Q&A: A Whirlwind of Moodiness and Cynicism, splendi Debuts With “unoriginal”
AN ANTI-ROMANCE ANTHEM — splendi removes the rose-tinted glasses and explores the reality of modern dating in her debut single, “unoriginal.” Enveloping the story of a date gone wrong in a melody fit for a coming-of-age film, “unoriginal” feels like the perfect snapshot of adolescent love.
Growing up in a house that vibrated with music from a vast range of genres and decades offered the Philadelphia-based artist carte blanche to explore her own musical flair. Originally focusing solely on drums, her talents later expanded into guitar and vocals. Focusing her lyricism on more cynical tales from her personal life, she creates music that resonates with young people the world over. As a bisexual female artist, splendi draws her inspiration from queer female artists such as Clairo, Phoebe Bridgers, and Remi Wolf.
Alongside the track, splendi is also unveiling an accompanying music video. Keeping the focus on her disaster date, the visualiser attempts to accurately and visually convey every tragic aspect of it.
Keep reading to explore more of splendi, the date that went wrong, and how she turned the experience into a blissfully pessimistic debut single.
LUNA: Congrats on your debut single “unoriginal”! Where did the inspiration for the track come from? What’s the story behind it?
SPLENDI: Unfortunately, it’s a true story about an awful date I had a while back. I met this guy in the crowd at a Crumb concert. He was super smooth and charming and we had a few mutual friends, so we all went to grab food after the concert. A few days later, we matched on Tinder. We both agreed that it felt fitting to meet up, so he suggested a chicken nuggets date since we both lived next to the McDonalds on Broad Street in Philly. Fast forward to the end of night, and he blurts out that he has a girlfriend completely out of nowhere. So, I interrupted what we were doing and told him I had to leave. He walked me out, and as soon as I left he had the audacity to send a text saying, “This was fun, let's do it again sometime :)” — yeah. I know. So I wrote a song about it, and he definitely doesn’t know it exists. I’m lowkey terrified that he’ll hear it and figure it out, or even worse, his girlfriend will. I’m not sure if they’re still together or what the deal is with that, but yeah. Every line of the song is true to that night and the lyrics are full of… dick jokes.
LUNA: You’re releasing a music video alongside the track — What was the creative process like for this?
SPLENDI: I started planning the video way back in December of 2021. I had a pretty solid vision for it, so I met with my team at a local diner to map it out and spitball some ideas. We pretty much developed the entire concept in the time it takes you to have a cup of coffee. The idea was to stay super true to my personal experience and highlight the worst things about the guy and the date through the visuals. The video is really deadpan and ironic but it still feels really natural. Design for the sets, outfits, and everything was pretty comical because the goal was to break down and display the character of your stereotypical dude who listens to indie music. But I genuinely liked all of the same things. I actually kept a lot of the props and wall art from the scenes and have them in my room now. So the humor is super self-aware and all for fun — no hate to any guys who love The Smiths, ’cause I do too. We had a ton of fun shooting, and I think it really shows in the video. It paints a perfect picture of my experience and brings the lyrics and song to life even further.
LUNA: What message do you want listeners to take away from “unoriginal”?
SPLENDI: It’s short and sweet! Make sure the guy you’re on a date with doesn’t have a girlfriend! There's thousands of people out there just like the person you were into that did you wrong. So don’t sweat it and just watch out for the rest of them!
LUNA: What influences your music the most?
SPLENDI: My outlook on personal experiences without a doubt influences my writing the most. I have a habit of seeing the negative side of everything, so that usually comes out the strongest when I’m writing. I don’t sugarcoat anything in my songs, and that’s with the intention of giving someone an opportunity to listen to the song and relate.
LUNA: How would you personally describe the atmosphere your music creates?
SPLENDI: I think it’s all up to the listener. Depending on how closely they choose to listen they could create one of two atmospheres. One for when they want to listen intentionally to the lyrics and see where the story takes them and how it makes them feel. The other is for more casual listening when they might just want to vibe or jam out without looking deeper into the meaning of the song. I always find that my favorite artists make songs that I can do both to. Sometimes I like to just mindlessly drive and sing along to a catchy song in my car. But other times I like to sit back and let the lyrics tell a story that means something to me.
LUNA: What sparked your interest in music?
SPLENDI: I’ve been drawn to music from a really early age. I grew up in a home where my parents were always playing music. Driving somewhere? Doing things around the house? Eating dinner? Music was playing. My mom consistently played absolute gold from every decade spanning all genres. My dad is into the classics. He’s a motown, funk, and oldies sorta guy. So, it was a really natural progression going from hearing so much music all of the time to playing it myself. If you know me you know I’m primarily a drummer. If you told me a year ago that I would be singing, playing guitar, and releasing my own music, I honestly wouldn’t believe you. I’ve always used music as an outlet for self-expression, but I kept those lyrics on my notes app or voice memos of poorly-played guitar secret until a few months ago. One night, though, I impulsively and anxiously sent a demo to a friend that happened to also be a producer and he encouraged me to continue to write and start releasing my music, which I did. Since I’ve started sharing my songs with others, my relationship with music has been completely elevated. It’s so much more cathartic when you actually share your thoughts, feelings, and stories to those who open themselves up to it and listen.
LUNA: How did you develop your sound?
SPLENDI: I mostly just draw from what I’m currently listening to the most, so it’s totally an evolving sound, and I’m still trying to hone in on what exactly that specific sound is. I know it’s in the realm of darker indie pop, but I’m still figuring out the nitty-gritty details of how I can really make that my own. My recent obsessions and inspirations are beabadoobee, spill tab, Wallice, marinelli, Deb Never, CRITTER, Del Water Gap, Samia, and Eyedress. I love each for a different reason, whether it be their melodies, instrumentals, lyrics, or all of the above.
LUNA: What are your creative goals for the rest of the year?
SPLENDI: Right now, I’m working on finishing the cover art for my next two singles and I’m putting together my first line of merch: upcycled t-shirts and upcycled tote bags made from pants. Another goal is to finish the dozens of songs I have. When I write I always start by choosing a concept for a song. Then, I write pages and pages of lyrics and ideas to the point where it’s overwhelming. The plan is to go through and refine them so they aren’t each, like, 20 minutes long! Once the lyrics are solidified I can determine the mood and overall vibe of each song and match some chords to them. Then finishing cover art for each. I truly love the process of seeing an idea through from start to finish and watching it come to life. Finally getting to the final product is something really special and makes all of the blood, sweat, and tears worth it.
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RT @oliviaborch: new @LunaCollective out todayyy shot by @alltookev ✨ @P1H_official editorial design by me ! https://t.co/cvSCKsWB5D
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RT @rlyblonde: @AnnieDirusso for @LunaCollective shot by me #35mm #portra800 https://t.co/0UUJSCBGcH
