Q&A: BIZZY is as Delicate as She is Daring
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY GIGI KANG ☆
“I’M NOT THE SAME, THANK GOD I’VE CHANGED”—pop-rock artist BIZZY sings on her latest single, “Hotter Than Your Ex.” Released on December 6, it’s an empowering song about growing confidence.
She sings, “I’m so much better than she could ever be / I’m really such a step up / No, you’ll never have someone like me / I bet you wish that you could trade / And I wish I could see your face.”
But, the twist is that she’s referring to herself. Inspired by her personal experience of healing after a previous relationship, BIZZY describes not another girl, but rather a healthier version of herself that is “so much hotter” than the person she once was.
“Hotter Than Your Ex” starts with a low and bassy guitar that establishes a pensive tone, matching the intention of thinking back at a past version of oneself. Then, mild drums kick in alongside BIZZY’s reflections: “I wore clothes that I hate / And I changed what I ate / And it wasn’t just my body shrinking.”
Due to the balance between a pop tone and a rock tone, the first verse creates an expectation of an explosive chorus, which does arrive, but not before an unexpected gentle pre-chorus. The guitar slows and BIZZY’s vocals take control before leading into a high-energy chorus.
Similarly, her lyrics are witty and nonchalant, but the heart of the song is a strenuous journey of uncovering who she was always meant to be. This is one of BIZZY’s strengths: balancing boldness with tenderness.
BIZZY began her career as a songwriter for other artists, then built up her own discography of consistently candid releases inspired by her own inner world.
Luna spoke with her about how “Hotter Than Your Ex” came together. Throughout our conversation, she is all smiles—it’s clear that she’s truly proud of this one. Read the interview below.
Photography Credit: Anna Azarov
LUNA: Who did you work with on “Hotter Than Your Ex?”
BIZZY: I wrote the song with Josie Dunne and Lucas Arens, who are both out of Nashville. Amazing people. Gus van Go produced it, who was in Toronto, and it was about two years ago when we wrote it, which is crazy. I feel like that always happens with music. It gets written and then it takes so long to get it out. We wrote the song in Lucas’ studio.
I had been in a relationship for a really long time. It was probably a five-year relationship. It was one of those things that I got out of and didn’t know who I was after. I didn’t know anything about me. I just felt like a shell of myself. They always say it takes as long as you’re in a relationship to get out of it, which was such an interesting concept for me. I think it finally hit me [after] three years—I felt like I was gaining myself back. I was wearing things I wanted to wear. I was doing things I wanted to do. I felt confident and better. So the concept [of the song] came from that. The ex, which some people get and some people don’t, is an interesting thing for me: I’m the ex. The song is saying that I’m so much hotter than the girl you dated; [the girl] that I was. It’s an ode to losing myself and trying to people-please myself into being loved by this person who never really loved me. They just loved the version of me that I was building and becoming for them. Then getting out of the relationship, I really started to hone in and find me. It’s a more-power-to-me kind of song.
LUNA: It’s a cheeky song, but it’s not funny just for the sake of being funny. The humor works to reveal the ultimate messages of the song. How did you first find that this writing technique works for you?
BIZZY: That’s kind of my humor. My mom is so sarcastic and we always joke that no one will survive a dinner party with us if they don’t get sarcasm. Growing up, if you weren’t quick with the banter, then you either miss the joke or you’re the one at the butt of the joke [laughs]. It naturally fell into my songwriting and I think it took a while to figure out how to make it funny so that people who don’t get sarcasm will understand it. The more I get comfortable with myself and my songwriting, the more fun and bold things I will try in my songwriting.
LUNA: Does it usually take time to find a line that lands?
BIZZY: It’s just how my brain works in a weird way. Sometimes it’s harder for me to find them, like the sad ones. Those I have to sit alone and [figure out]. But the ones that are tongue in cheek, those are just spinning in my head.
LUNA: I’m sure those lyrics make for the best live shows with people who get it screaming them back at you.
BIZZY: Totally. Even on TikTok and Instagram, I’m able to portray how I hear the song in my head. This song, you can take it two ways. You can take it as a girl-hate song—which was never intended and I was actually hesitant about putting it out because I didn’t want people to take it that way—or you can really understand the meaning of, “Oh, she’s talking about herself.” So through TikTok and Instagram, I’ve had an easier time of portraying this to people and it has been helpful.
LUNA: It’s a song about becoming a better version of yourself. Do you find that creating music allows you to reflect back on previous versions of yourself?
BIZZY: I always write about self reflection and situations I’ve been in or things I relate to heavily, almost to a fault. I think that I would not be a developed human without songwriting. It has been my form of therapy for as long as I can remember, even if I didn’t realize it until recently. It has helped me work through things that I wouldn’t be able to say out loud or even process out loud without singing and finding a melody for it.
LUNA: It’s the same on the listening end, right? You look back at albums and artists that either once meant something to you or maybe you disliked. You return to them at a later age and notice how your relationship to those albums or artists has evolved. Music is one of the best tools we have for tracing how we change.
BIZZY: That’s such a beautiful way of putting it and so true. It’s such a journey. You meet people where they are, even if it was two albums before.
LUNA: Sonically, the guitar stands out most in “Hotter Than Your Ex,” especially at the beginning. It has a reflective tone matching the lyrics. That’s my favorite thing about guitar—it completely shapes the emotion of songs. What was the process like finding the right sounds to fit what you had to say in this song?
BIZZY: I love when this happens—it all came together cohesively. We were singing and Lucas found a tone on guitar. We were like, “That’s it. This is the vibe.” It was quick. We wrote the song in like an hour. It was a really fun, witty, and easy song to write.
LUNA: Your two most recent releases, “Tastes Like Shit” and “Hotter Than Your Ex,” are more similar to each other than they are to any other of your releases. Of course, what they all have in common is what makes you, you. But they do have a different feeling to them, like a new page. What’s your vision going into 2025?
BIZZY: It’s so interesting because I would say “Default Setting” and [those two songs] are like a mini EP, if I were to categorize them in my mind. The next song might be able to fit in there too, which will come in 2025. I would say there’s a new chapter coming after that. All these songs that I’m finally releasing now were written two years ago, and the ones that will come in 2025 were written more recently. I feel like I find myself more in that stage now.
LUNA: We’re now in December of 2024. Looking back at the year, what would you say were some of your favorite parts of your musical journey?
BIZZY: Oh my gosh, so many. I think opportunities that were given and also taken away. I learned a lot. We were supposed to go on tour and that didn’t happen. A lot of things that didn’t end up happening were for the better, even though they were a heartbreak in the moment. I’m learning to go with what life offers and make the best of it and keep working my ass off in every stage of it.
