From viral freestyles to a star-studded music video, Angel Lakita Moore, aka That Chick Angel, is changing the game! In an exclusive interview with Angel, we spoke about the song's inception and impact and the personal growth Angel has experienced through this journey. Who knew a song about drinking margaritas would become a spicy queer anthem for the summer? Check out her empowering hit 'One Margarita (Margarita Song) (Saucy Remix)' feat. Saucy Santana and the surprise cameo by supermodel Cindy Crawford.
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00:00 Hello, my name is Angel Laquita Moore.
00:02 I go by ThatChickAngel online,
00:04 and I am the lyricist behind One Margarita.
00:08 - I'm so excited to chat with you.
00:10 When I found out this story behind the song,
00:12 I got really excited 'cause I had no idea.
00:14 I've actually used the sound on TikTok
00:18 and didn't know what it all meant.
00:20 - So the way it started is one of the podcasts
00:23 that I do weekly is a podcast called
00:25 Here's The Thing that I do with my friend,
00:27 Kevin, Kevin on stage Fredericks.
00:29 And it's a podcast that covers pop culture.
00:31 So trending videos are things that is happening
00:34 in the world globally, as well as locally.
00:38 So there was a video going around
00:40 that was getting a lot of traction.
00:43 And it was a minister doing an abstinence speech
00:46 at a college.
00:47 And the gist of the speech from the clip
00:51 was the dangers of alcohol and the promiscuity of women.
00:57 And when I heard it, I was like,
01:00 this sounds like the seed of a rap song.
01:05 I was like, it inspired me.
01:08 So on the podcast, me and my friend were both comedians.
01:11 We both have very funny, witty minds.
01:14 And so I was like, Kevin, give me a beat.
01:18 And so, we trust each other and our foolish minds.
01:22 And so he gave me a beat and I started freestyling.
01:26 Now I freestyle all the time,
01:27 but most of the time I do not stick to the landing.
01:30 It usually runs off of the tracks really fast.
01:34 So I did it and it was good, right?
01:38 It was funny.
01:39 It had a little bit of a New Orleans bounce to it.
01:42 And so once we put up the episode and I heard it again,
01:47 I was like, no, this freestyle is fire.
01:49 So I took the clip of just me doing a freestyle
01:52 and I put it up on TikTok.
01:54 And I knew just because I know social media,
01:57 I've been doing it for 14 years.
01:58 I was like, somebody's gonna put a beat behind this
02:00 because that's what people do.
02:02 And lo and behold, these two amazing young men,
02:05 Kassidy, also known as Carl Dixon and Steve Terrell,
02:10 they composed the beat and kind of composed the structure
02:13 for a song with just the clip that I did.
02:16 And all of it, the original clip plus that clip,
02:20 it started to go viral.
02:22 And they DMed me and they were like,
02:25 hey, Angel, we're glad you like the song
02:27 'cause I had reposted it.
02:28 They were like, what do you think about turning it
02:30 to a full song, right?
02:32 'Cause we were seeing people say, song of the summer,
02:35 people being like, oh yeah, this is my anthem for the summer
02:37 'cause this all happened at the end of May.
02:40 And so before I responded, I was like,
02:42 let me write a verse to this.
02:44 How would this go?
02:45 'Cause I have done songwriting in the past,
02:47 but it's all been from a very comedic standpoint.
02:50 I wrote it, I met with them
02:52 and I liked the way they vibed, I liked their energy.
02:56 And I was like, oh sure.
02:57 And they were like, could you write a verse to it?
02:59 I said, oh, I already have.
03:01 So within four days, we had a complete song
03:05 that was up on iTunes and Spotify.
03:08 And I'm glad we did it 'cause apparently a lot of people
03:12 have been enjoying their one, two, three, four,
03:14 and five margarita.
03:16 - And you really have to jump on those things fast.
03:18 I mean, the second it goes viral,
03:20 it's good that you were like, we need to put the song out
03:22 'cause you just never know with that kind of thing
03:24 how long it's gonna last.
03:26 - Absolutely.
03:27 - I mean, but now you're still going off of it,
03:30 still making remixes,
03:31 which I'd love to talk about in a second.
03:33 But I do wanna ask, I mean,
03:35 when did you know it was gonna go viral?
03:37 Like, did you know right away that this was gonna be a hit
03:40 or was it a surprise overnight when you saw the numbers?
03:43 - Well, I knew that, again, when I heard the freestyle,
03:47 I was like, this is good.
03:49 That's the reason why I was like,
03:49 let me cut it out and put it up.
03:51 So I knew it would have some viralness to it.
03:54 I feel like it has gone past viral.
03:56 It is now like a legitimate song that is played in clubs.
04:00 You know what I'm saying?
04:01 Like there is, that's the part I didn't see.
04:05 I knew the virality of it.
04:07 I knew that people would use it as a sound.
04:09 I knew people would like love it in that way.
04:12 But to see it have life offline in the real world
04:16 is something that I don't know I saw initially.
04:20 And that part is what blows my mind
04:22 because I've always loved music.
04:24 I've always been a lover of music.
04:25 I've sang all of my life.
04:27 So to have something that is like now a part
04:33 of music history in a way, you know what I'm saying?
04:37 Is like, I could have never imagined that.
04:41 - And I mean, the response from people
04:43 has been so overwhelming.
04:44 I know you've previously said that, you know
04:46 so many different people are listening to your music
04:48 that you hadn't seen before.
04:50 And I know with that last line of the chorus
04:53 a lot of queer people are feeling really included as well.
04:56 So can you just kind of talk about how that feels
04:58 to reach this audience?
05:00 - Yes, okay.
05:01 So, you know, I love representation
05:04 and I love what I get to represent online.
05:06 A lot of black women either relate to me
05:09 or see themselves through me, right?
05:11 Or moms, people who are raising kids
05:14 or wives, they see themselves in me.
05:17 This is probably one of the first times
05:20 where people who don't necessarily have a lot
05:23 of things that we would traditionally see in common
05:26 are like, I rock with what you're doing.
05:29 And when we put out the song, the song, I think
05:34 hit DSPs or like hit iTunes and hit Spotify on May 31st.
05:39 So the day before Pride Week, I was super duper excited
05:43 because I was like, I was seeing a lot
05:44 of queer people use the song.
05:46 And I do love the inclusiveness of the song, right?
05:50 I love the fact that like, we didn't shy away from,
05:54 listen, while I might not be someone who's putting it
05:58 in anybody's bum or putting it in my own,
06:00 there are people who do.
06:01 And I'm not about to shame them
06:02 because that's how they get down.
06:05 So I love that the song has like a spectrum of,
06:11 okay, listen, if I have a little drink,
06:14 I might be filling you, okay?
06:16 And this might be what I want to do.
06:18 This is what I want to do.
06:19 And I feel as though we're in a day and age
06:25 where we realize the way we live
06:27 is not the way everybody lives.
06:30 And it is okay.
06:33 And they also should be included in the conversation.
06:36 You know what I'm saying?
06:38 And while I don't think I set out thinking,
06:42 this will be the song that includes
06:44 the whole diaspora of sexuality.
06:48 I love the fact that that's what it did because I know
06:51 that wasn't the intention of the original sermon,
06:56 but I do love that it got to be a part of the message
07:01 that's being received in the actual song.
07:04 - Absolutely.
07:05 I mean, it's a perfect response to the sermon
07:07 and then it does just totally embrace sex and sexuality.
07:11 And I wanted to ask,
07:13 how was your songwriting with this?
07:14 But you just did it on the spot.
07:15 It's not like you were sitting, writing down,
07:18 like I want everyone to feel like they belong.
07:21 It's just how it came out and it came out so wonderfully.
07:24 - Thank you.
07:25 Thank you.
07:26 Yeah, I'm not gonna sit here and lie and be like,
07:28 in my creative process, I'm always thinking about,
07:31 no, typically in my creative process,
07:33 I really am just trying to be authentically me.
07:36 And there is authenticness still inside of the freestyle.
07:40 I am a person that tries to love everyone.
07:45 You understand what I'm saying?
07:47 I am a person that has been on this earth long enough
07:50 to know now that love is way more needed in this world,
07:55 more than judgment, more than shame,
07:59 more than any of the things that might have been taught
08:02 to me when I was younger.
08:03 I realized people really need love.
08:05 People need to know that it's okay to be them
08:08 and that even if I don't look like you,
08:11 I can still show you love and respect.
08:13 So while that might not have been the intention
08:15 behind me writing, I'm so glad that it still came through.
08:18 - Absolutely, yeah.
08:19 And it's just so crazy that that has such a powerful message
08:22 about a song about margaritas.
08:24 I mean, who would have known?
08:26 And then it turns into a music video
08:29 where you get Saucy Santana.
08:32 I mean, I love them.
08:34 So how did that come to be?
08:35 How did you know they were a perfect fit for this?
08:38 - Well, you know what?
08:39 Saucy Santana is somebody who I had begin to know
08:44 just via social media.
08:48 And the way Saucy shows up in social media is hilarious.
08:53 First of all, the personality that Saucy has
08:57 is one that like, dang, they're slouchy in the face,
09:00 but I enjoy it so much.
09:02 Super duper hilarious.
09:03 And also, Saucy is a lyricist.
09:05 Like, Saucy knows how to create viral songs.
09:09 "Material Girl," "I'm the Chanel Down Boots,"
09:11 like, everybody was singing that song.
09:13 "Now Let Me See You Walk."
09:14 Walk, walk, right?
09:15 So the same type of like personality
09:18 that I feel like I have someone who's very authentic,
09:22 someone who's funny, that's what I see in Saucy.
09:25 So when our record label, because we signed me,
09:29 Steve, Terrell, and Casa D,
09:31 we're all artists on the song,
09:33 when we signed with Giant Music,
09:35 we had already threw Saucy's name in the hat a while ago,
09:39 as far as somebody that we would love to be on the song.
09:43 So when Saucy agreed, we were like, this is happening.
09:46 And sure enough, Saucy brought exactly what we wanted
09:49 to the song, all of that magic.
09:52 - And his outfit in the video,
09:54 I mean, everything about it was perfect,
09:56 with "Scream Summer," it was all amazing.
09:59 - Yes, yes, and that's what Saucy did.
10:01 When we talked to him, he was like,
10:03 "I like the song 'cause it's fun.
10:06 And this is the energy we're going into the summer with,
10:09 is the funness."
10:10 And I was like, "Oh, you kidding?
10:12 So let's do this."
10:14 So yeah, the outfit was awesome.
10:15 Yes, I was like, "What are you wearing?"
10:17 (laughing)
10:18 And so I said, "This is custom."
10:20 He was like, "Absolutely, absolutely."
10:22 (laughing)
10:23 - I don't know how it could not be, you know?
10:26 - I was like, "I'm assuming you didn't go
10:28 where I shot "Target."
10:29 That's not where you at."
10:31 'Cause I did not see this.
10:32 - Right.
10:33 (laughing)
10:34 And then also in the video, I mean, you have Cindy Crawford
10:37 and then she's recreating the Pepsi commercials.
10:40 Like whose idea was that?
10:42 And how did that, how did you make that happen?
10:44 - The creative genius that is Jake Wilson.
10:48 He also directed a saucy San Antonio called "Booty"
10:51 that he did with Lotto, featuring the rapper Lotto.
10:55 He has a background in comedy,
10:58 which is already why I kind of fell in love
11:00 with the fact that he was directing it.
11:02 Because again, I am a comedic actress.
11:05 I am a comedian.
11:06 So I don't want to have that drowned out in this,
11:10 in the process of me rapping and stuff.
11:14 That's still a part of me.
11:15 Like I'm not going to all of a sudden pretend
11:16 that I'm some like gangsta boo.
11:19 Like that, I am still a mama, okay?
11:21 I've been out here raising four kids
11:23 and I'm talking about drinking margaritas, okay?
11:25 So he had this vision.
11:28 And it was prior to us adding Cindy.
11:31 He had this vision that I love,
11:32 that included me, Santana, included other people.
11:36 Kealon, who was a huge TikTok influencer
11:39 that played different characters online,
11:41 Terry Joe in Georgia.
11:43 He had this vision that included all of us.
11:45 We loved it.
11:46 Well, then when we were able to bring on Cosamigos
11:50 as a product placement to help us be able to make the video
11:55 as well as Blendjet, Cosamigos, I was like,
11:59 oh, great, love, who don't love Cosamigos?
12:02 Well, I did not realize that Cindy Crawford
12:05 had a relationship to Cosamigos
12:08 because her husband is one of the original owners
12:11 with George Clooney.
12:12 So all of a sudden I get a call and they're like,
12:15 so we have Cindy Crawford.
12:18 And I was like, what do you mean you have her?
12:21 What are we, I'm confused on it.
12:23 Why you have her?
12:24 Right, and then you know how people rename themselves
12:29 after folk in the past.
12:30 And I'm thinking, oh, it must be a TikTokker
12:32 named Cindy Crawford.
12:33 Okay, that spells their name S-I-N-D-E-E,
12:36 not regular Cindy Crawford.
12:40 And then when they explained that, I was like,
12:42 oh my gosh, this is going to break the internet.
12:45 And then the fact that she would bring back
12:46 her iconic commercial, well, yes,
12:48 there might be a lot of kids in their 20s
12:51 that did not see that commercial growing up.
12:53 I saw that thing in real time.
12:55 I still remember that.
12:57 They didn't have to play the old commercial for me.
12:58 I remember the commercial.
13:00 So the fact that not only was she down
13:02 to be part of this song,
13:03 but she was also wanting to recreate a moment
13:08 that will always and forever be a moment
13:10 like in history with us.
13:12 I'm forever grateful, forever grateful.
13:15 - And I mean, when it all came together
13:17 and you watched the final product,
13:19 what was going through your head?
13:20 'Cause I mean, I feel like it just came out
13:22 more than I could have ever expected.
13:24 - I am still trying to figure out
13:27 whose life is this that I'm living.
13:29 What exactly is happening in life right now?
13:33 Because that video was gorgeous.
13:35 This is not the downplay,
13:36 'cause a lot of people don't realize
13:37 we had a video right before that video as well.
13:40 We did a video in my backyard with my friends
13:43 directed by Steve Terrell, edited by Acosta Dee.
13:45 And I love that.
13:46 That spoke to what I do every summer.
13:48 It was four days after my birthday.
13:50 I invited all my friends over.
13:52 We had tacos, we had margaritas, and we did the video.
13:55 That was like, this is my life.
13:58 This remix video with Jake Wilson was whose life is this?
14:03 And if y'all telling me this is mine,
14:05 oh my goodness, do not wake me up if you're lying.
14:08 Do not tell me this is the dream.
14:11 It was just beautiful.
14:12 And it really, I felt like, concreted this even more
14:15 as this is more than just this small moment.
14:19 This is something that is cementing itself in 2023.
14:24 I feel like you can't talk about 2023
14:27 and all the craziness that has happened
14:29 without talking about this video and this song,
14:32 One Margarita, the Saucy Remix.
14:34 Just kidding.
14:35 - I agree.
14:36 It is the 2023, yeah, close the chapter on the summer.
14:40 - Yes! - Margarita song.
14:42 (laughs)
14:43 Is there anything else you want to share
14:45 about this entire experience?
14:47 - For me specifically, being that I say
14:50 I'm not a spring chicken,
14:51 I've been here for a little bit.
14:53 While this was not something I set out to do in 2023,
14:59 or actually I can say in adult life,
15:02 being like a musician, being an artist
15:07 in the music industry has always been
15:09 like a quiet dream of mine.
15:11 Not one that I like, I say out loud seriously
15:15 because of just feeling like, you know,
15:18 I don't fit in, I don't know if I can do it.
15:21 It's amazing to me at the age that I am
15:25 that I can still make dreams come true,
15:27 even the ones that I was afraid to seriously pursue.
15:32 And I feel like for me, while I have enjoyed
15:37 being able to touch so many people that don't look like me,
15:40 touch people that do look like me,
15:42 for me, I think that's the biggest nugget
15:45 I'm going away with,
15:46 is that I gotta stop selling myself short
15:48 and I have to realize that a lot of my dreams
15:50 don't have expiration dates
15:51 and that there are things that I have been preparing for,
15:54 preparing myself for, that I don't even realize
15:58 are still coming to fruition.
16:00 So that's the bigger part I feel like
16:03 of this whole journey for me,
16:05 that I'm loving and I'm glad that I'm getting the chance
16:10 to show up for myself.
16:12 - I love that.
16:13 And if you can make this during a podcast episode,
16:15 then I can't wait to see what song you could create
16:18 in the studio next.
16:20 - Okay, that's exactly what I'm thinking.
16:22 (both laughing)
16:23 - And I just wanted to close the whole interview off
16:26 by asking you, do you have a perfect way
16:29 to drink a margarita?
16:31 - Ooh, a perfect way to drink a margarita is at home.
16:36 You know why?
16:37 Because listen, (both laughing)
16:41 when you have it at home with a little sugar on the rim,
16:43 I'm not a salt on the rim type of girl.
16:43 - Me too, I was gonna say that.
16:45 I was like, I am a sugar person at heart.
16:47 - I am a sugar person because once you add salt,
16:49 we're now talking about soup.
16:51 It's no longer a drink.
16:52 That's what belongs in, salt belongs in soups, not drinks.
16:55 But at home, a little sugar on the rim of the glass
17:00 and with my honey right beside me,
17:01 there's a better chance that any of the things
17:03 I'm talking about in that song might actually happen.
17:06 The one, the two, or the three could possibly pop off.
17:09 So that's my perfect way to have it,
17:12 sugar on the rim at home with my baby right beside me.
17:17 - I love that.
17:18 And I love at the end of the song when you're like,
17:20 I'm just kidding, I will be asleep
17:22 because I really do, I do feel that.
17:25 - Yeah, yeah, yeah, it's all a good game,
17:27 but sometimes sleep wins.
17:30 - Right, it depends on the vibe.
17:33 - Yeah, exactly.
17:34 - Well, thank you so much.
17:37 I have my margarita glass to give you a little cheers.
17:39 It's obviously not full.
17:41 - I won't, all I got is boxed water, but cheers to you.
17:45 - Cheers, thank you so much for chatting with me today.
17:48 Congratulations on everything.
17:50 - Thank you so much.
17:51 I appreciate you talking with me as well.