Q&A: Sizzy Rocket Reminds Us to ‘LIVE LAUGH LOVE’ With Her New Album

Q&AMusic

Dec 13

☆ BY DYLAN VANESSA ☆

THE QUEER QUEEN OF DIY ELECTRO POP-PUNK BANGERS — slays us again with her fourth album, LIVE LAUGH LOVE. Sizzy Rocket, known for her angsty feminist anthems, brings us along on a journey through an emotional rollercoaster encompassing the last two years of her life, with 15 sparkling tracks to guide our ride. Through the highs of self-love and lows of heartbreak, with gritty guitars and raw sexuality, LIVE LAUGH LOVE takes audiences through the cinematic scenes of a highly emotional rocker chick making her way in the world.

Alongside the auditory experience of the record, Rocket has crafted an immersive visual experience for her fans through grungy photographs and DIY music videos made with her inveterate collaborator, Worst November. Dancing in empty subway cars, singing karaoke outside of the mall, and fishnets galore are just a few highlights from this iconic era.

With strong influences from Jack White and KE$HA, LIVE LAUGH LOVE is a versatile record riddled with tracks perfect for jumping on the bed, screaming out of a car window, and crying in the shower. “Degenerate Anthem” and “BUBBLEGUM” will have you moshing in the grocery store, while “Picasso” and “Lasso the Moon” will have you seeing stars on the ceiling.

Read on below to hear Sizzy Rocket’s thoughts on her latest album, LIVE LAUGH LOVE

LUNA: Major respect to the authenticity you exude throughout all of your work. What part of this record would you say showcases your authenticity the most?

ROCKET: I love that question! With this record, I was like, “Let’s just write and see what happens.” I really wanted to get to the bottom of myself. I think the lyrics are definitely the most honest, and my vocals. I really wanted to sing on this record and just let my soul sort of show itself through my voice. Shoutout “Wild Woman”! You know, that song almost didn’t even make the record. I really struggled with my perfectionism through making this album and doing my best not to fix it. With the “Wild Woman” vocal I was sick — you could hear it, and I wanted to recut it but my whole team was like, “No, no, no, it needs to be on the album!” And then I just woke up one day and listened to it, and I heard it. I heard that even though my voice was imperfect, it was still beautiful just the way that it is.

LUNA: Do you have a favorite part of the record-making process?

ROCKET: Oh my gosh. I mean, my favorite part is just being in the studio, just doing what I love! The whole challenge was to do something new and different every day, to do something new and exciting and to not stop until we got that feeling of “OH MY GOD” — that inspired feeling! That’s really my favorite part: just having it be my daily life. This was a fun one to make, and the world was also still shut down while we were making it, which is crazy to think about. It just felt like we were building our own world, you know?

LUNA: What about Jack White and his work inspired you so much? How do you resonate with him/his work?

ROCKET: Jack White was the first artist that I ever connected with. I discovered The White Stripes when I was in, like, fourth grade or something. So it hit me really early, in the time of your life where it’s really important. Music can be so defining when you’re young. So that kind of defined me. I fell in love with rock and his sound and just the way that he presented his music — like, Third Man Records and the color scheme, and I remember in the CDs, you would open the booklet and there would be all these photos and his writing, and I feel like that sort of was the first time that I was like, “Oh, it’s more than just the music.” So yeah, Jack White is ingrained in me — his essence was definitely defining for me.

LUNA: KE$HA was also an influence on this album. What about her work sparked that influence?

ROCKET: I was a senior in high school when “TiK ToK” came out, and she was just, like, glitter. I feel like we both have a similar freeing and liberated woman sort of essence, like, “I’m gonna party and I’m gonna take my shirt off and I’m gonna fuck you and I don’t care what you think.” I feel like KE$HA was my first role model of my generation that really embodied that. I love KE$HA and I think her songwriting is just so fun. “Suck My Luv” and “Rebel Revolution,” those are kind of my KE$HA songs of the album.

LUNA: What was the emotional process of writing this record like?

ROCKET: Oh my god! I mean, it was so emotional! I am a very emotional person. My emotions are very big and intense. So if we were writing about a certain thing… like, “Broken Record,” for example, that was a very intense day for me because … I’m crying, laying on the floor, and just in that world. It was an emotional rollercoaster. And I feel like when you listen to it, it kind of does that, it takes you for a ride. Like, yeah, I’m emo, but I know that my fans are too. I’ve got you guys!

LUNA: What is your favorite memory from working on LIVE LAUGH LOVE?

ROCKET: Oh, man, these are good questions! I’m loving this! My favorite memory I’ve got to say would be for “BUBBLEGUM.” “BUBBLEGUM” was the first song that we got for the album. We were in Joshua Tree and I would cook dinner every night. There were two boys there with us: my producer Benny Reiner and his friend Nosh, who did the guitar solo at the end of the song. We had just finished the song, and that was the last song that we did that week in Joshua Tree as well. It was just a moment of like, “Woah, I think we really did something.” And then I made dinner. Then, I remember, we made these Rice Krispies Treats and they were disgusting but so, so good, and we were drinking rosė. I was really sad over my ex at the time because we had just broken up, but there was this feeling of, like, “I feel alive and beautiful right now.” And it felt like a turning point. That was a good memory.

LUNA: What is your favorite song on the album? What song(s) are you most excited for your audience to hear for the first time?

ROCKET: My favorite song changes a lot, which is what I like about this album — it has a lot of different moods and it fits a lot of situations. Right now my favorite song is “Suck My Luv” though — I've been feeling myself. I'm really excited for everyone to hear “Lasso the Moon” because I feel like that one's really inspiring and has just a hopeful feeling. I'm kind of known as this angry, angsty, feminist punk girl, but that song is proof that you can't put me in that box, you know, because it's a hopeful song.

LUNA: You recently posted a video on the experience of listening to the art of an album for the first time from start to finish. How do you hope your audience will experience LIVE LAUGH LOVE?

ROCKET: I will say that I did a lot of driving because I’m from Las Vegas. So while making this album, I did a lot of driving back and forth from home. And it really works just in the car on a nighttime drive alone, for no reason! It’s kind of a solo listening kind of album. That’s where I experienced it the most, but you can really take her anywhere!

LUNA: What does the name of the record, LIVE LAUGH LOVE, mean to you?

ROCKET: Well, what’s crazy is that I mean it sincerely! At first I was like “Oh, I’m gonna make the most ‘pop song’ song on the album called ‘Live Laugh Love’” because I like that sort of contrast. But then, the more I sat with the title, it was actually really powerful. I want to live my life. I want to fall in love and find real love. I want to just laugh! It kind of got me like this — really sincere. And I feel like we all have that side to us. Even if we don’t, even if we don’t admit it or acknowledge it, everybody has that sort of basic bitch sincerity.

LUNA: Is there anything else you'd like to share about LIVE LAUGH LOVE?

ROCKET: This album really took it out of me — like, really. This music is so powerful to me because it really made it through some crazy times of my life and just in the world, you know… Like, what the fuck was all that, the past two years? I really believe in keeping going and never giving up hope and staying inspired and always making art no matter what. That’s what the album means to me.

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