- Words Notion Staff
A navigator of the hyperreal, Trophie makes Notion an exclusive mix in honour of her new single “Destroyer”.
Trophie is a singer, songwriter and producer with a commitment to blending genres in her curation of an ethereal pop sound. Back with a new single, the artist explores heavy themes as part of an emotional depiction of upheaval.
Hailing from the UK but settling in Australia, Trophie is described as an individual who’s strong minded and non-conforming, both ideas that are reflected in her musical output. She writes songs that challenge conventions about how a woman typically behaves, pushing boundaries and challenges conventions.
New track “Destroyer” is raw and vulnerable, blending strong lyricism with sleek production. Co-produced with experimental electronic artist DJH, together they blend euphoric sounds with darker undertones, for a single that explores themes like grief, inner turmoil and rebirth. Speaking on ‘Destroyer’, she explains: “I didn’t sit on the lyrics for this track, everything just kind of flowed out when I was writing it. In many ways the lyrics are a conversation I’m having with myself but also to those I love. I’m really letting down my walls in this track but I think there is a strength in that.”
We chatted to Trophie about all things ‘Destroyer’, as well her exclusive mix for Notion that reminds “listeners to keep fighting and pushing and never let anyone else dictate their happiness”. Tune in below.
How’s the past week been for you, Trophie?
Busy so far- I’ve been in the studio reworking tracks for some live shows I have coming up. It’s been a strange process of trying to unfamiliarise myself with the songs, trying to reimagine them and not be influenced by where my head was at when I wrote/produced them. My goal is to present something completely new in my live shows, something unexpected.
I hear you’ve got more new music coming has it been a long time in the making and will there be an EP / album?
I can’t say too much at this stage but there may be a project coming very soon hahaha… As an idea, I guess it was a long time in the making, as it’s something I’ve been conceptualising for a while, but as for the actual writing and producing of the tracks, this happened really quickly. One of the tracks in particular was written in a couple of hours one afternoon when I was incredibly pissed off for example haha. Some of those vocals ended up in the track but others were too distorted as I was pretty much screaming into the mic, so I had to re-record those ones.
You released “Destroyer” recently, how’s the reception been? How do you feel now it’s out?
‘Destroyer’ means a lot to me because I didn’t really think about writing a song when I was writing it, it was more of a conversation I was having with myself. It’s a special release because it’s quite a vulnerable song and because of this, the reaction of my fans meant maybe more than it would otherwise. That’s why it means so much that people have really engaged with it. I’m not a huge sharer in general when it comes to social media, so a big way I connect with people is through my music and the world that’s created around it, so having people want to be a part of it is really special.
What are you proudest of about the upcoming music?
That I did it my way and wasn’t influenced by what others are doing. I think it’s dangerous territory when you find yourself writing something because you think it’s what people want to hear. I like to shut everything out and focus on what I want to put across. I’m proud to retain creative control and make the music and art I want to make.
Where did your inspiration come from for your music, from the songwriting to the visuals…
Key themes that run throughout my music are loss, grief and resilience, so the inspiration came mostly from experiences and an impulse to express these emotions through music. I had a lot of conversations with the visual artists I work with, Diego Campomar, David Oldenburg, Jordan Chappell and Yuma Burgess about the concepts behind the songs and what I was passionate about conveying and from there we built the visual worlds around them. These artists really understand the core of who Trophie is, which is why I think there is such a perfect marriage between music and visuals for this project.
There’s a sense of confidence and boundary-pushing in a lot of your music, as well as a feeling you’re not afraid to defy conventions, is this conscious? Do you go into your music-making wanting to get that message across?
I think, in a way, it is conscious but also I don’t think I can help it. I grew up in an environment that taught me to always question and in many ways defy conventions. Maybe it comes from being half Irish but I am definitely a fighter. I can’t help but stand up for what I believe in and there’s been a few occasions in the music industry where it’s wiser to pipe down and not say anything but, to me, if I can go to my grave knowing I said my piece instead of sit on the sidelines, no matter what happens, I’ll feel satisfied.
Is collaboration an important part of your process? Who did you work with putting the music together?
I have learned that collaboration is important. I used to do everything myself but getting that outside perspective and a different angle from a collaborator I feel is really important. It also reminds you to keep pushing yourself and always challenge the way you do things to make sure you’re not falling into too much of a pattern when it comes to writing or producing. I am very particular about who I collaborate with as it’s important for me to work with people who I feel have a similar ethos to Trophie. Working with people like Swan Meat and Antonia XM on this project has been very inspiring because I feel they have the same fire and energy that fuels the Trophie project.
I know you hail from the UK but you’re based in Australia, how did you get into music in the first place?
I came over to Australia as a teenager after my violin teacher (unbeknown to me) sent a performance video to the Conservatorium of Music here in Sydney. They asked me to fly over for an audition and what was intended to be a couple of months turned into me residing here. My dad, who was a writer and poet, was a huge influence for me getting into music. He grew up in Manchester and was part of the Haçienda music club scene. He introduced me to all those bands from a very early age and inspired me to learn musical instruments.
Tell me us a bit about your mix, how did you pick the tracks?
I can’t help but include songs that are hard hitting and industrial. I’m definitely drawn to music that isn’t afraid to make an impact, for me those types of tracks give me energy and drive. I’m also obsessed with mixing in key and get quite addicted to this process, so because of this it takes me quite a while to find the tracks I want to include.
Where do you hope it transports listeners to? And is there anywhere you’d imagine as the perfect listening environment?
I want it to make listeners strong and powerful. I recently ran a marathon and found these tracks gave me the aggression and force I needed to see that through. I want to remind listeners to keep fighting and pushing and never let anyone else dictate your happiness.