Grimes describers song ‘California’ as “Taylor Swift cosplay”
American pop singer Grimes has reflected on her catalogue of material and claimed her track ‘California’ is her attempt at “Taylor Swift cosplay.”
The song originally appeared on her fourth album Art Angels, released in 2015. In a new discussion, Grimes has reflected on the creative process of the track, revealing how Swift provided an unlikely inspiration for ‘California’.
Speaking to K-pop girl group Aespa for Rolling Stone, Aespa’s Giselle revealed her particular attraction to ‘Easily’ and ‘California’. She asked: “How did you come up with that vibe?”
“‘California,’ I think I was just doing Taylor Swift cosplay, but it’s also vaguely about how the media is obsessed with portraying you as this troubled soul or something,” Grimes responded. “I don’t know if you guys get that the same way in your media.”
“Oh, we definitely get that,” Giselle agreed, adding that the “media tries to portray us badly.”
In ‘California’, Grimes dived the pitfalls of fame and press invasion. “The things they see in me, I cannot see myself/ When you get bored of me, I’ll be back on the shelf,” she sings in one of the verses.
Elsewhere in the interview, Grimes discussed artificial intelligence technology as a potential boon to the music industry. Embracing the dawning technology breakthrough, the artist launched ELF Tech earlier this year. The AI voice software allows fans to upload their own vocals and lyrics that are then transformed into Grimes’ distinctive voice.
In December, Grimes is set to embark on a short trip to South America, where she will perform concerts at Primavera Sound in Brazil, Paraguay and Colombia.
Watch Grimes speak with Aespa below.
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