Q&A: Temme Scott Talks Trust and Honesty on New Single “Contract Killer”
BALTIMORE-BORN AND LOS ANGELES–BASED SINGER-SONGWRITER — Temme Scott invites listeners inside the vulnerable corners of her mind with her latest single, “Contract Killer.” With its soft, wavy production and heartfelt lyricism, Scott’s newest piece effortlessly tackles the complexity of love and honesty in a romantic relationship.
With the release of her other latest singles, “Softly,” “Copilot,” and “Healing,” Scott showcases a free-spirited approach to self-reflection and growth for her upcoming sophomore album, A Long Year. Although each single has its own unique pop-forward sound, the raw, shaky vocals and synthy acoustic quality of ”Contract Killer” stand out, providing the perfect backdrop for the idea of not loving someone enough — that too much honesty can be more damaging than beneficial in a romantic relationship.
Ironically, the song, which touches on the concept of “word vomiting,” does the exact opposite. Scott’s poetic lyrics, paired with her gritty singer-songwriter sound, vividly paints the fear of saying all the wrong things to the ones we love most.
In this exclusive interview, we sit down with Scott to discuss the concepts and imagery behind "Contract Killer,” her creative process, and what’s to be expected from her second full-length record. Read the interview below.
LUNA: Tell me a little bit about yourself! How did you first get into music? Did you take lessons or are you self-taught?
SCOTT: I grew up singing just for fun but never took vocal lessons or took it very seriously. It was the kinda thing where I’d sing songs from Annie in front of the fireplace for my family and friends, like kids do! It wasn’t until middle school, where I met my best friend Maddie, an amazing singer who came from a musical family, [that I began to take it seriously]. She and her mom and dad taught me a lot about collaborating, and Maddie taught me how to harmonize. We eventually started a band together, and I took a few guitar lessons throughout the years, but I’m mostly self-taught.
LUNA: Sonically, you’ve described yourself as a gritty singer-songwriter musician with pop and folk influences. Who do you consider to be some of your biggest influences?
SCOTT: Right now, my biggest influences are Madi Diaz, Dora Jar, Jade Bird, Medium Build, and Taylor Swift.
LUNA: When did you first get the idea to compose “Contract Killer”? Is it a newer or older piece in comparison to the other singles for A Long Year?
SCOTT: I started writing “Contract Killer” in 2020 with my collaborator Jamie Sierota, just before quarantine. It’s a song I’ve always wanted to come back to but could never really finish. I didn’t have a bridge until sometime in 2023, when I asked another writer, Julia Campbell, to help me piece it all together. The idea came from feeling lousy about my ability to commit in my relationship at the time and feeling like I was always teetering on the edge of being in or out. It’s about feeling like someone who tends to break promises, but wanting to be with that person no matter what.
LUNA: Can you walk me through your creative process on this track? What did your songwriting and production process look like?
SCOTT: I’ve actually produced three versions of this song — one I self-produced in 2020 on a solo writing trip to the Bay, the next I did with a live band in 2020. And then in 2023, I started recording what would become the final version with my producer, Elijah Wells.
LUNA: The song is described as the concept of “killing” the implicit contract of trust, intimacy and honesty between lovers, and the toll it takes on relationships. Could you elaborate on this concept and what it means to you?
SCOTT: Yeah, I’ve kind of realized over time that this song makes me sound like a bad partner. I hope that’s not true, but we all make mistakes, I guess, and this song is my way of airing them out. For me, a “contract” between two people in a relationship basically just means there’s an inherent or implicit promise of honesty. Like, if we’re together, I’m gonna tell you the truth. I wanted to explore the idea of what it feels like to love someone deeply but not trust yourself with loving them well enough, or being able to give them all they deserve.
There’s a variety of references to talking too much, overexplaining the complexity of your feelings for someone until it’s just overdone. I definitely struggle with this to this day. In an attempt to be overly honest, sometimes you just spill a little too much, or rather, I “talk until I’m sorry.”
LUNA: The entire song is incredibly intimate and very visual. I wanted to focus on a lyric, “I wanna ring the alarms and cut the cable with my teeth.” Talk to me about the image you were trying to convey with this lyric.
SCOTT: “Ringing the alarm” basically means alerting your partner that you have conflicting feelings about the relationship, and then “cutting the cable” means you immediately want to take it all back. It’s like word vomiting, and then trying to go back on what you said, because you just love them so much and are terrified to cause any hurt.
LUNA: In the bridge, you sing, “I know better than to lie to you, so I’ll say it softly like I usually do/ Thumbing through the pages, baby I can’t think / Am I loving you enough to put it down in ink? / Screaming with conviction til the words collapse / Man it always hurts when I break the contract.” Could you talk to me about the ideas behind these lyrics?
SCOTT: The bridge actually references another song of mine called “Softly,” when I say: “I know better than to lie to you, so I’ll say it softly like I usually do.” I was aiming to convey how speaking the truth softly is still better than saying nothing, but it’s not really saying it with your whole chest. There’s just not enough behind it. When it says, “Thumbing through the pages, baby I can’t think / Am I loving you enough to put it down in ink?” I’m talking about not being able to fully love someone. Like, god, can I really say this solidly? Why do I still feel so unsure sometimes about what I want?
LUNA: In past interviews, you’ve opened up about your battles with mental health and recently coming out of treatment. How do you think having this new perspective has translated into your work, especially on “Contract Killer”?
SCOTT: I wrote “Contract Killer” before I went to treatment several times, but I think what was really wonderful was revisiting these songs after I was feeling a lot more human. I feel like I was able to put more into my songs once my brain quieted down a little bit, and honestly I just challenged myself not to fall victim to perfectionism with finishing the record. I worked on combating perfectionism and certainty in my obsessive thought patterns a lot in treatment.
LUNA: Chiara Alexa is one of the photographers you work alongside with frequently and has taken all your promo photos for “Contract Killer” thus far. How do you work together to achieve these visuals? What kind of tone are you trying to convey with these images?
SCOTT: Chiara and I met about a year ago at a Del Water Gap show out near Joshua Tree and immediately hit it off. She’s been taking photos of me now for just about the whole year we’ve known each other, and she’s become a really close friend. It’s so nice to work with the same person because I think the two of us together can continuously hone in on the vision and dream up ideas together. The tone of the album photoshoot is a little bit whimsical and natural; we wanted to convey a free-spirited nature in the photos to complement that theme in the album.
LUNA: Should your audience be expecting any music videos or other visuals out soon for the release of the song? If so, what will that look like?
SCOTT: I don’t have a music video for “Contract Killer,” but I will for the next single! We’re thinking about doing a couple live acoustic videos as well, so maybe “Contract Killer” will make the cut for one of those!
LUNA: So you founded Silverhouse Songs, where you host house-style shows in L.A. — tell me a little bit about that. When did you decide to start? How has hosting these shows influenced you personally?
SCOTT: I started Silverhouse Songs with my roommates in 2018 when we realized we had enough space to host house shows. It started out really small, just friends getting together in the living room, but has since expanded over the years into a really great event. We stopped hosting shows in 2020 during the pandemic and just recently brought it back this year. It was awesome to collaborate with The Luna Collective on the event, and we’re looking forward to hopefully doing more in the future. Personally, I think it’s really helped my skills as an event producer as there’s lot of coordination, booking, and running sound involved — I try to do it all. However, I hope it always remains an excuse to get good people together to listen to good music.
LUNA: A Long Year will be out on Sept. 13, and you said you will continue to release singles until then. How do you think “Contract Killer” compares to your previous singles and what's to come on the album?
SCOTT: I think “Contract Killer” really captures the acoustic meets pop tone that ties the whole album together. I only have one more single after this one, called “SPACE,” which is a super cheeky, fun pop song.
LUNA: And this will be your second full-length record. How do you think you have grown from project to project, and in what ways do you think it will apply to your upcoming album?
SCOTT: I think I care more and less at the same time. I care less about how the music will be received, but even more about the production choices. Collaborating with different people over the years has also helped me craft a different sound. I don’t think I’ll ever really be tied to just one genre, though — I think it’ll always start with singer-songwriter influences and we’ll just see where it goes!
LUNA: Lastly, what do you want your listeners to expect heading into the album?
SCOTT: Weirdness, earnestness, humor, and darkness. I want to share it all!
