Q&A: How Matilda Marigolds Merges Mindfulness Into Music on ‘BEEPBOOP_’
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY IZZY PETRAGLIA ☆
Photo by Isla Chadwick
THE INDEFINABLE FEELING AND ESSENCE — captured in Matilda Marigold’s latest sonic exploration “BEEPBOOP_” expertly depicts the subtle, tender moments that transcend communication. Inspired by a delicate moment shared with a former partner, the song’s title turns into a sensation in itself–meant to acknowledge and attempt to describe those soft, understated moments in our day to day lives.
While inspiration strikes from the unique artistry of Saya Gray and FKA Twigs, Marigolds has been able to truly curate her ethereal sound by exploring a newfound passion within creative writing. Her creative expression continues to diversify itself through each moment of reflection, analysis, and growth within her relationships to others and herself–allowing her to hone in on developing her experimental, thought-provoking, pop soundscape.
Marigolds exemplifies truly being in touch with her inner-self. Creating on her own terms, the comfort and security she possesses as an artist makes her destined for greatness. In a detailed conversation with LUNA, Marigolds dives into her mindful creative practice, how she navigates a large-scale industry as an up and coming artist, and deepening her palette of artistic expression.
Photo by Isla Chadwick
LUNA: When you last spoke with LUNA about your first 2025 single “MOSQUITO,” you mentioned feeling inspired by the ethereal, alien-like aura of Eusexua by FKA Twigs. Within “BEEPBOOP_,” that influence still feels apparent but with noticeable differences. Can you share any new influences that came up for this song? They don’t need to be music-related.
MATILDA MARIGOLDS: Yeah so, it's really funny. I made “MOSQUITO” in September of 2024. I made “BEEPBOOP_” in March 2023, so there was a really big time difference between the creation of the two. “BEEPBOOP_” is about something completely different. At the time, I was really discovering my artistry and production sensibilities.
I produced that song with my then roommate–when I first started working on it, I ended up showing it to him during class one day, he was like “This needs drums,” which is how most of my songs go…He made a whole groove in like five minutes out of samples he had made from kitchen supplies and appliances from our apartment, he sampled stuff like smacking a baking sheet or a pot or whatever.
LUNA: That’s so sick.
MATILDA: Yeah he’s crazy. He’s one of my best friends, his name is Jackson Powell. Honestly, I was so heartbroken–like dramatically heartbroken, and angsty at the time about breaking up with my then-boyfriend that I don’t think I was inspired by anything other than that. The funny thing is that when I was listening back to all of my demos earlier this year, thinking about what I want to put out, one of my best friends, Christopher Normann, told me my music sounds like Saya Gray. I was like, ”Who is Saya Gray?” and then I started listening to her and became completely obsessed. So it’s weird that I made that “BEEPBOOP_” two years before I even knew who she was, it’s crazy. I think it’s kismet.
LUNA: I would’ve never guessed you made “BEEPBOOP_” in 2023 because of how well its vibe matches with “MOSQUITO.” They don’t sound the same but they blend very nicely–that’s why it feels like the FKA Twigs influence felt like it could apply here as well.
MATILDA MARIGOLDS: “BEEPBOOP_” is one of those songs that is very emotionally visceral for me, even though it feels very apathetic. I think that’s what’s so similar between my music and FKA Twigs and Saya Gray. I feel like there’s this new wave of female production-forward soundscapes with lyrics that feel like they’re emotionally removed but still say so much– you know what I mean?
LUNA: I totally know what you mean.
MATILDA MARIGOLDS: I’ve always been kind of like that as an artist. I’ve never been into saying exactly what I mean, I always have to be a little bit cryptic. Or I have to be so direct. There’s no in-between, lyrically at least. I think that “BEEPBOOP_” is probably one of my favorite songs that I've ever made. It is so close to my heart and I've been waiting to release this song for so long. It's kind of crazy to think about it coming out now.
LUNA: It's so exciting!
MATILDA MARIGOLDS: I was so stressed…But now that I'm talking to you about all this and I'm thinking about it, I'm really excited!
LUNA: Since we talked about the visceral sort of emotions with “BEEPBOOP_” I don't think you need to explain why it's called that, but I'm gonna ask anyway. Why is the song called “BEEPBOOP_?”
MATILDA MARIGOLDS: It's because the song is about a feeling more than anything. The first line of the song goes: “Spread it out across her shoulders, tender is what makes me fly.” You know the Olsen hair tuck? Well, whenever I would put a sweater on, my hair would get caught in the collar of the sweater. I’d just leave it there and go about my business, but he would always take my hair out of my collar and spread it across my shoulders. It was just the nicest thing. It was the most delicate sign of love and care. I don't know…It was so tender and pure to me, it transcended communication.
When it came time to title it, I just called it “BEEPBOOP_” because I figured I’d think of a better title later, something esoteric, part of the zeitgeist or whatever. But then I was, like, wait, no, this kind of works.
LUNA: It's kind of tea…
MATILDA MARIGOLDS: It is kind of tea! Beep Boop is a feeling. Beep Boop is a movement!
Photo by Isla Chadwick
LUNA: Beep Boop is a feeling. Beep Boop is a movement. It’s a concept. Is it a person? Is it a place? Is it a thing? I guess we’ll never know!
MATILDA MARIGOLDS: No, exactly. It’s the feeling that you get when you're in the right place, if that makes sense. Sometimes Beep Boop is a good hug, or a really good meal, or clean sheets on your bed!
LUNA: Or you step into bed with shaved legs.
MATILDA MARIGOLDS: Exactly! That's really what I was going for. I think it started from that place, but it’s totally evolved past this definition.
“Let my skin settle into my bones,” is about that feeling—kind of like pins and needles when your arm falls asleep. That’s how I pictured it, like little Beep Boops all over, your skin settling into your bones in a good way. Not in a "this feels bad" way. Or maybe both, because being alone can be weird like that. But yeah, the title just really stuck with me over time.
LUNA: I know you said your friend made the drums out of pots and pans and kitchenware. Were there any other production elements that you explored in that song versus other songs you’ve put out?
MATILDA MARIGOLDS: I was at the beginning of my producing career when I made this song. I produced the song alone until I kind of hit a wall. That’s when I asked Jackson to add the drums. Over the course of the year we worked on it together incrementally, he helped me with adding the little interlude in the middle and then one of my really close friends Max played bass on it.
But honestly, I was so blacked out. I remember working on it, but I don't remember my train of thought. I feel like that's why I feel such a kinship and emotional closeness to this song. I don't know why. I don't know how I did it. I don't know where it's coming from–but that's really it. I was making music that was a reflection of the heartbreak that I was going through. I was so angsty. So dramatic.
LUNA: But you kind of must be! I’ve always said you need to let it out so it doesn’t boil inside you. Sometimes you need to be dramatic in order to get over something. If you don't fully feel it out, what’s the point?
MATILDA MARIGOLDS: Yeah it festers and you definitely don’t want to build resentment. I needed to let my feelings out. Looking back on it, I don't feel that strongly about it all now, but at the time, my entire world was crumbling down. I was literally so upset about everything. I was in angst all the time haha.
LUNA: You had to let it out. Now you have a beautiful song as a result. If you weren't dramatic, how would you have “BEEPBOOP_?”
MATILDA MARIGOLDS: I'm saying, at least I can look back on it and laugh.
LUNA: Exactly! It is also funny, you mentioned before we got started that you transferred to the New School to do creative writing, and I wanted to ask about the “words” section on your website. I read both of the posts that were under that section, and I loved that first one “the palindrome.” I was really drawn to that little section because you wouldn’t usually see that on an artist’s website.
MATILDA MARIGOLDS: Thank you! There’s so much more where that came from! The plan was for me to release a piece about each single—I'm still working on the “MOSQUITO” one because I'm such a perfectionist. I'm very detail-oriented. I really have found so much joy in writing about my art and myself, it’s totally reconnected me with making music. It’s really helped me hone in on what I actually have to say and how I want to say it. Words are so cool.
LUNA: Yeah and “the palindrome” does kind of feel like it fits into what you talk about in “BEEPBOOP_”–where you mention that sweet moment where your hair is caught in your sweater and your ex comes in to fix it. What do you try to convey through these short writing pieces on the site and how do you find this section has helped serve as an outlet for creativity outside of music?
MATILDA MARIGOLDS: My grandmother, Estelle and I were incredibly close—she passed away when I was in high school. She was a painter and architect, easily the most creative person I knew. She even wrote her own memoir and titled it Badass Bubba. We looked a lot alike. I miss her everyday, she’s a huge source of inspiration for me.
I’m Jewish, and every year for Pesach, she would give me and my ten cousins little gifts—usually a notebook or a nice set of markers—something to encourage creativity. I still have all of the journals she gave me. One year, she told me, “If you don’t write down how you feel—about anything, even just your day-to-day—you’re going to forget. And one day, looking back will bring you so much joy. You’ll see who you were, how you’ve changed, how you’ve grown.” I think about that all the time. I don’t write in my journal nearly as much as I should, but in a way, my songs are my way of capturing those moments.
Being an artist means romanticizing life a little—finding beauty in all of it, the good and the ugly, the relationships, the dynamics, the people I’ve known and loved. And not just in a romantic way. I think that’s just what it means to be human. We’re all just moving through the world, trying to figure out why we make certain choices and are the way we are.
LUNA: Felt that.
MATILDA MARIGOLDS: Writing has completely changed the way I approach making music—it’s made me think about art more critically. It’s not just about writing for myself anymore. I have to review other artists, and I get to have conversations with these incredible writers. It’s opened my eyes in a way that’s totally different from my time at Berklee. Berklee was intense—super competitive—and honestly, it didn’t always feel like it fed my artistry. A lot of the time, it felt like I was just going through the motions, where quantity mattered more than quality. At the same time, I don’t take any of it for granted. The people I met, the things I got to do, the relationships I built—all of that shaped me, and I’m really grateful for it. But right now, this chapter of my life is about reclaiming my own pace. Moving on my own time.
Photo by Isla Chadwick
LUNA: There's valuable experience in everything, and Berklee led you to creative writing. You’ve found a new fulfillment in that now. Another thing I read was that you moved to northern Maine for a bit and then moved back to New York. Is that right?
MATILDA MARIGOLDS: Yeah, I spent my whole childhood split between two completely different worlds. I grew up in Brooklyn—I went to school here, had my whole life here—but every summer, my parents and I would drive 12 hours up to my family's potato farm in Northern Maine. My mom had her own smaller-scale garlic farm up there as well and we’d go up for planting and then harvest at least twice a year. During COVID, we went up for an extended stretch. It was a wild contrast, and for a long time, I was hesitant to talk about it. I don’t know—city people didn’t get it for a while. But now, suddenly, being from a farm is kind of camp, which is hilarious. People are always shocked when they find out I grew up on one. The town, I think, has around 800 people. It’s right on the Canadian border. Our house sits on a hill, and on the other side of that hill is the Canadian border patrol flashing yellow cones.
LUNA: If there was any sort of music scene out there, did you have any involvement in it? If there was one, obviously I can assume there’s a million differences from being in the New York scene versus there.
MATILDA MARIGOLDS: I mean…I used to play guitar for the people working in the fields on my breaks and then I would go back to work…
LUNA: That's so Miley Stewart summer of you.
MATILDA MARIGOLDS: Yeah, for real. I was like ten or 12. I definitely wasn’t performing in Maine or anything, but at home, my dad brought up all his old gear and slowly started turning the house into a studio. Over the years, we’ve collected a drum kit, an upright piano, a big fat Deluxe Reverb amp, and a whole sound system. It’s actually really cool. One of my biggest dreams is to eventually renovate the house and turn it into a fully functioning live-in studio—once I get the bag, of course. That house is where I wrote my first EP during COVID. Funny enough, I swear I’m allergic to it. Every time I go up there, my allergies go crazy.
LUNA: So as a New York-based artist, obviously there is so much music that comes out of the city. The local scene there is crazy. How have you navigated growing your platform as an artist in a city where there is such an oversaturated market of very talented people, including yourself? Does it ever feel difficult to avoid comparing yourself when seeing other artists take off in New York?
MATILDA MARIGOLDS: I mean short answer? Of course, it’s hard not to compare. Even if it’s not people I know personally, I open my phone and immediately get hit with 15 million people who are hotter, smarter, better at music, and better dressed—it’s just the reality of living in this era. But do I think holding onto resentment, constantly comparing myself, or expecting myself or my path to look like someone else’s is helpful? No. Do I entertain those thoughts? Also no. Unfortunately, in this social climate, you kinda sign up for this stuff when you decide to be an artist—you have to be willing to—
LUNA: You have to have an “I ain't sh*t moment” sometimes.
MATILDA MARIGOLDS: Absolutely. When I’m feeling insecure or at a low point, I see it as a chance to dig into why I feel that way—where it’s really coming from—and to get more grounded in what I’m doing. Society, especially for women, encourages competition, like we’re constantly having this idea pushed on us that we should be comparing ourselves to one another. It’s so insane! Like why would I waste time doing that when I could just focus on growing into the artist and person I want to be? I’ve had and still have plenty of moments of insecurity, but it’s never about what someone else is doing. It’s always about me not reflecting enough and not having a clear enough vision of why I’m doing this in the first place.
Once I really locked in on that, all the numbers—the streams, the followers, the virality—stopped feeling so important. Not that I don’t want my music to do well. Of course, I want it to reach more people, get on playlists, and be received in the best way possible. But the goal for me is to connect with people deeply, not to chase metrics.
As for the New York scene, you just gotta figure out who your friends are! I have an amazing group of homies here, and they’re all artists or creatives in some way—we help each other out.
A lot of my friends have blown up, it’s incredible. I’m so proud of them. They deserve it. That’s really all there is to it.
LUNA: You're speaking my language. My next question kind of goes into that, just based on this hour-long conversation we've had you're so clearly secure with who you are and have a beautiful way of looking at life. One thing I read from your last LUNA interview was about songwriting as a whole being like a spiritual practice for yourself, with the way you approach music through deep listening to find the specific moment that makes the song come together. To be able to achieve that type of presence and understanding of your subconscious to identify that moment and create art is not an easy thing to do, especially where there could be a million thoughts and ideas running at once. What do you find has helped you achieve that presence and ability to observe your mind to find the moments that make a song? How do you practice that in your day-to-day life? I know it’s a loaded question.
MATILDA MARIGOLDS: The first thing that comes to mind is skincare. I had brutal hormonal acne for six months at the beginning of this year—after having perfect skin my whole life. For a while, I genuinely didn’t recognize myself in the mirror, and it was awful. When I’m anxious or not feeling good, I cannot create. I’m not one of those people who can channel depression, turmoil, or anxiety into art. If you are, more power to ya, I just can’t.
When I’m feeling bad, I just internalize everything. I suck it all up, shrink into this little ball of tension, and completely shut down. I don’t talk about it, I don’t say anything, and I definitely can’t create. Honestly, after spending last year in that state, I’m just now starting to come out of it. I always have this endless stream-of-consciousness free write/poetry note on my phone that I can scroll through forever. I’m always thinking about pretty sentences and ideas and just compiling little scraps here and there for when I do sit down to write. Oh! And I just started reading again after years of not picking up a book, which has been really grounding.
The other thing that keeps me connected to my music—songwriting, production, collaboration, all of it—is maintaining my close relationships. My mom and I, specifically, have had a pretty up-and-down relationship. I’ve always been really close with my dad, but my mom and I were at odds for a long time. There was a period where I fully believed she was put on this earth as my arch-nemesis—God, I was such an angsty teenager. But, when I moved back to New York in the fall, I was like, Girl, this is not gonna work. We gotta figure our shit out.
Working on that relationship in particular has made me so happy and so grateful—I could honestly cry just talking about it. I love my mom. But that’s the thing—maintaining my relationships, valuing the people closest to me, and actually working through things instead of letting them sit. I love people. I love my girl (her mom). I’m a loyal b*tch.
LUNA: Honestly you are. I feel like I've just met like my literal twin.
MATILDA MARIGOLDS: Oh my god you're my twin. Next time I have to interview you.
LUNA: What can we expect for the remainder of 2025? The floor is yours to say anything that we haven't already yapped so intensely about.
MATILDA MARIGOLDS: Definitely visual stuff, music videos–potentially some live recorded things. You actually might be hearing a live recorded version of “BEEPBOOP_” with my amazing talented band within the next couple of weeks. I'm really excited about that actually. Then you know the usual–more singles, more writing, yaddah yaddah…Keeping it real since 2003 as I always say. That's my truth!
