The US artist's 2022 project 'softcore' explored the artist's full range. She tells NME why it was necessary
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00:00 (audience cheering)
00:03 - Hello, you're watching NME, we're at Reading Festival
00:08 and we're here with Foushea, how's it going?
00:10 - It's going well, I love it here.
00:13 - Yeah, how was your set, first time at the festival?
00:16 - Gosh, I had fun, you know, I'm on the dance stage,
00:20 so as I was telling you earlier,
00:22 I feel like I had a lot of the dancers, which is good.
00:26 A lot of topless people, mostly topless boys.
00:30 Were there any topless girls, I don't know,
00:33 but I had fun, I had on my fur,
00:36 which is kind of like in the middle of hot and cold today,
00:40 so I felt like this was appropriate.
00:43 Right now, I'm a little hot.
00:45 - I mean, the dance tent is maybe the right place to be.
00:51 Your sets, they're hard, they're heavy, you know,
00:53 you want people to go for it.
00:54 Did you feel like you got that response
00:56 out of the people there?
00:57 - I did, I did, especially the hardcore stuff.
01:00 I was surprised at how hard people go here.
01:04 And I did have like some sensual moments,
01:09 which went over well too.
01:11 Altogether, I must say I was pleasantly surprised.
01:15 - So is this your first time performing in Britain?
01:18 So I know you had a show earlier this week in London.
01:20 - I did, yeah.
01:21 - So is this your first time that you've kind of come here
01:23 and performed at festivals and gigs and stuff?
01:25 - Have I done, I've done one show here on tour,
01:30 but yeah, I did a show at the Village Underground.
01:34 That was my first solo show here.
01:38 And then this is, I think this is my first festival here.
01:42 Yeah, this is my first festival here.
01:44 - How does it compare to some of the US festivals
01:46 that you've been doing?
01:48 - Ooh, you're trying to pit me against the US.
01:50 - It ain't Coachella out there, that's for sure.
01:53 - Wow, it seems like people are less,
01:57 they're more game to get a little down and dirty.
02:03 The US, everyone's trying to be cool.
02:07 And there's nothing wrong with that.
02:09 Like, you know, sometimes, sometimes it's necessary.
02:13 But I felt like you have more of a good time
02:16 if you're ready to get a little gritty.
02:19 And that's what I felt today.
02:20 - That's what it's all about, I think.
02:22 - Yeah. - You've been here
02:23 for one day and you've already got the,
02:26 you've really capsulated it really good.
02:28 - I did, you know, I had some fish and chips, you know.
02:33 - Oh yeah, first time?
02:34 First time with fish and chips?
02:35 - Second time. - Yeah?
02:38 Into it?
02:39 - Yeah, is there anything else I should try?
02:41 - Did you have the mushy peas?
02:44 - I did. - All right, and?
02:46 - It tastes like air, but.
02:51 Is that the point?
02:53 I don't know, it's like a dip.
02:55 - It is, yeah. - It's not a main, so.
02:55 - It's like a guac almost, you know?
02:57 - Right.
02:58 It tastes like air. - And a shepherd's pie maybe.
03:01 - Okay, I'll try that next.
03:04 Hopefully that one tastes like air.
03:05 - So, you released Softcore, was it about this time last year?
03:10 So how has that been sort of taking it out on the road
03:13 and seeing people's responses to the stuff
03:16 that you're playing and your performance?
03:17 - Yeah, I mean, when I made it,
03:19 it was with myself in mind and balancing out
03:24 all the rage I felt during that time
03:26 and kind of like, you know, a little anger.
03:30 So it was a release for me.
03:32 And I also had in mind how I wanted it to feel to perform.
03:37 So I toured my first project, Time Machine,
03:43 and it was more laid back, so I did wanna make music
03:46 that was fun to perform to.
03:47 So it was that, and I think I moments,
03:51 maybe very intimidating and very scared some people,
03:58 but I like that.
04:02 I like pushing the envelope a little bit
04:03 and having them not expect what I'm about to do.
04:08 Like, I don't wanna be predictable.
04:14 - Yeah, I mean, you know, the music industry
04:16 likes to pigeonhole people and to be like,
04:19 oh, you are this, but that's not fun, is it?
04:22 That's not fun to just stay one way.
04:23 - It's not fun.
04:24 And I'm like, I'm this, but I can be that too.
04:27 Like, there's so much complexity to being a human
04:31 and it's about finding that balance in the middle.
04:35 But that was just an extreme end of my personality
04:41 and I think now that I let that out,
04:44 I'm ready to do things a little more like pulled back.
04:48 So actually, this set represents the middle point
04:53 of finding the middle point.
04:54 So it's like the middle of the,
04:56 before you get to the middle,
04:57 which would be, I guess, a quarter of the way.
05:02 - So you're still figuring out
05:04 what the next point's gonna be?
05:06 - No, I know where it is, but I'm kinda like
05:08 warming people up to it.
05:11 Like this set, if you would've seen the set
05:15 right when "Softcore" came out, it was harder.
05:18 And it's getting a little softer,
05:19 but still with the heart in mind.
05:21 Yeah, it's still the same personality.
05:28 I look at it all the same.
05:29 Even when I'm singing a love song,
05:31 there's still that intensity.
05:34 - It's just the way you present it changes ever so slightly.
05:37 - Yeah, yeah, exactly.
05:38 - So you're thinking about the next project,
05:40 what you've got coming up next.
05:41 Is that already something you're working on at the moment?
05:43 - Yeah, always.
05:45 I'm always thinking about what I wanna express,
05:50 what I wanna say, 'cause I never wanna be
05:53 one of those artists that just try to make a hit.
05:55 I love hits, trust me.
05:58 I love hits, I wanna make a hit,
06:00 but I don't wanna think about that when I'm writing.
06:03 I just want it to feel, like it's a two-way street.
06:06 I want it to feel as good for me
06:08 as for the person listening.
06:10 So yeah, I think about what I wanna talk about
06:15 in my life now, or what's the overlying message.
06:20 And I find that right now it's been about
06:23 re-finding roots and foundational relationships
06:27 in my life that may be, that go deeper than romantic.
06:32 So family relationships, friendship dynamics,
06:36 and just me growing as a person.
06:39 But damn, I would say it's a challenge
06:43 making that fun to hear.
06:47 I always wanna, yeah, I don't wanna bore people to death,
06:52 but I do wanna tell that story.
06:56 - I think a lot about your fans,
07:01 they'll give you the benefit.
07:03 They want to hear you express yourself.
07:05 I think, I know you're saying about boring,
07:07 I think people invest in you and your performance
07:09 and they're just like, I'm okay to go on this journey.
07:12 - Yeah, I kind of feel like people don't know me yet
07:15 and that's okay, but maybe this is like,
07:18 would be that official getting to know me.
07:21 It's hard to tell who I am by the music
07:23 because I kind of, I bounce around a lot.
07:27 You wouldn't expect softcore from here in Time Machine
07:32 and which one of those songs define me the most.
07:37 I don't even know the answer to that
07:39 because I jump around.
07:41 Spectrum, it's a rollercoaster.
07:45 So those who are on the rollercoaster ride, I appreciate it.
07:50 And I think there's a little relatability to that.
07:53 Like it's okay to be on the rollercoaster,
07:56 but this one, I would say is my official intro,
08:02 the next one that I'm gonna do.
08:04 I'm gonna be a little more open about my life
08:10 or maybe my childhood.
08:15 So that maybe that would give people a better sense
08:19 of throughout the rollercoaster,
08:21 who's on the rollercoaster to begin with.
08:23 - Why are we on the rollercoaster?
08:25 - Yeah.
08:25 - How did I get on the rollercoaster?
08:26 - How did we get here?
08:27 Where are we?
08:28 Who are we?
08:29 - But you were talking about relationships and hits
08:31 and obviously Steve Lacey who's performing later today,
08:34 you're on "Sunshine", it's an amazing song.
08:37 What do you two give each other in that relationship?
08:40 Like what do you sort of, what is that about?
08:44 - I think in the same way where what music gives you
08:49 when you're going through something is like an ear.
08:53 We kind of bounce off of each other a lot.
08:57 I mean, beyond music, if I just wanna talk about something,
09:02 I can talk to him about anything and vice versa.
09:05 So that's what our relationship started as,
09:08 like a genuine friendship and we're just talking
09:11 about what was going on in our lives
09:15 and that ended up turning into a song.
09:18 And I think, well, musically,
09:24 I kinda, I feel like my strong point is like writing lyrics
09:28 and melodies and like, he's like this musical genius.
09:32 He knows how to play all these instruments
09:34 and he does melodies and music too.
09:36 But it's a good like ping pong match or a tennis match
09:41 where we're just like, oh, I would have never thought
09:45 to go there with this melody
09:47 and then I throw something back and back and forth.
09:51 So melodically and friendship wise,
09:56 it's very conversational and I don't know, it's fun.
10:02 It's fun for, yeah.
10:07 - Nice, maybe perform later?
10:10 Gonna head out and do the song to him?
10:12 - Maybe, yeah. - Maybe, yeah.
10:12 - Maybe, yeah, I'm here, why not?
10:15 - Why not?
10:16 - I always love to.
10:17 - Oh, well, thank you very much for your time.
10:18 I hope you enjoyed your time in the UK.
10:19 We can't wait to see you again.
10:21 - Thank you.
10:22 - And thank you very much for watching.
10:24 - Bye.
10:24 [BLANK_AUDIO]