Q&A: Babyfangs Enchants with Southern Gothic Tale in “Prima Bella Donna”
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY KIMBERLY KAPELA ☆
EXPLORING QUEER LOVE THROUGH A SOUTHERN GOTHIC LENS – Babyfangs has unveiled her latest single, “Prima Bella Donna,” accompanied by a hauntingly beautiful music video that perfectly complements her distinct southern gothic aesthetic. Shot within a dilapidated yet opulent Victorian mansion, the visuals create an eerie and mystical atmosphere, featuring a mysterious black cat as the silent guardian of the setting. The decayed grandeur of the mansion – laden with secrets and the weight of history – provides an evocative backdrop for Babyfangs’ ethereal sound and spectral vocals, which feel like whispers from another time.
The song, as Babyfangs reveals, draws deeply from personal experience, “subtly delving into queer relationships I had as a young teenager. Using poisonous flowers as metaphors for the toxic relationships I endured during those years.” This poetic interplay of nature and emotion enriches the lyrical depth, while the melody evokes a sense of intimacy and melancholy, like unearthing a long-forgotten love letter hidden in a dusty attic.
The poisonous flowers referenced in the song are more than metaphors – they are symbols of the duality in nature and relationships: allure and peril, beauty and destruction. Babyfangs channels these themes into a bewitching soundscape that transports listeners to an otherworldly place where time stands still.
A lifelong connection to nature and animals is intrinsic to Babyfangs’ artistry. Growing up in Memphis, she spent summers exploring the untamed lot next to her grandmother’s home, catching frogs and befriending the rabbits and foxes that roamed there. These childhood experiences shaped her fascination with the natural world, infusing her music with a sense of mysticism and reverence for its beauty and danger.
Babyfangs’ “Prima Bella Donna” is a masterful blend of haunting melodies and poignant lyricism, inviting listeners into her shadowy, dreamlike world. It’s a space where beauty and decay coexist, where the mysteries of nature intertwine with the complexities of human emotion.
LUNA: Thank you for talking to Luna. Our readers would love to get to know you and your music more. For any readers who aren’t familiar with you yet, what inspires your artistic style and sound?
BABYFANGS: I grew up in the South in Tennessee. I was surrounded by nature a lot, especially at my grandmother's house. There was an empty lot next to her house that was just overgrown, just tons of flowers, big trees, foxes, rabbits, lots of just little critters. It was always fun. I think it was a very unique experience. I started writing at a very young age, and I'd go there to write a lot, and I think that part of those visuals turned into the aesthetics and the lyrics and the meanings behind a lot of the songs that I write.
LUNA: What kind of atmosphere or emotional space do you aim to create for your listeners?
BABYFANGS: I want to create a very comfortable listen. A lot of my lyrics are very intense, but I'm hoping that some people can relate. I view my music as my therapy, and I'm hoping that other people can maybe do the same, view it as an escape, a healthy escape, and find comfort or relatability in the lyrics.
LUNA: Can you tell us a bit about your songwriting process? How do you channel your emotions or stories into your music?
BABYFANGS: I typically start with poetry. Actually, a lot of my lyrics come from my poems. I like to be outside when I write poetry, so I'll find a place outside to write, and I'll sit on it for a few days. Usually I start on piano, just finding the melodies and figuring out what makes sense where. Then I usually finish on guitar. I'll take what I've done on piano and do acoustic and go from there.
LUNA: You just released your newest single “Prima Bella Donna” and its music video which create such a captivating, almost otherworldly atmosphere. Can you tell us about the inspiration behind the song and the themes and emotions you explore?
BABYFANGS: The song subtly delves into some of the queer relationships that I had as a pre-teen and early teenage years. I wrote it about different poisonous flowers and how they can take over and be toxic. It was supposed to be a metaphor for some of the more toxic relationships that I had growing up. I think a lot of the natural elements came from that experience growing up in Tennessee in that abandoned lawn next to my grandmother's house. I think that that's a good example of how I feel. Nature has inspired a lot of the themes in my music.
LUNA: Can you walk us through the creative process for “Prima Bella Donna?” How did the song evolve from the initial idea to the final version?
BABYFANGS: It started when I was at the studio. This is a song that I wrote in the studio, which I typically don't do, but I was trying to find inspiration. I picked up this book that my producer had, and it's called “Poisonous Flowers and How to Use Them,” which is actually going to be the name of my upcoming EP. It inspired me so much. The first one that I saw was Belladonna, and I thought that's such a pretty name. It's very eye-catching, and it's beautiful, but also very deadly. I think that's what I want the song to portray. I started writing a poem with that inspiration from the book. Then my producer started playing guitar, and I started singing and ad libbing a little bit until I figured it out. A couple days after that, I was in the studio playing parts on synth and piano. I played piano in that song, background harmonies and all that kind of stuff. It became my favorite song that I've created so far.
LUNA: “Prima Bella Donna” is accompanied by a music video. What is the inspiration behind the video and how was your experience filming it?
BABYFANGS: I wanted to find a place that felt almost like the metaphor; beautiful, but a little eerie. I think it was the oldest house in the area that it was in. I wanted a place that felt both haunting and beautiful, and I saw that place you could rent it for a day, so I decided to do it because it just felt right. The experience filming it there was very surreal too. There's a lot of history behind the house, and there's so many beautiful pieces of furniture and art and sculpture all over the place. It was a very enchanting place. It helped me stay very creative and be creative and in the zone while filming that.
LUNA: As a Memphis-born artist now based in LA, how do your surroundings affect your music and identity as an artist? Are there elements of the South that you carry with you into your creative work in LA?
BABYFANGS: I think there definitely is. I think growing up in the South, I was around nature a lot, and I think that I brought a little bit of that Southern Gothic into my experience as an artist out here in LA. I never really enjoyed growing up in the South. There were aspects of it that I thought were great, like the nature and everything, but I never really thought I would transfer any of that over into my music. I wanted to escape that as a whole. But I think keeping bits and pieces of it helps tell my story and who I am as an artist, where I've been, and come from and where I am now.
LUNA: What are you most excited for listeners to take away from the upcoming EP?
BABYFANGS: “Prima Bella Donna” I was really excited to share that. I didn't mean for this to happen when writing the songs, but they almost feel like a story when they're in order and in the EP, which I'm really excited to share, and just have that story and that part of me out in the world. I'm excited for the entire thing and for how people view it, and if people view it as a story, or if they view it as just six songs. I like seeing different people viewing it in different ways. It's really exciting.
LUNA: What inspires you to push boundaries within your sound? Are there any specific experiences, artists, or moments that have encouraged you to explore new musical territories?
BABYFANGS: I grew up listening to David Bowie, and I think that he's my biggest inspiration when it comes to pushing boundaries and creating stuff that I love, even if it's different or not what other things sound like, because he's a very influential and different artist. I think his ability to create what he wants, what he wanted, and make it different and unique has always been something that's made me want to do the same. I think that for the first good but in my life, I tried to stay within the boundaries of what I thought was normal. I don't think it's healthy to do that. I think it's good to expand and create what you love because you love it, not because other people love it. I like pushing boundaries.
LUNA: How are you feeling in this current era of your career and what does the rest of the year look like that you would like to share with Luna?
BABYFANGS: I'm feeling excited. There's a lot of stuff that I have planned. I'm planning to tour in 2025 which I'm going to announce around the New Year which is exciting, and just lots of shows and more music. I'm excited.
