On October 28, I had the incredible opportunity to sit down with the Hong Kong-born indie rocker, Towa Bird, amid her whirlwind journey as one of the openers of the Snow Hard Feelings tour with Reneé Rapp (who will make a brief appearance later in the article, along with another special surprise guest)! From her upcoming debut album, American Heroes, to survival tips for long-distance relationships, our conversation touched upon a myriad of topics, offering glimpses into the depth and complexity of her artistry.

Ally Giust: Hi, it's so nice to meet you. I'm Ally.

Towa Bird: Welcome into my office.

AG: How's tour been for you, good?

Bird: Yeah, good. I'm almost worried about what it's gonna be like after. This is now my new normal. So, having the downtime between, it’s like — all right, what are we gonna do?

AG: I feel that. That's me every winter break. I'm like — what am I gonna do now? Anyways, you've had a pretty interesting journey from posting on TikTok to now being signed with Interscope Records. Obviously, you've got your album coming out — were there any pivotal moments during that time that you think have helped shape your identity as an artist?

*Towa Bird performing at the Roadrunner*

Bird: Yeah. I mean, the first and foremost is moving from the UK to the US. That was a massive change. Obviously, starting from the beginning, it's the pandemic. That's a huge change, but on a global scale. But, on a personal level, making that move and having to acclimate to a brand new culture – pretty much start from scratch. I had no friends, you know? I knew no one, really, except for my professional team. You know — I want some homies. I want people who I can hang out with who are my age. That and then trying to find any sense of home in a completely new place. That's sort of [been] found out through music. A lot of [American Heroes], I would say, is in that headspace of – okay, I'm in this new culture, I'm around a bunch of fresh faces. I feel scared and insecure and all of these things, but I know that I can link back on this one.

AG: Have there been any particularly funny moments that have happened on tour so far?

Bird: So many. It's hard to even pick because there are so many things happening all at once — and there's no privacy. I'm on a bus with eleven boys; it's a smell that you could never even imagine. I couldn't even describe [it].

AG: I have three brothers, I think I've got a pretty good idea.

Bird: Times that by four, and that's what we're rocking with. But you know, it's been so amazing. I think it was the other night — before I went onstage, I maybe had one too many drinks. I was just drunk for the first three songs. I was like — oopsies!

AG: It's Halloweekend! It’s fine.

Bird: And, I've almost fallen down so many times onstage. But, it's not a good show if you're not almost eating shit. Usually, during the shows, I’ll come down from the stage into the crowd. I usually do that every night. The amount of shenanigans that happen in that 15 seconds — just atrocious. Everyone's grabbing me and I've got my feet up on the barricade. There [was] a show in Chicago where their stage was over my head – six feet maybe — and I jumped off it, naturally. Yeah, I was fearing for my life that night.

AG: Is there anything you've discovered about yourself on this tour, or maybe something you're looking forward to experiencing as the tour goes on?

Bird: I've discovered that I — Renee loves pickleback shots. And I hate them. The amount of times that she'll peer pressure me into having one and I will willingly do it — every single time, even though I know that I hate it. It's just not me. I can do the whiskey, I can't do the pickle juice. But yeah, on a real one, I think just how much love I have for this art form. I don't want it to end. I'm really excited for more tours to come because I think that's where I feel the most at home.

It felt like the stars had aligned that day, granting me the chance to interview the incredibly talented musician Towa Bird. As if that weren't enough, the unexpected appearance of Reneé Rapp and Alexander Glantz, also known as Alexander 23, added an exhilarating twist to the encounter. Suffice it to say, I was starstruck and both of them proved to be every bit as delightful as their public personas suggest.

Reneé Rapp: Hi! I’m Reneé.

Alexander “23” Glantz: What's up, I'm Alexander.

Rapp: Are you guys here on business?

Bird: Oh, we're here on business.

AG: We’re doing an interview right now!

Glantz: Can I answer one of the questions?

AG: Yeah, that’d be great!

Towa gestures to the ‘60s-reminiscent furniture around us.

Bird: This is my office.

AG: I have some fun questions that I was gonna save for later, but if you all would like to answer this one: If you were to describe the essence of your music using a specific color, what would it be and why do you think that resonates with your artist expression?

Bird: Should we answer for each other?

AG: Go for it.

Rapp: We have to decide.

Reneé and Alexander whisper to each other for a moment.

Rapp: I do just want to clarify this came from him and not me.

Glantz: Oh my God, she's about to be lying.

Rapp: He said pride flag.

Glantz: What?

Bird: So cool.

Glantz: I said Lincoln Park After Dark, the nail polish color.

Rapp: He doesn't know what nail polish is. So the pride flag I would say —

Glantz: — Towa loves the pride flag.

Rapp: Towa loves gay people.

Glantz: That's one thing about Towa. Get that on the record. Alright, I'm gonna let you guys finish.

Rapp: If you need any you know- tips, tricks, slander, you know where to find us.

With that, Reneé and Alexander excused themselves, presumably to indulge in some Chipotle before delivering a performance that would undoubtedly be etched in the memories of their audience for years to come.

AG: Well, that was a welcome surprise! Getting back to it, what is the most unusual or unexpected musical influence you would say you have?

Bird: I spend a lot of time in Southeast London. That's where I spent a lot of my adolescence, so a lot of time listening to UK garage, Jungle, and Drill. When I'm driving, I listen to a lot of Jungle — heavy Caribbean influence, which you cannot hear a single bit, but I still love it.

AG: It's there, though!

Bird: Special place in my heart for it.

AG: Your music has been described as a fusion of multiple genres. If you were to create a new genre that represents your style, what would you call it? What do you think its defining characteristics would be?

Bird: Okay — you know yacht rock?

AG: Yes.

Bird: I'd call it “lesbian indie.” It would be me and MUNA and boygenius — and it's just sapphic guitars. Actually, I change my answer — sapphic guitars. If I start my own guitar brand, that's what it would be called, as well as my genre.

AG: Your song “Boomerang” is an incredibly relatable song for anyone who has experienced a long distance relationship. If you had to create a survival guide for navigating such relationships, what would be your top three tips?

Bird: Oh, this is a great question. Your questions? Really great by the way.

AG: I try.

Bird: It's clear. I know this is gonna be so obvious, but communication is so important. It's almost never enough communication; I think you'd have to over-communicate. I have tendencies to bottle up emotions and try and introspect before I let myself communicate, and I'm trying to work with [my partner’s] communication software. I have to be more open and expressive as I start to use things. [I’m] almost overdoing it, doubling down. So, communication! I think just time, in general; you have to be willing to put in a lot of time because it's fucking hard. You have pretty much all elements against you — it's the worst feeling, but also the best. And then also — I think — patience and kindness. Those are four things, but it counts.

AG: What a beautiful answer. Your experiences at Paris Fashion Week seemed like they were exciting and challenging — if you were to design your own fashion line that embodied your music, what would be the signature look and what would you call it?

Bird: Solid question. I've got a lot of ‘70s classic rock clothing. That's flares, big shoulders, ties, patterns and colors. You will never see me in monochrome. I think my fit would be a big flared pant with a tall heeled shoe, maybe boots — snakeskin boots or little patent leather boots. Then, I would do a wide-shouldered blouse situation, like Prince, maybe in white. Then, I would do a necktie. Very loud, maybe as loud as these pillows.

Towa gestures to the pillows on the surrounding chairs. They are an amalgamation of dull earthy colors — mostly shades of brown and dark green, with ‘60s wave patterns.

Bird: Not as ugly, but at a similar pace. I would call it, “The Towa.”

AG: Going back to your album, you collaborated with a lot of different producers and songwriters. What was that process like, and how do you think their contribution helped to shape the overall album and its messages?

Bird: I was working on [the album] with Thomas Powers from The Naked and Famous, and he did nine out of eleven of [the] songs on the album. So, a lot of that time span was with him. He is just one of my closest friends and closest collaborators and I love him very, very dearly. But, to have been able to come to him, day to day, and be like, “Dude, this is what I'm going through today,” and for him to be an ear and a voice of reason for me — almost like a mentor — was amazing. Then, together, we would shape that emotion, almost like therapy. So, it's like having a board to bounce off — someone who I can really trust with this stuff [is] super important to me. I'm used to having five people in our room just bouncing ideas off of each other, I think that's a really fun way to write.

AG: Given your multi-cultural background and your diverse musical influences, if you were to curate a music festival that celebrated diversity, which artists — living or dead — would be in your dream lineup?

Bird: Hendrix, Prince. Black Eyed Peas.

AG: Okay, loving it.

Bird: And then, I'd go [with] Avril Lavigne, so this is gonna be crazy — this is just what my brain looks like. I would also add Megan Thee Stallion, maybe The Rolling Stones, just for fun. [Have some] white boy diversity there. I would love to have some drag queens and kings perform, yeah. There's a drag queen called Bag Of Chips, throw them in there too.

AG: That's such a wild lineup.

Bird: I know. It's gonna be the weirdest thing, but possibly the best thing. It would be so much fun. It’s really just, “Welcome to what my mind looks like, it's a little scary, but it's really sick!”

Towa Bird's latest single, "Drain Me!" is available on all streaming platforms, and catching her live on the Snow Hard Feelings tour is an experience not to be missed. If you're seeking an artist who infuses a cutting edge into Sad Girl Indie, Towa's music is an absolute must-listen.

Towa On Tour: An Interview With Towa Bird ft. Reneé Rapp and Alexander 23