WTF is Princess Superstar Up To?
Photos courtesy of Princess Superstar
Interview by Daniela Rodriguez
Like her Twitter bio says, Princess Superstar "has been rapping for a long time." Although it's been 16 years since it was released, her electronic pop remix with Mason, Perfect (Exceeder), has discovered a new found fame on TikTok, thanks to its feature in the clippable, box office hit Salt-burn (2023). You would be hard pressed to scroll through the app without hearing the thudding kick drum of the single soundtracking an I-dont-give-a-fuck-girl-boss-swag edit. Before all that, though, Princess Superstar popped up on my For You Page talking about her experience producing a few unreleased tracks for Lana Del Rey, pre-fame. Those tracks—which you can find in the depths of assorted Lana-stan Soundcloud playlists—feature hypnotic synths, crunchy drum patterns, and haunting keyboards that, although sonically disparate from her typical records, possess an eccentricity that isn't totally out of character for Princess Superstar; her electro dance-fused, hip-hop-rooted vocal performances represent the individualistic approach to music making for which she has become known, not only by the lay-man, but by legends of the industry alike.
Daniela
I was working on this issue before Saltburn came out and I wrote your name on the list. Then Saltburn came out and I saw that you were trending again. I was like, Oh my god, I should have asked her earlier, maybe she's too famous now.
Princess Superstar
I know it has been nuts. I just try to say yes to everything anyway. Your thing sounded really cool.
Daniela
Can you talk about your name "Princess Superstar"? What was the process of coming up that name for your music career?
Princess Superstar
What happened was I was playing guitar in indie rock bands in the 90s in New York. I started making my own music in 1993 and I needed a name and I had this antique drum kit from the 60s and it said Superstar on it. A boyfriend at the time was like, "You should call yourself Superstar. That'd be a cool name for a side project.", because at this point it was still just a side project; it wasn't anything I was going to do for real. And then I was like, "Yeah, but it needs to be even more obnoxious and over the top and making fun of all this shit." So I said, "What about Princess Superstar?" And then that was it. That became the name.
Daniela
Do you still have that drum kit?
Princess Superstar
Yeah, I still have it. I'll show you, but I'll also take a picture of it for you.
Daniela
Oh my God, it's gorgeous. Did you ever use it to make music at some point?
Princess Superstar
No, the drum heads are ripped. It's really just symbolic.
Daniela
You did theater when you were in school?
Princess Superstar
Yeah, I went to NYU. That's when I really started playing guitar and I would run home for my acting classes and play guitar and make up songs. I never thought it was going to be a rapper though.
Daniela
How did that come about? When did you discover that within yourself?
Princess Superstar
I loved hip hop. We're talking about the early 90s here, which was just such an amazing era for hip hop: De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, all of that was happening in New York. I was obsessed with it, but I never thought I could be a rapper because I really didn't fit the demographic. I would just make up raps for fun and to make my friends laugh. I was really a part of a very supportive indie rock scene who just said, "Yeah, just fucking do it." There were bands like The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion and, of course, Beck and The Beastie Boys who were all sort of messing around with hip hop and mixing it with rock and stuff. So that is how I started; I was mixing it up with rock and kind of making up funny rhymes. I didn't really take it seriously until I made this demo tape called Bitch Better Get My Bunny which was a play on "bitch better get my money", a popular catchphrase at the time. I mailed it out to CMJ Magazine, which was a college music journal. They were a big deal in my world back then. They printed a review and said that they loved my demo tape, which was rock music on one side and rapping on the other side. I would do these like crude samples where I would play a Beatles loop or something on a boom box—I don't even know how the fuck I did it. It was just bad but, whatever, it was me. It was my early thing. They were like, "We like side A, but side B…holy shit!" They printed my phone number in the magazine and, the next thing I knew, I had major labels calling me up, wanting to take me out because of this little review. Now, I didn't get signed to any of those major labels, but I was like, maybe I can do this.
Daniela
Where were you in life when that happened? Were you working other jobs? Did you graduate?
Princess Superstar
I had just graduated from NYU. I was a couple of years out of college and I was definitely working lots of different jobs. I wasn't able to quit my job until 2000. I put out records on indie labels and then I started my own label in the nineties. It was only after the release of my fourth record when I was able to quit my job. It was the best day of my life. The crazy thing is that I got to be an artist full time for many, many years, but then I had to go get another job again around 2014. But now that Saltburn just hooked me up, I can quit again.
Daniela
What a crazy cycle. What was that job you were working?
Princess Superstar
Recently, I was doing branding and marketing work for people, doing their social media. I also worked at a music distributor, training people in the music business—I was also a mentor to other artists. I do coaching. While I was really grateful for those jobs, it was also heartbreaking that I was once extremely popular, making tons of money as an artist, and then had to get another job because it sort of petered out. So what has happened to me recently is a freaking miracle that I'm so grateful for—like, tears of gratitude.
Daniela
You went to the Grammys recently, too!
Princess Superstar
I didn't actually go to the Grammys, but I went to the parties.
Daniela
That's even better because that's where things go down, I assume. I can only imagine.
Princess Superstar
Yeah, I've heard that the actual ceremony is really boring.
Daniela
Yeah, because everyone has to be on their best behavior.
Princess Superstar
And most of the music that wins Grammys, I don't like anyway. It's really rare if I actually like something that wins a Grammy.
Daniela
During that period, you were still making music for yourself. As an artist, how did you keep that up? Maybe I'm talking from my personal experience here, but it's not easy when you might not have an audience but you're trying to find that rhythm again of making art and doing it for yourself.
Princess Superstar
It's so hard. That's why I really appreciate this newfound fame, because it's the hardest thing in the whole world. I went through a period where every time I picked up my pen to write, it was like, Well, who cares? Nobody's listening to you anymore. It's like this voice of the artistic ego. So, for a little while, I didn't do music at all. I couldn't get past that voice. It was so intense. Then I realized that I was miserable being cut off from my art so, even though it's painful, I'm just going to sit down and try to do it. And then, also, I have to forgive all of my resentments that I have towards people in the music industry that either fucked me over or got more famous than me after I helped them get there, because I have a few of those. I'm also resentful of myself because I could have done something different or chose a better manager or whatever—you can just beat yourself up relentlessly. I did a lot of spiritual and emotional work to clear all that energy. And then I was able to sit and write a little bit and so I kept putting stuff out and it would get a thousand streams, if that. Everyone was still listening to Perfect (Exceeder), but I couldn't get those people to listen to my new stuff. It was the biggest disconnect. If you look at my Spotify, there's Perfect (Exceeder) with 60 million streams and I'm like, Can you guys listen to my other music? But I just kept going anyway.
Daniela
That's very exciting because I know a lot of people have been asking for new music in your comments. Going back to your older work, the first album that I see on your Spotify is Strictly Platinum. I love the art direction for the cover. Can you talk about your experience putting out your first album ever?
Princess Superstar
It was very exciting. So, like I mentioned, in 1994, all these major labels were calling me and were interested. They didn't ever end up signing me because they were like, "You have to develop yourself more." Then there was this little indie rock label out of Canada who were like, "We want to sign you and we'll pay for your studio time." I remember the guy paid for my studio time and also bought me a white suit to perform in. It was 90s latex. It was so sick. I was like, this is amazing. He was such a cool dude—Jason McFadden, shoutout to him. It was really my gay friends who art directed everything for me. They were like, "You have to dye your hair blonde", and they put me in that tie and I was smoking. It's so funny—a super famous makeup artist, James Colliardos, did the makeup and now he does the cover of Vogue and Josh Jordan took the photo and he's a big fashion photographer now. I made that record in New York. We recorded at this studio in the Meatpacking District back when it really was for meatpacking. Like, there was blood in the street, there were hookers. I had a female drummer at the time too, which I also think is dope.
Daniela
Listening to your old stuff and even your most recent stuff, I feel like the vibe that you were putting out was ahead of the time. It's really popular now, this electro-hip-hop/hyper-pop kind of thing. I feel like your new music will definitely pop off because now is the time when people are really receiving it.
Princess Superstar
Well, I love that. And I'm really excited because I have a new song that I think is really going to pop off. It's called New Renegades and I'm ready to put it out, but my manager and my label are like, "You have to let Perfect cook. You can't jump up because it's still in the charts and so you can't put out new music and divert attention. You have to ride the viral wave first and then put it out." I'm chomping at the bit, but I'm not allowed.
Daniela
Interesting. I guess I don't really know too much about how the music world works so it's cool to hear about how they think about these things.
Princess Superstar
I didn't know either. For the last 10 years, I've just been doing things on my own and without a manager and without a label. So I just put out shit when it's done.
Daniela
When did you start producing? Did you produce your first album yourself? Because you're also a producer, correct?
Princess Superstar
I am a producer, but I'm not great at it, so I mostly leave it to the other people to do that part. Actually what's really funny about that is that on the first album, I actually had a producer and his name was Godfrey Diamond—this is so funny, I never talk about this stuff. He was Billy Squire's producer. I don't know if you know that song that goes, "Stroke me, stroke me." You're a little young, but it's an eighties classic. So, he produced my first album and it's so great. I forgot all about that—how did I even get him? Oh yeah, because, like I mentioned, I was part of this indie rock scene in the nineties in New York and he was somehow affiliated with another band that was in our scene and he was interested in indie rock, which was weird because he was a disco guy and he was an 80s guy and we were like, "What does he want with nineties indie rock?" But he was into it.
Daniela
What was the name of your indie band?
Princess Superstar
So, at that point, I was just Princess Superstar, but before that I was playing in an all girl band called the Gamma Rays and we were signed to Teen Beat Records which was a really cool label in the nineties. They had this band called Unrest who are amazing. I still love Unrest so much. How did I get in the band? In those days there'd be flyers everywhere that said "We're looking for a girl guitarist", or whatever. There were cool places that don't exist anymore like Kim's Video and bars like Max Fish.
Daniela
I really like the way you dress and I watched the MTV Made series where you mentored that girl in high school and I really liked your outfits there. And then also the video with Kool Keith—I really like your hat and your suit in that and then at the very end you're wearing a little cape and it says Princess Superstar. Do you still have a lot of your clothes from that time? What's your closet looking like now?
Princess Superstar
I have that cape. That was custom made for me. I don't have all the things, but I wish I did. I get in modes where I want to clean up and throw out and purge. But no, my closet's really fun. I actually have more stage clothes and performance clothes than I have regular clothes. It's really funny because I also have a kid—she's 12—and sometimes I have to go to pick her up and I think, Wow, I really need to get more normal clothes.
Daniela
What were some of your style inspirations?
Princess Superstar
I always love bodysuits and I love 80s makeup and looks and stuff like that. I really have to shout out my gay crew because they would always help style me. I also love looking very space age and like David-Bowie-esque.
Daniela
Yeah, I like it too. You rock it. How did you get involved in MTV Made?
Princess Superstar
I know, it's so random. They called me up and they were like, "Would you like to be a mentor?" And I was like, "Sure, but I don't know what I'd do well." And they were like, "Well, you could mentor somebody who's being bullied to have self-confidence." So I was like, "Oh, yeah." I was so excited. I had so much fun. One thing I really wanted to teach her was that I didn't want it to be a makeover thing. I really wanted to show her that it comes from the inside. One thing I really was excited about was for her to make a diss track to the bullies. I didn't want to just be like, "Oh, you lose 10 pounds and then you put makeup on and then now you're hot." Like, no, because that's playing into the whole problem at the school in the first place. I got to say, she was really resistant to everything. It was hard. But she was a kid. Now I have a lot more compassion for her because I have a 12 year old and my kid is resistant to everything too.
Daniela
After that episode aired, did you guys stay in touch at all?
Princess Superstar
No, and I'd be really curious to know what became of her. If she became less resistant or whatever.
Daniela
I saw recently that you posted on TikTok talking about how, for the Perfect (Exceeder) music video, they didn't ask for your creative input and then tried to pass off those girls as you. How did you catch that?
Princess Superstar
So, I found out about it on YouTube. The label didn't even give me the courtesy of asking me or showing me. Also—just put me in my own video. Like, why is somebody lip syncing? And it wasn't like I was like a nobody artist. I had a brand and I was established.
Daniela
But you knew about the remix and you were involved with that?
Princess Superstar
Yeah. And I got paid and I knew that it was becoming a hit. When I called up crying about the video and told them that that was not my brand, they were like, "Sorry, we had to make something fast because it was on the charts and we had to hurry up and you're in New York and we just had to make it." I mean, this is my art. Don't fuck with my art. But people love that video, so who's to say? Maybe the song would have flopped if I had been in the video.
Daniela
So, going back to the whole Saltburn thing—what's the process with that? Because I know you've had music in other movies before too. Do they reach out to you and ask for permission? Do you know what scene the song is in? Do you have to approve that as well?
Princess Superstar
Yeah, basically an email comes through your music publisher and they send you the sheet which is the scene it's going to be in, the actors, the director, the usage fee. So they sent me all that, but I didn't really recognize any of the names except for Richard Grant. I was like, Okay, he's cool. It was a pretty low fee actually. Not a lot of money at all. I usually say yes to all the usages, but I had no idea and I don't think they had any idea that it would go viral.
Daniela
The whole soundtrack kind of just took everyone by storm. Did you like the movie when you watched it?
Princess Superstar
Yeah, I did it. I loved it. I thought it was brilliantly twisted. The aesthetics of it were amazing.
Daniela
I know that you've worked with Lana Del Rey—you produced a song for her way back then, even before she was on the scene. How did you hear of her and how did she hear of you?
Princess Superstar
My husband discovered her and he was like, "She's a really good singer, you have to hear her and produce for her", because at the time I was producing other artists. I was like, "Yeah, okay." Sometimes he doesn't bring me the best people. She was a fan of mine because, at that point, I was more famous than her. I love the way she sang and she was so pretty and cute and charismatic and she had a vintage thing going and I love, love, love the vintage thing. So I was like, I'm going to make you weird fucked up sixties sounding tracks that are kind of psychedelic and strange. I ended up producing four songs for her in my bedroom studio on Houston and Avenue A in New York. Then we helped her get a live show. She wasn't a good live performer back then because she was so nervous, which I understand—my first show was terrible. It's hard to be confident and to stand on stages when you're starting out. It's terrifying. I gave her tips because I had already had so many live shows under my belt. Then I was like, "I'm going to introduce you to my lawyer, Ben. He's a great lawyer and he can help you." She had just gotten dropped from her label, so I set up a meeting between her and Ben and then Ben took her to London and made her the star that she is. Ben is still her manager to this day.
Daniela
Woah. So did you stay in touch with her throughout that time?
Princess Superstar
Not really, because she went to London and I was busy and also producing other artists. By the way, what happened to her was one in a bajillion, so I didn't really have paperwork or anything. Anyways, we sort of fell out of touch, but next thing I know, she's on Saturday Night Live and Video Games is blowing up. So I'm like, what just happened? I don't know, it's weird because it's not like we had a falling out or anything. We went separate ways.
Daniela
But then you guys saw each other again.
Princess Superstar
Yeah, a couple of weeks ago we saw each other and it was really amazing. It was like no time had passed at all. She was just like, "Oh my God!" I went with my husband and she hugged us. It was crazy. It was a Clive Davis party and everyone was like, "Lana! Lana! Lana!" It's psychotic what follows her. Like, I don't even know how she does it. She's pulled in a million directions. I don't know, we're going to have coffee, so I guess more to be revealed.
Daniela
That's so cool. I'm a huge Lana fan, so I had to ask. I think it's really awesome that you were part of her early years because her older stuff is just so fun and different and Maha Maha is one of her weirdest tracks. I didn't know that you guys did four together either, I've only ever heard of that one.
Princess Superstar
Yeah, we did Maha Maha and Catch and Release and Moise De Jus and Golden Grill. Yeah, you got to dig around in SoundCloud or TikTok.
Daniela
Who were the other artists you worked with that ended up becoming more famous?
Princess Superstar
Peaches—she used to follow me around in the nineties and she really went to every one of my shows and was like, "I want to be just like you." Or, I remember Anhoni called me up asking for music business advice and then he just went on to be huge. Even Grimes was like, "You're ahead of your time and you're underrated." I kind of have the underdog energy, I suppose. And it's cool now because I feel like things are changing. You never know, but it seems like they're changing.
Daniela
What were the tips that you gave Lana to become a better performer? What's your advice to get rid of that fear?
Princess Superstar
First of all, just do it in front of your mirror at home and look in the mirror and ask yourself who do you love? Like, I used to love Iggy Pop. You know, he was so punk rock and he would jump up on speakers and he would just go bananas on stage. I was like, I want to be just like him. And so I would practice in front of the mirror and do crazy stuff. And then when you get up on stage, you create an acting. It's called a private moment, where your mirror is just in the audience and you are just in your bedroom doing what you want to do, being free. But you have to do that and connect to the audience. It comes with practice. And it's not all about you in the sense that you're always so consumed with yourself and thinking, Am I going to be good? No, it's how can I be of service to this audience?
Daniela
I heard in another interview that you were opening for someone and that's when you met Pharrell. But you got booed or something? Was that one of your earlier experiences performing as Princess Superstar?
Princess Superstar
It wasn't even that early. Yeah, it was really horrible. It was August in Central Park and Pharrell had brought Busta Rhymes and all these heavy hitters with him and the audience just wanted that. I came out and I was on this toy motorcycle that I'd gotten from Toys R Us and I was doing my fun shit and they were like, "What the fuck is this?" But the cool thing was that Pharrell loved it. I mean, that was just such a weird feeling because I was booed, but then Pharrell said, "Yo, you're dope and I want to work with you." My brain was scrambled. It's not easy being an artist.
Daniela
Sometimes when your art is really ahead of the time only the other artists can recognize that and the audience is just not ready.
Princess Superstar
That's really my situation; I've always been an artist's favorite. From Grimes to Damon Alburn from Blur to Jarvis Cocker. Jarvis brought me over to play in England in the first place. I'm an artist's artist, that is definitely true.
Daniela
And that's also pretty epic—sometimes even better—because that means you stuck to yourself.
Princess Superstar
It's better, but then you don't always get the money or the fame, you know? So it's amazing from this side, post Saltburn, but when you're living it, you're like, Why the fuck do I have to work a day job?
Daniela
What makes someone a superstar?
Princess Superstar
Someone who is authentic to themselves and kind to others. Someone who follows their passion and doesn't worry about what other people think.