Towa Bird's interview at Medium Sized Backyard arrives fresh off the release of her debut album Gentlemen - and she's in a rare, unguarded mood. Sitting down with Medicine Box on a genuinely scorching afternoon, she opens up about the songs that came easy, the ones that didn't, and the quiet discipline it takes to stop refreshing fan reactions after you've let something go.
On Releasing Gentlemen and Watching Fan Reactions
Medicine Box: Congratulations on the release of Gentlemen. Would love to just talk more about the album itself - the process, the feelings around it being out.
Towa Bird: I had so much fun making this album. I genuinely am so proud of it and super excited that it is out in the world - like, that's crazy. I've been feeling 50/50 because I love it so much and I'm proud of it, but it's hard for me not to be swayed by giving it over to the world. There's something so precious about having music unreleased because it's kind of just yours. But I love my fans - they're the funniest people in the world. I definitely trust them with it. So I'm like, here you go, my babies.
Medicine Box: What's your relationship with once something is out and open for discussion? Do you find yourself wanting to see what people are saying, or are you like - it's theirs now, I'm out?
Towa Bird: I'm not looking. My eyes are closed. I'm asleep. Sometimes I'll look - sometimes I'll treat myself to one look. But I think that's also just part of the experience of being an artist. My first album, I was up in all of that. And then after a while I realized maybe it's okay to just feel secure within oneself instead of looking externally for validation, and just anchoring myself to the fact that I put so much of myself into this album and it's sick. It's a good album. And that's it.
Medicine Box: That principle applies to life in general, honestly.
Towa Bird: For real. Yeah.
On the Songs - What Came Easy and What Didn't
Medicine Box: Walk me through - is there a record on the album that came most naturally to you, versus one that took a lot of trial and error?
Towa Bird:
