FEATURE: Spotlight: THE BLSSM — Music Musings & Such

FEATURE:

Spotlight

THE BLSSM

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I am quite new…

to the brilliant music of THE BLSSM (Lily Lizotte). The Sydney-born, Los Angeles-based non-binary artist is one that everyone needs to know about. Their music is instantly punchy, anthemic and memorable. With elements of ‘90s Rock/Indie and snapshots and elements of various cities and cultures, it is an eclectic mix that means THE BLSSM has been talked about as an artist who is going to explode this year. I love their previous E.P.s PURE ENERGY. The songs and E.P.s are capitalised. It conveys this urgency and energy that is evident throughout. Making this very potent and memorable music, here is some background about THE BLSSM and their amazing recent E.P. It is one everyone needs to check out:

“My favorite word is "BLISS," says THE BLSSM. The artist -- colorful, and endearingly vibrant -- demands the listener's attention almost immediately, capitalizing and enthralling each letter in their song titles. This kind of intention -- and attention-to-detail -- has served as a guiding force for the effervescent spirit, Lily Lizotte (non-binary & favoring they/them pronouns) carries and more presently, their all-new EP, PURE ENERGY.

THE BLSSM recently changed their name from "THE BLOSSOM" to its current stylization, stating "I wanted to shorten it to something more abstract and less literal," they said. "And I like that it sounds like it has the word BLISS in it."

Splitting time between New York City, Los Angeles, and Sydney, Australia, THE BLSSM is well traveled. And their music reflects it. The singer-songwriter's ability to feel voyeuristic while remaining rooted in self-imposed reality is only upended by their desire to rip off the band-aid and show off a whole new world of emotions. Encouraged to explore their natural inclination for self-expression by family members early on -- their father Mark Lizotte, who assists on guitar arrangements across the new EP, and their brother, who's responsible for playing N.E.R.D. around their artist residency, were instrumental -- during adolescent years. And THE BLSSM immersed themselves into it, in as many ways as possible, from taking up fashion design and crafting visuals to match their soundscape sensibilities, to carving out room for a tribe of like-minded DIY Internet dreamers to find their seat at the table.

The BLSSM proves it's possible to be an anomaly and an amalgamation all at once. A product of their influences and experiences, THE BLSSM opted out of formal education, and found struggles to blend in the more traditional spaces they occupied, in search of fertile ground to plant new seeds for their symbiotic art to grow. Writing in their bedroom, often alone, THE BLSSM explored hip-hop, grunge, shoegaze and alternative pop, laying the framework for their eclectic range of sounds that meld seamlessly, reminiscent of a young, brazen Amy Winehouse to that degree. From a generation of Kanye [Ye] disciples, THE BLSSM defies structure, instead using their energy and intention as a compass for their growing music discography, that's now given them a community of collaborators alike -- Brockhampton's Kevin Abstract, Matt Champion, Romil Hemnani (who notably met on popular forum KanyeToThe) and producer, TK.

But if you let them tell it, THE BLSSM has lived a whirlwind life and with that, comes a whiplash of truths and a visceral tide of ups-and-downs, anxiety and depression, things that thrill doesn't tell you that you're left to cope with. And that's where many of the songs' thematic paths begin -- not linear, but rather the bed of rocks at the foot of the ocean, constantly being brushed upon and absorbing energy, and then redirecting it in the best possible direction -- oftentimes back into the ocean, where it can be free and unimpeded. "To express myself, I've learned how to jump off a million cliffs when it comes to taking risks," THE BLSSM explains. "My project [PURE ENERGY] is about feeling everything at once and looking like a bit of everything, too."

Overcoming these transgressions with a vulnerable yet celebratory project, THE BLSSM activates the maximum version of themselves to explore difficult subject matters as overtly and as self-aware as possible on PURE ENERGY. "Maximalism at its core, I hate minimalism! I'm a maximalist," THE BLSSM declares. The thing about THE BLSSM is, they are pensive as they are instinctual, and the music ebbs and flows with a similar ethos. THE BLSSM may operate on the fringes, but one peak inside, and it's quite intoxicating. Take a song like, "LITTLE KING," that feels idly but is a strong-suit, creating the kind of inexplicable connective tissue, similar to what Young Thug's prodigy, Yung Kayo, is able to do over emotional tracks. And then see "I HATE SUNDAY," which feels like early aughts popstar nostalgia and Eddie Bauer-edition fords.

On PURE ENERGY, THE BLSSM delivers a silhouette on canvas, for us -- the audience -- to paint in our own reflections and personal experiences. THE BLSSM bears their soul over head-bobbing kick drums and sweet, sprawling chords on Mark's guitar. They effortlessly weave together a body of work that is strikingly cohesive yet undeniably unique. Their songwriting hat finds soft familiarity with greats such as Elliot Smith, one of their biggest influences, and steadies as the creative undercurrent that keeps THE BLSSM at-bay, allowing them to digest themselves, like a caterpillar, and reimagine itself, through a new cell arrangement, as a butterfly.

And thus, THE BLSSM continues to evolve in their artistic journey, carrying their burdens like a charm. It's a reflection of their personality -- one where darker elements are intertwined with online humor and matter-of-fact playfulness -- and it makes for a project that cuts through, bringing together all the exciting worlds that originally inspired Lily to start this adventure. And most importantly, THE BLSSM remains unapologetic about it, "That's all my project is, it's very loud and unimpeded. This is what pop music sounds like to me. This is what I wanted to make”.

An amazing E.P. that gained a lot of love online, I wanted to bring in an interview from Cool Accidents. They spoke with THE BLSSM about the amazing PURE ENERGY. Even though I have suggested there is some ‘90s influence in the music, Cool Accidents observed there is a nod to the early-’00s in PURE ENERGY. It is an E.P. that has a retro vibe to it, yet it is made unique and fresh due to THE BLSSM’s performances and command:

“Los Angeles-via-Sydney non-binary artist THE BLSSM is gearing up to release their second EP, PURE ENERGY, and judging by what we've heard so far, it's a project that you won't want to miss. Set to be released on April 29th, the EP will feature the anthemic DIZZY, as well as the recently released NOT TODAY. NOT TODAY is a track that sees THE BLSSM conveying the ups and downs of life, and they say that if they had a TV show, then this track would be the theme song. It's not hard to see why, either, as it's a song that's reminiscent of some of the most iconic TV show themes of all time.

If you've ever felt disillusioned with the paths that the world sets out for everyone, then you'll relate to NOT TODAY. To celebrate the release of their recent single, NOT TODAY, as well as the upcoming release of their new EP PURE ENERGY, we spoke to THE BLSSM about family, the music that's influenced them, and what more can be done to support LGBTQIA+ artists. The recent Fueled By Ramen signee is already having a big 2022, and PURE ENERGY is set to be their way of sharing their thoughts with the world. It's also an opportunity for people who relate to the messages in their music the chance to feel seen and heard.

Firstly, congratulations on the release of NOT TODAY! It’s a track that captures the feeling of just trying to get through the day, even when things are getting you down – I’d love to know more about how you turn a bad day into a good one?

I honestly just sink into whatever I'm feeling and allow myself to feel a bit blue for a while. I make sure I talk to my family and loved ones….listen to music really loud and get into my head to get out of my head.

The track features production from your Dad, Mark Lizotte (aka Diesel) – I’d love to get a sense of how growing up in a musical family has influenced your music, and how involved family gets when you’re writing new songs?

My Dad is a huge influence on me, he’s my biggest inspiration. He gave me the confidence to write songs and really just stick to my guns when I feel a certain way about creative decisions and intentions. He taught me that music is genre-less and to develop your own language you need to be instinctive and intuitive with how you feel and what you hear.

Listening to your music, there’s a sonic link back to the early 2000s, and you reference artists like Radiohead, N.E.R.D and Elliott Smith as influences. What is it about that era of music that resonates so strongly with you?

N.E.R.D were so ahead of their time as far as being cultural boundary-pushers, tastemakers and creating such a hybrid of all their influences. That really resonated with me to collage all of my sonic and cultural influences into my own sound and world-building.

Something that stands out in your music, both to me and many others, is your ability to give a voice to those who are figuring out their gender identity/sexuality. How important is it to you to give a voice to those that might not have it – especially given that growing up, you may not have seen yourself represented in the media you were consuming?

I mean, it's everything. All I could hope for is that others feel seen and heard through my music and my songs and whatever I make becomes theirs… like it belongs to them completely. That's all I wish for.

On that note – what do you feel can be done more to support LGBTQIA+ artists in the music industry, so that more voices are being amplified and heard from all backgrounds?

Having more conversation around how we can all elevate communities' resources and hold and make space for more LGBTQIA artists… until one day it becomes so normalized it levels out to stop being a facing diversity. There's a lot of work and change that could be done with associating genres with gender”.

Even though there is going to be plenty more music through this year, I am using PURE ENERGY as my main focus here. A stunning E.P. that introduced THE BLSSM to new people, they are among the most promising artists around. ALTERNATIVE PRESS chatted to THE BLSSM about the E.P., and they add particular focus to the amazing DIZZY. Let’s hope that there is another E.P. coming this year. Maybe THE BLSSM will release an album at some point. It will be fascinating seeing what they come up with:

“If there’s one thing Lily Lizotte loves more than making fantastic pop music, it’s a good double meaning.

Planted in nearly every song by THE BLSSM — the 24-year-old’s self-described blissful pop project — is a feeling of both happiness and sadness, competing with each other through lyrics that mean one thing and a chorus that sounds like it means something else entirely. It’s hard to tell what you’re supposed to feel when listening to THE BLSSM, but Lizotte isn’t too focused on that. They’re just hopeful that you do feel.

“I want [my music] to make sense to them in whichever shape or form, and that’s really important to me, that it means something to them, whatever that might mean,” Lizotte says. “I’m not too concerned with how they interpret it, as long as it makes them feel something. That’s really all I want.”

One year removed from their debut EP, 97 BLOSSOM, Lizotte returns in April with their follow-up PURE ENERGY, which marks THE BLSSM’s first release under Fueled By Ramen. The label backing doesn’t change too much for Lizotte, who resides in Los Angeles by way of Australia, as it really only signifies some extra helping hands believing in their vision. But now the project has just enough energy (pure energy, at that) to bloom into what Lizotte has always dreamed of.

What’s the first thing you want a new listener to know about THE BLSSM?

This project is a hyperextension of my personality. It really is just like an amalgamation of all my influences and things that I love. It’s a pop project. It’s what I define as pop, to me. And it is really genreless to me. It’s really just my inspiration and the energy that I feel from all of my influences.

Your first single for the EP, “DIZZY,” arrived after some TikTok promotion. This was also a favorite on tour, too. Do those in-person reactions confirm anything for you about the music after all this time having to be super online?

Any sort of visceral reaction from anybody, I’m super hyped. [Especially] if you’re gonna hit me up and be like, “Yo, what is this song? Like, where can I hear it?” There’s so much stuff online. Online is so crowded and so overstimulated and so much saturation of stuff. I get so hyped if someone hits me up asking me about “DIZZY.” I played it in my live set, and that speaks volumes to me of someone going home and thinking about that song. It feels good when anything means something to somebody.

You’ve spoken in the past about the juxtaposition of your songs — where sometimes the melody or the sound of the song itself won’t align with the lyrics. Does “DIZZY” fall into that category?

“DIZZY” sounds like I’m singing about a significant other, like a breakup song, but it’s really just about my anxiety. I love to use nursery rhyme-type hypermelodic choruses paired with a little bit more visceral, grittier lyrics. Everyone’s like, “Oh yeah, this is my breakup.” No, it’s about my anxiety, but I love to have that double meaning. It can mean anything for anybody. I’m pretty attracted to that “happy, sad, happy, sad” [pattern]. And a lot of the feedback that I get from my community, my fans, is that a BLSSM song will make you feel everything at once”.

An artist who is connecting with a lot of people and is providing a voice and strength to so many, I hope that they get to see as many fans as possible on the road. Press sources in the U.K. are picking up on their music, in addition to the love from the U.S. I am relatively new to the wonder and sheer brilliance of THE BLSSM, but I cannot recommend them highly. Here is an artist who has made an amazing start to their career, and they look set to take that even further…