“I like music that’s upbeat,” says the 25-year-old artist, of her debut album.
“So it ends up sounding probably a little more cheerful than the actual content of the songs.”
Remi Wolf’s debut album,Juno, opens with a buoyant blast.
“When I was 15 I really started feeling like this was what I wanted to do,” says Wolf.Credit: Haley Appell
For Wolf, 25, that means funky freestyles that bubble over with wild humor and frank self-awareness.
Across the record’s 13 tracks, everyone from Angelina Jolie to Chuck-E-Cheese gets namechecked.
And if you listen closely you’ll hear what sound like Slack notifications pulling double duty as drum samples.
“It’s become part of what I love about my own art,” she says.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: When did you start singing?
REMI WOLF: I started when I was in fourth grade.
That was the first time I ever performed for people, really.
From then on I’ve been singing in bands.
I was in a girl group for a while with two other girls and we sang barbershop quartet-style harmonies.
I’m the only musician in my household, so it was all very foreign to me.
Do you remember some of the CDs you were listening to back then?
The first CD I ever owned was that Lindsay Lohan albumSpeak.
I think the first CD I ever bought for myself was Salt-N-Pepa20th Century Masters.
But so many different musical inspirations have seeped their way into my sound.
For the past couple years I think Beck has been a really big influence on me.
John Mayer was always big for me.
You and Beck worked together on a remix.
Have you met each other in person yet?
We’ve met a bunch of times.
He’s a very nice man.
We were both in New York at the same time so he came to my DJ set.
He feels kind of like a proud dad at this point.
It’s really funny.
I mean, it’s so wild.
How did the writing process forJunostart?
It’s so dead on to how I was feeling at the time.
Getting sober is so hard, but it’s also been such a rewarding experience.
It was something that I felt like I had to talk about.
Even in its heaviest moments, it’s a veryfunrecord.
And I love it like that.
I want my shows to be the funnest shows ever.
I think that I express myself that way.
I like music that’s upbeat.
They still hold their own.
If you do take the time though, you’re like, “Oh okay.
She’s talking about some real s— here.”
You named the album after your dog Juno.
What can you tell me about him?
I got him at the beginning of the pandemic.
I’d never owned a pet before, so it was definitely a learning experience.
But I think my life is a lot better because he’s in it.
He’s a great distraction and he gets me out of my own head.
And he has a great personality.
He’s so friendly and so silly and hilarious.
He’s very weird.
What’s the story behind your song “Anthony Kiedis”?
Are you a big Chili Peppers fan?
Yes, I am a huge Chili Peppers fan!
I’ve been a fan since I was in high school.
I think they were one of the bands that really broke my brain when I was little.
But the song “Anthony Kiedis” started when I was reading his memoir,Scar Tissue.
I was so fascinated by his relationship with his dad.
But I do f—ing love the Chili Peppers.
Anthony Kiedis' writing style is so freeform.
He just says whatever the f— he wants, and I’m very inspired by that.
This interview has bee edited and condensed.
