"Are you a dodie gay or a girl in red gay?"
That question has become a meme of sorts. Queer women are using their favorite artists to signify to each other that they are, in fact, interested in girls. dodie, the 26-year-old singer-songwriter from London, is honored to be in on the joke.
"I'm like, 'Wow, I'm allowed in?'" she laughed. "I think my internalized biphobia is like, 'No, no, not you.' I think it's so funny."
Ahead of the release of her debut studio album Build a Problem, PRIDE sat down with the "She" singer and she opened up about girl crushes, being open about her sexuality in her music, how Gone Girl inspired her song "Cool Girl," and of course, the memes.
PRIDE: I am obsessed with "Cool Girl," both the song and music video. Was that inspired by Gone Girl at all?
dodie: It was! That phrase came from the monologue, specifically the blasé bit where she spat out the words. I really took that as inspiration. It's kind of like, pissy. You know, the cool girl. She'll be different. She'll be quiet. She'll be these things. Definitely inspired by that monologue there.
Tell me about the stunning music video.
It's a battle of wanting to be at the forefront, almost like playing a part in a competition, like I'll be the coolest. There's a lot of canon where I imagine everyone's following me because I'm the cool girl, then at the end, I sort of zap everyone down and then see everyone's looking after themselves with self-care. I've realized the real winner of these competitions are the women who look after themselves and focus on their own journeys. That's the part where no one is in sync, not trying to copy her, and it's actually quite nice.
Let's talk about "Rainbow." It is so beautiful. Can you talk about the value of uplifting LGBTQ+ love songs and what you hope it will mean to listeners?
I wrote it a few years ago. It's funny because at the time, I definitely concentrated more on the idea that it was about falling into this wonderful community. At least it makes you feel special and magical. I don't think I understood or delved into the verse lyrics, which have so much more shame and confusion and conflict in them. I think that's something I'm dealing with now, understanding I have a lot of internalized biphobia that I have to work through. I came out quick when I realized what it was, I was so excited, but now I think I still have a lot of stuff to work through.
A lot of that is in "Rainbow," this feeling of resentment. I was brought up in a line but I walk in circles. I was built in a different world and I'm still figuring it out. It's still confusing to me, my truth is different from what I was told. There's definitely a warm brightness to the choruses where I admit I don't feel alone in this, I wanted it to be very uplifting like at least there's a community, at least there's a good side, at least there's color in this rainbow.
You've been doing this for a minute and finally, your debut studio album is almost here. How does that feel?
It feels right. I think I needed all of that time to build and grow. Now I think this definitely is my sound. I feel very proud of these songs and the way they land. I can't wait, I really just can't wait.
Watch our full interview with dodie here, and listen to Build a Problem here or wherever you stream music!
Photo: Perri Thomas
