Q&A: Quelle Rox Brings a Sick Dream-Pop Flare to New Single “vomittt”
BRINGING A HIGH-ENERGY GALACTIC GROOVE INTERTWINED WITH HINTS — of her Latin roots, Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Quelle Rox gives nothing but heat with her latest single, “vomittt.” Drawing inspiration from an unexpected studio incident involving her dog, the song cleverly shows her creativity, incorporating a playful sample of her dog's barking with dreamy vocals and booming bass to create the ultimate summer anthem.
The accompanying video is filled with bright colors and swirls of nostalgia. “Vomittt” shows her artistic growth and undeniable talent to turn even the most unexpected of events into music.
Rox is quickly becoming one of Brooklyn’s rising artists. Since her first release in 2019, she’s already amassed over 4 million streams on Spotify alone and is becoming recognized for her signature Latin dream-pop sounds.
In a conversation with Luna, Rox gave us an inside look into the making of “vomittt,” her creative process, and the story of her dog’s studio incident. Read the interview below.
LUNA: I heard that “vomittt” was inspired by your dog, Cosmos. Could you tell us more about that story?
ROX: (Laughs) Yeah, so every studio session I bring my beautiful pup, Cosmos, from Love Of All Dogs Rescue, and once we finalized the track she just puked in the studio (laughs). She gets really excited whenever we go to the studio and she ate her food too fast (laughs). But we took it as a good sign and my producer Will (@Identite_Crisis) saved the track as “vomittt” and we left it as is. Three Ts.
LUNA: What was the process for creating “vomittt”? Did it differ at all from the writing process of your previous song, “Cosmic Gloom”?
ROX: “Vomittt” was the fastest song I ever made, BPM-wise and also creatively. Will made the beat and I recorded to it all in a few-hour session. All the vocals were one take and written on the spot — a lot [of it was] improvised (laughs). Which differs a lot from “Cosmic Gloom,” where I carefully selected the lyrics and worked on that song for waaaaay longer than a few hours. There were many iterations of “Cosmic Gloom” — almost like many drafts of my own therapy sessions (laughs). It was called “Doormat” and then “Sad Celebration,” and I wrote and revised multiple elements of that track before finally putting it together as the final release. “Vomittt” was the complete opposite.
LUNA: Your sound is a seamless and eclectic blend of indie, hyper-pop, and electronic mixed with a Latin flare. Who are some of your biggest musical inspirations? And do you find it important to incorporate your Puerto Rican and Cuban roots into your art?
ROX: I really like ’60s and ’70s soul, legends like The Delfonics and Smokey Robinson. And jazz: Frank Sinatra, Andy Williams, Ella Fitzgerald. I feel like this was all real music that made you feel something, and it also provides me with so much peace. While my mom introduced me to an eclectic old-school palette of music, I also grew up in Miami before residing in Brooklyn, perreando at reggaeton concerts (laughs), admiring Latinx artists I still love to this day (Tego Calderón, Aventura, Ivy Queen). So my music is a combination of all of these experiences, and it’s important for me to always remember where I come from and mix Spanglish into my lyrics.
LUNA: The music video is filled with vibrant colors, tasteful simplicity, and vaporwave-esque visuals. What was the inspiration for the video?
ROX: The inspo was to get as much content in a day of shooting (laughs). Nah, but in all seriousness, I’ve done high production videos and I just wanted to dance and have fun with this one! I wanted to create a fresh space-age pop star era by blending quick edits, digital and cyber overlays, Y2K vibes, and my quintessential retro VHS imagery to capture my Latin cyberpop genre/vibe of the track.
LUNA: In three words, how would you describe yourself as an artist?
ROX: I’ll do four: Ready to blow up.
LUNA: What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned so far in your journey?
ROX: Have patience and be along for the ride. There are peaks and valleys to any dream, and be grateful for both. I feel like you can get caught up on the end goal instead of appreciating all the little wins and fun parts of the process, so I try to be grateful.
LUNA: Any exciting projects we can expect to see in 2023?
ROX: New music is on its way, baby! The next single plays off “vomittt,” and it’ll come out shortly after. They’re sort of a packaged duo. It’s called “Midnight Train.” I’m also planning to make my way out to LA for some live shows soon.
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