples even including.

[Adam Friedland]

You mean like you're making challenging work because you want to elevate?

[FKA Twigs]

I think I'm not trying to do anything. I think that I am totally okay with making work and it like seeding into culture and it taking its sweet time because I'm so blessed to have a career now. I mean, I'm 28 in a month or two, and I've been doing this since I was probably like 22 or 23. And I'm so blessed to still be here. And I'm so blessed to still be making music. And what a blessing to be almost 40 and nominated for my first Grammy that's centered around music or to have, you know, to be number one for you. Sex. Or to go to like, sorry, number three in the UK charts or to win incredible awards at this point in my career. And I think it's just because I've taken my time and I think it's because my roots go like deep and wide and that takes time.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah. What I see, and maybe this is a stretch, is that coming from like a working class background. What's clear is like, you're very. You work hard.

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

You know, you had four jobs before you went into music. You've released consistently for over a decade on the probably a two year album cycle. Like, a consistent amount of work. Like, do you ever not do chill? Like.

[FKA Twigs]

No.

[Adam Friedland]

You don't chill.

[FKA Twigs]

Not really. I mean, when I was very young, my stepdad sat me down and he was like, because of the way you look, you're gonna have to work very hard. Because I wanted to be a ballet dancer, which for me as. Oh, yes, I see. Yes.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Stop interrupting.

[Adam Friedland]

It's my fault.

[FKA Twigs]

It's bad example because he can interrupt.

[Adam Friedland]

She's so cute.

[FKA Twigs]

She's so cute.

[Adam Friedland]

Ballet dancer.

[FKA Twigs]

Ballet dancer. There weren't really many ballet dancers that were like black or brown of color. And so he said to me that if I wanted to do it, I had to work 10 times harder than everybody else. And.

[Adam Friedland]

That instilled a work ethic into you.

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah, I have to work 10 times harder. Or any, I think like brown or black artist has to work 10 times harder because we just can't get away with being average. We have to be amazing. We have to sing really well. We have to look incredible. We have to dance really well. We have to be polite all the time. We have to be on our P's and Q's 247 because we're just not given the grace that other people that look differently are, you know, and you do one thing wrong and it's like, wrong. Knew it. You know, it's like this energy of like. Knew it 100%, you know, knew she was a wrong. And so I think that I've always lived my life a bit by that, but I'm really not complaining. It's. I think I. I just get on with it.

[Adam Friedland]

Do you think that the music sucks? No. Icy. Chill the out.

[FKA Twigs]

No.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

She's so cute.

[FKA Twigs]

She's the best.

[Adam Friedland]

You know what song she likes the best?

[FKA Twigs]

Tell me.

[Adam Friedland]

I don't know.

[FKA Twigs]

What is it?

[Adam Friedland]

She likes smelling pee so much. It's her favorite thing.

[FKA Twigs]

Hi, sweetie.

[Adam Friedland]

Honestly, do you like bands?

[FKA Twigs]

Mm, yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

Really?

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah, for sure.

[Adam Friedland]

Which one?

[FKA Twigs]

Like Cocktail Twins? Yeah. Sade's a band. You're in front of the 1.5minutes left.

[Adam Friedland]

I know, I know. I gotta text. Do you have Adele's number?

[FKA Twigs]

No.

[Adam Friedland]

She's incredible.

[FKA Twigs]

She's amazing.

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah. She doesn't have to show her breakfast sandwich to everyone.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

We have Instagram.

[FKA Twigs]

She's in a. A different you.

[Adam Friedland]

So are you, bro. Come on. Don't feel pressured to, like. To feed your. To make your fans insane and then they go to war with Indonesia or something or whatever the hell is going on in the Internet these days.

[FKA Twigs]

I don't feel pressure.

[Adam Friedland]

Although maybe now that I realize we command an army, we could do anything with these people. The Twigle, Twiglets.

[FKA Twigs]

Twiglets.

[Adam Friedland]

I thought it was a good point. I thought it was. It is a good point, honestly. It says applause break here under. Have you ever dated a guy that's ugly?

[FKA Twigs]

Sure.

[Adam Friedland]

Really?

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah.

[Adam Friedland]

Poor and ugly?

[FKA Twigs]

Sure.

[Adam Friedland]

What's your favorite song ever?

[FKA Twigs]

My favorite song ever? I don't really know. I couldn't say that. Come on. We've only got really one question left.

[Adam Friedland]

That was it. What's your favorite song?

[FKA Twigs]

Can we have another last question?

[Adam Friedland]

Okay. Did Brexit have an effect on your career? Was it harder to get, like, French instruments?

[FKA Twigs]

Okay, another question.

[Adam Friedland]

Come on. Do you fuck with Bob Dylan? Have you seen movies? What? What the hell even is sex? That wasn't good. Okay. Make it work about sex. In an era where people have less sex, do you. Does it do less?

[FKA Twigs]

Say that again.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

So people have less sex, right?

[Adam Friedland]

So if you're. If there are themes in your music about sex, is it business wise? They're like, oh, you know what I mean?

[FKA Twigs]

No. Another question.

[Adam Friedland]

Come on.

[FKA Twigs]

These are really down to the Y.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

And R. You're a godlike genius award.

[Adam Friedland]

Does that.

[FKA Twigs]

Not that one.

[Adam Friedland]

20, 22. You live in fear that someone else will get it. Will you have to go back to being regular? Have you ever wanted to dress like crap? Got that one out of the way.

[FKA Twigs]

Come on now we're going over.

[Adam Friedland]

Oh. Is there a difference between sex.

[FKA Twigs]

Why are you asking lots of questions about sex?

[Adam Friedland]

Because you sexual. I don't know. That sounds like you.

[FKA Twigs]

Sexual is not about sex. It just has those letters in it.

[Adam Friedland]

Oh, that's. So how would I get that out of that? Confusing, huh?

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Okay, here's a good one.

[Adam Friedland]

Okay, I got a good one. Okay.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

When you finish something, right, like, here's.

[Adam Friedland]

My experience making anything right, Get a.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Good idea, you get really excited, right?

[Adam Friedland]

And then you try to do it, and you're like, I suck. Right? And then you fight through that middle stage and you put something together. But if you look, you have to start the next thing, right? You cannot think about it because it'll drive you nuts. And if you look back on something that you've made previously, you're like, I would change this, this, and this, this.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Like, have you ever.

[Adam Friedland]

What is perfect to you? Right?

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah, that's a good question. High five.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Is that a good question?

[FKA Twigs]

Yeah, that's so good.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Oh, you said, ugh.

[FKA Twigs]

Like, it's like a low five. I like the rusty dip.

[Adam Friedland]

Do this, do this. Yeah, like sniffing. I don't know. That was disgusting.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

One more.

[FKA Twigs]

Okay, I think we did enough.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

What is perfection? Like, have you finished a song and been like, this is.

[Adam Friedland]

This is a.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

This is like, I think I have.

[FKA Twigs]

To sit on the floor. I'm just so exhausted.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Oh, my dog's here.

[FKA Twigs]

I'm so exhausted.

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Is it like, I. I just have a bad personality?

[FKA Twigs]

No, you don't at all.

[Adam Friedland]

Did you want to go in front of the dancers? Did your. Did your music suck at first? How long did it take you to make something you thought thought didn't suck?

[Co-host/Interviewer]

When did you start dressing crazy?

[Adam Friedland]

That's a good question.

[FKA Twigs]

Are these all actual questions?

[Adam Friedland]

Yeah. Brian Jones would.

[FKA Twigs]

That's okay. We don't have to ask any more questions. We can just end it here.

[Adam Friedland]

You want to just chill? We can hang out. What did you. What kind of music did your parents show you? Were you a silent girl that drew. That drew horses? Burlesque dancers, strip club hosts? When you first get hired, backup dancers. Ed Sheeran, chill.

[FKA Twigs]

It's okay. We don't have to ask another question.

[Adam Friedland]

Was there Black Swan type drama? You got paid twice as much. Is that facts? The ID cover in fader. We talked about that. You have ambition. Did you want to be famous? Was it difficult? I'm just going to read you all the questions. If you hear one good one. Oh, I got a good question. Since you've gotten famous, has anyone offered you drugs?

[Co-host/Interviewer]

Twigs, everyone. Icy, what are you doing? You're isis Icy and Icy and Izz.

[FKA Twigs]

Sa.