New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

New York University's independent student newspaper, established in 1973.

Washington Square News

Electronic Super-Producer Cowgirl Clue Discusses the Punk Aesthetic of Pop

Following the musical philosophy of “Vada Vada,” Cowgirl Clue stands as one of the most exciting DJs working today. Here, contributing writer Charles Smith speaks to her in anticipation of Valentine’s Day with Cowgirl Clue and Special Guests at Elsewhere.
Cowgirl+Clue+is+a+Southern+California+based+electronic+producer.+Emulating+the+look+of+a+manic+pixie+dream+girl%2C+she+styled+herself%2C+sways%2C+and+spoke+in+a+fashion+that+pronounced+her+spirit.+%28Photo+by+Deont%C3%A9+Lee%2C+courtesy+of+Cowgirl+Clue%29
Deonté Lee
Cowgirl Clue is a Southern California based electronic producer. Emulating the look of a manic pixie dream girl, she styled herself, sways, and spoke in a fashion that pronounced her spirit. (Photo by Deonté Lee, courtesy of Cowgirl Clue)

You can’t forget Cowgirl Clue’s music. She has a knack for catchy songwriting and yet, her songs sound completely out of left field — like Tinker Bell found a drum machine. Cowgirl Clue’s music is hard to pin down and fully confident. Just listen to her hit track “Icebreaker” off her new album of the same name. There’s no doubting the fact that she’s one of the most exciting artists working today and I was elated to interview her in anticipation of her upcoming Valentine’s Day Event at Elsewhere.

Emulating the look of a manic pixie dream girl who was plucked straight out of Middle Earth, Cowgirl Clue styles herself, sways, and speaks in a fashion that pronounces her “faerie” spirit. It’s most evident in the strangely-shaped guitar that graces the cover of her most recent album, one of the many weapons she uses to dice, axe and warp genres to create a musical style that can only be described as “Cowgirl Clue.” “[It is] exactly what I imagined a faerie weapon to look like in a musical realm,” Cowgirl Clue said. 

“If I restricted myself to never making a style of music, then I think I should really not be making music,” Cowgirl Clue said. “It’s so healthy to explore new genres, artists and sounds in my opinion.” Unlike any other producer out there, her celebratory drive to amalgamate as many genres as possible pays off to grand effect, providing listeners with an intermingling of J-Pop, punk and jungle that only she could render enjoyable. 

“My take on pop music is that I find pop music is more punk than most punk music nowadays for many reasons, more specifically because you have artists working hard to make a musical difference and a shift without giving a sh-t of what people think of their lyrics or their bass piercing shows or [their] strong attitude,” Cowgirl Clue said. Working alongside The Garden, a California art-punk duo, Cowgirl Clue looks to contribute to the evolution of pop by “diving into [her] truest self” and not holding back when it comes to “running with a good idea.”

With the internet at her fingertips, her mission to change the sound of pop music has become tangible. “It’s ideal as an independent artist to have the freedom of finding information, tutorials, future collaborators, reaching out to your audience and whatnot,” Cowgirl Clue said. Even though she believes nothing will ever compare to the happiness associated with unwrapping a CD’s packaging for the first time, she can’t help but express gratitude that she lives in an age where she can easily share her work and participate in the global music scene from the comfort of her computer. 

One can only wonder where Cowgirl Clue’s music will go. As for now, she can confirm she’s got a handful of demos with accompanying music videos and a possible EP in the works. Giddy for what’s to come, she finalized our conversation by proclaiming that she “can’t wait to share [her work] with everyone!”

Email Charles Smith at [email protected].

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