INTERVIEW: Renaissance Woman

Photo: Isabelle Thiele / Edit: Halima Jibril

“When I moved from a small county in the south to Los Angeles for music/film school, I started acknowledging aspects of my identity I never did before. Growing up in Virginia, I never met another half-Asian girl. Not one. I didn't know what that was supposed to look like. But I've realized that I choose what that looks like. That looks like: a wrestler and MMA fighter, a pianist of 13 years, a film director, a writer, and a musical artist,” shares Natalie Christen aka Renaissance Woman.

Renaissance Woman’s second Album “Accidental Wine” is honest, thought-provoking and out everywhere. I had the pleasure of speaking to Natalie about the meaning behind this emotionally powerful album and her musical inspirations.

Photo: From Dazed Magazine / Edit: Halima Jibril

Halima: What is your favourite song on Accidental Wine and why?

Renaissance Woman: Magic and Heroes is probably my favorite. I had so much fun producing it and it’s style, I’ve wanted to try out for a while. Writing and creating it made me feel like a kid again.

H: "This Body" feels like a very personal song, I mean all the songs on this album sound extremely personal, but with this song, I feel like I'm listening to something that I shouldn't. Like I'm eavesdropping. It feels very intimate. What was your thought process while you produced "This Body?"

RW: You are completely right. This song is the most vulnerable I’ve ever been with my music. It talks about past traumas for me, a lot of which are often hard to speak about. There was a time in early high school that was really troubling for me, and the lyrics are sort of my inner dialogue when I was 14. It was really hard to have hope at that time, but I’m glad that I did.

H: The song 'Play It Please,' is absolutely beautiful. Reminds me of something Clairo would release. The lyrics touch upon the way people want you to be and conclude with, how you should do things for you. Could you expand on that? Is that a pressure you feel a lot as a young woman?

RW: Yes, definitely. I actually wrote the song ironically, trying to mimic the style of Clairo and other artists in that genre, because I feel like that’s what young people really want to hear. I did this by making a sort of lofi beat and had one of my friends play angsty guitar for it. In the song I’m just sort of like, “sure, I can make that style if you want, but that’s not really me.” And don’t get me wrong, I love Clairo’s work, but I just feel a lot of pressure to have her alt-pop style/aesthetic in order to be popular.

H: "Sweetheart" is one of the stand out tracks on this album for me. It's drastically different from the other songs on this album. It's badass and honest. You cover a lot; mentioning your mixed-race identity and fake feminist men - did this song come from a place of anger? and if so, how did you feel after you wrote it?

RW: Yes, this song is an angry one. I’m really sick of being catcalled and honked at by men, and I’m sick of them assuming I’m weak. I just wish men inherently knew that I’m an MMA fighter and not to disrespect me. It just gets exhausting to have men constantly doubt me. I also feel out of place sometimes being mixed, never white enough to be white but never Asian enough to be a person of color. That can feel isolating sometimes, and I’m sure there are lots of people who can relate to these themes in their own way. Overall, I just wish I could exist and be who I am without having to justify it. After I wrote the song I felt like I’d finally articulated that.

H: When I listened to this album I was reminded of people like Clairo as I’ve already mentioned, FKA Twigs, and lyrically Hozier! So I have to know, who inspires you musically?

RW: Wow, that is a huge compliment, thank you so much. I am a huge fan of all three of those artists. I love the work of so many musicians, but some of my favorites that have stuck with me over the years are Jeff Buckley, Frank Ocean, Clara Schumann, Feist, and Brockhampton.

H: I feel like we have to talk about "Stranger In A Dream." It's my absolute favourite song on the album, the production is incredible. It feels like we are being taken on this journey with you. If that makes sense? What's the story behind it?

RW: That’s so lovely, I’m so glad that’s what you took from it. That song came from such a raw place. I was really emotional and nostalgic one night and started playing the piano to sort of work through things, really loudly and chaotically. After I’d played like that for a while, I sat there in silence for a moment, and then I played what is now the opening to “Stranger in a Dream.” It was so spontaneous and pretty that it felt like it didn’t even come from me. Sometimes I get this aching feeling like there’s something or someone waiting for me far away, and that’s the emotion behind this song.

H: Why did you decide to conclude the album with "Old Houses, Empty Fields?"

RW: This song is one of the longer ones on the album, and probably the most simple in terms of production. It’s one of my favorites I wrote, but I honestly thought it might be a slower one to put earlier in the album. It also really sums up the theme of the entire album. There’s this feeling that who I am and the places that have defined my life are so small. There are old houses and empty fields where people in the past have their memories, and soon all the places and people that we know will grow old too. This might sound corny, but sometimes in my best moments, I feel like I’m connected to everyone that exists now and everyone who has ever existed, which is just one of the most beautiful feelings.