LOS ANGELES, CA- Before our lives got a little hectic, Blurred Culture used to produce weekly events that showcased local talent (hopefully, we’ll be able to get back into it next year!) in Hollywood at Madame Siam. An artist who graced our stage was Jessica Caro p/k/a Doll Klaw. She popped back onto my radar recently when she posted up on social media about her changing her musical direction and releasing a new single.
I interrupted Doll Klaw’s day with a call as she was cooking up a healthy lunch a few weekends ago. We talked about what she working on and what we can expect going forward from her.
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Blurred Culture: I didn’t catch you at a bad time, did I? Are you, are you getting prepared for the holiday season?
Doll Klaw: Somewhat. I tend to do everything last minute. I’m the person that buys a gift a day before
BC: I feel you. Congratulations, by the way, on releasing your latest single “Moving On.” I wanted to talk to you about that song because you kind of suggested that it’s like a change in musical direction for you. Moving away from the music that you’ve previously recorded that I really enjoy listening to.
DK: My older stuff like Battery Tongue specifically was created when I was like in a really dark place. I was in a really dark place at that time. So yeah… that was what was being released because that’s where I was at. You know … it was like very death rock/ synth punk influence? Even the EP after that, Thorns …. that was just like me slowly starting to walk away from that. I just want what I’m releasing to be a reflection of where I am […] in my life and that’s where I’m at.
BC: Does that mean your life is in… I guess… a “happier” place?
DK: Totally… I mean … you know… I still have my struggles and not all days are like super like sunshine and rainbows, but yeah… I’m definitely in a better place mentally.
BC: Your latest single, “Moving On”, definitely has some good dance energy in it. Who did you work with on the track?
DK: Esli Sugich… also known as “The Worst DJ”… produced “Moving On”. That’s not even the full version of that song! That’s like a tiny snippet of this full song that I already have in my head. Esli reached out to me as was like, “Let’s do something together,” and I was down. Then I got to his place where he has a home studio. I pushed the idea of doing a house track, and he was like, “I was gonna pitch the same idea!” I was like, “Cool,” and within two hours we had that song done. Completed, 100%.
BC: Is house music something that you grew up with or is it something you’re just stepping into?
DK: Honestly, no. I grew up with rock and hip-hop and stuff like that. I used […] to think techno was just basic. Do you know what I mean? Maybe I was just listening to really bad dubstep or something, but I just thought that was all of techno. But in recent years I started exploring electronic music as a whole, and I discovered that it was cooler than I thought. I was like, “Wait a minute… this is actually pretty cool. I like house music!” Opened everything up for me. I like a bunch of different electronic music in general
BC: Are you still going to dabble in the kind of dark pop like “Inside” in the future or will you be focusing on this new direction?
DK: Actually, I am working with a few um different people right now. Kyle McCammon and I have been kind of messing around with different um song ideas and that type of music is slightly dark …. like dark synth to it. But definitely not like what I’ve already released. Um… it’s very … like… 070 Shake influenced, you know? So like with synth but then mixed with like hip hop percussion.
BC: When when you’re finding inspiration whenever you’re songwriting, do you usually go into your own history to find some inspiration for lyrics? You describe the last your last EPs are darker because of your past experiences.
DK: It tends to be what I’m going through, but then also I’ll randomly come up with something during the day. I mean … cause it happens … like … every day, all day, I’ll just be randomly doing something and then in my head I could start hearing a melody or something … and then I can just hear like parts of words and I’ll be like then I’ll just try to like add the pieces of the puzzle together. So it could be what I’m going through or just what I’m hearing, and I’m trying to piece it together, and then I just create it.
BC: I noticed that you vented a little on social media about the struggles of independent artists. You also mentioned that you were going to take a little hiatus from performing live. I hope that the hiatus doesn’t last too long! Can you tell me a little bit about what that’s all about?
DK: Yeah … that was just… I’ve been doing back-to-back shows as Doll Klaw for like five years, and it just wasn’t… …. adding up. With the amount of time and energy, I was putting into these shows, it just didn’t seem like it was really doing much as a whole. It felt stagnant.
BC: Like there wasn’t a return on your investment of time and energy.
DK: Yeah, exactly. I just got to the point where I was like okay well… like… I’m gonna use that time and energy that I would have used and put that towards releasing more stuff and just working on building a following online so that’s pretty much what that was about.
BC: What will you be doing to build up that social media engagement?
DK: I’m gonna try to have a steady flow of new releases and see how that goes. Hopefully, get on some good playlists. Just trying to build up my online presence and engage and connect with people online.
BC: Have you been looking to maybe do some collaborations with other recording artists? Not just producers.
DK: Yes! I’m not gonna say any names right now cause it’s kind of just like they like offered it to me a few days ago so we might not start it for like a month from now so it’s not like “official official” but yes but I I don’t wanna say any names right now.
BC: I feel you. I think that a great way for independent artists to actually get a stronger following is to actually collaborate with other artists because not only would it benefit you, it would benefit them as well. You know it’s like a cross-pollination of fan bases. Where’s your social media presence strongest right now?
DK: My social media could be stronger, but right now I’m at 10,300 followers on Tiktok. TikTok seems to be doing a little better than my Instagram at the moment. I think Instagram’s like at 4000 something. There’s always room to grow. I don’t want to be stagnant. Ever.
BC: When when can we expect some new Doll Klaw?
DK: January. Thinking January 11th because you know my “extra ass” with all the magic numbers.
[Laughter]
BC: Is the number “1” a magic number for you?
DK: Just repeated numbers. I always tend to do that.
BC: So are you into superstitions or horoscopes and stuff like that?
DK: I’m definitely very spiritual, but horoscopes are very hit-or-miss for me. But what I have noticed… because I’m a triple Pisces… just like the description of Pisces… is dead on for me. Like 1,000%.
BC: So what are Pisces listening to these days? What’s on your playlist right now?
DK: A lot of electronic music. A lot of Eartheater … 070 Shake … Remi Wolf … also like 2000 hip hop, you know like Three 6 Mafia.
BC: After your next release, are you gonna do like a monthly release?
DK: I’m going to try. I have a few songs … I have one that is completely done. I have one that’s being mixed and mastered. I have another one that’s like almost done … and so I’m just gonna try to just keep it steady … but would be awesome if I was able to actually accomplish that.
BC: Any last words?
DK: Follow me on Spotify! Support independent artists!
Follow Doll Klaw on Tik Tok Instagram and Spotify.
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LIVE CLIPS
