Pretty is as PrettyPretty Does.
by Q Review Staff
The internet and technology has afforded us the luxury of reaching wider audiences and discovering talents we often would never have come across. Each day thousands of new singles, EP's and albums are released from pop artists to country artists, experimental to heavy metal. For first time artists putting themselves out there can be both exhilarating and terrifying. But most of all, it should be a fun exploration of self and passion and voice. We all have something to say and discovering how we want to say it is part of the adventure.
I recently became introduced to a new duo who are on such an adventure. I was lucky enough to connect with budding artists prettypretty to chat about their background, who they are as artists and where some of their influences. Based out of New York City, prettypretty are Rachel Wilson and Marcos Ospina, friends and musical partners. From listening to their new single "How Could I Now" you get the sense that this Dynamic Duo are excited to play in their musical world and create organically. There's a real feeling of creative cheekiness to their sound and you can see it in their music video. They won't strike you as artists interested in following a formula, or sticking to a mold, but rather artists who are creating their own version of a musical mosaic. If they're playing by rules, it's their rules. And a whole lot of super cool inventive pop.
To get to know them better we asked a few fun and thoughtful questions...
Where does the name prettypretty come from?
Name comes from a habit of ours of just saying random words at each other in improvisatory style and finding what feels fun. Another band name idea was The Winona Ryders?
Describe prettypretty in 3 words
strong, alive, metanoiastic (our own word)
How long have you been making music together?
We’ve been making music together for a year. We got started through our friendship really—we were discovering all new facets of our Queerness together and it felt so natural to create music together to drive our discoveries. We also go to singing school and wanted to sing more than classical music or Tin Pan Alley (even though those are great).
How would you describe your music?
Our music is zig-zaggy, joyful, and founded upon harmony, from “sounds like country” to pure pop.
Who are you currently listening to? Who do you have on repeat?
Marcos: Serpentwithfeet, The Dø. Rachel: Dreams by Solange Both: Kate Bush
What does the next 2 years look like?
Next two years looks like a lot of sonic exploring and developing an incredibly theatrical and intense live show.
What’s something on your career “bucket” list?
Really just having some people identify a little bit of themselves in our music.
If you were going to collaborate with another artist, who is on your dream list?
Kate Bush, Kate Bush, Lila Downs, Tegan and Sara, Kate Bush.
Do you think it's important for LGBTQ artists to be out in the media?
HELL YES IT’S IMPORTANT; we want to normalize the celebration of all different sorts of Queernesses!
As LGBTQ artists what do you find challenging with your music?
We find challenging the pressure we put on ourselves to speak to everyone’s story but there’s no way we can do everybody justice. We want to make a brave sonic space for everybody’s fully-felt emotions and be specific in our own stories, but we also want to do the right history to discuss the things we want to discuss in accurate ways.
What do you get up to when you're not making music?
When not making music we’re acting, directing, or dancing around the city.
What's the best way for fans to connect with you? Are you on social media? What platforms?
Fans can connect with us on Instagram and Twitter @prettyprettyband and YouTube and Vimeo.
If you could go anywhere in the world right now where would you go and why?
We would go to Kate Bush’s Tour Of Life in 1979 in Europe because we could learn from the high octane performance style mixed with mime, puppetry, and unabashed passion.
Kate Bush seems to be a big influence on you. What is it about her and her music that resonates with you?
Rachel: Nearly inarticulable but Kate Bush is what we aspire to be: undeniable. She plays by her own rules. And that is inspiring. “How does one even describe her different-ness?”
Marcos: Kate takes all of her experiments and does them all the way; she’s never half-assing it.
What’s one last thing you want listeners to know about you?
Our music comes from a place of joy and is created in an effort to fully actualize the emotions we, as human beings, are forgetting how to truly experience.
With this kind of vim and vigor and being filled with so much positive energy, drive and life it certainly won't take long for the spitfire duo of prettypretty to start "running up that hill" to plant a Kate Bush sized flag atop their own unique musical mountain.
Banner Photo by Fintan Mason
by Q Review Staff
The internet and technology has afforded us the luxury of reaching wider audiences and discovering talents we often would never have come across. Each day thousands of new singles, EP's and albums are released from pop artists to country artists, experimental to heavy metal. For first time artists putting themselves out there can be both exhilarating and terrifying. But most of all, it should be a fun exploration of self and passion and voice. We all have something to say and discovering how we want to say it is part of the adventure.
I recently became introduced to a new duo who are on such an adventure. I was lucky enough to connect with budding artists prettypretty to chat about their background, who they are as artists and where some of their influences. Based out of New York City, prettypretty are Rachel Wilson and Marcos Ospina, friends and musical partners. From listening to their new single "How Could I Now" you get the sense that this Dynamic Duo are excited to play in their musical world and create organically. There's a real feeling of creative cheekiness to their sound and you can see it in their music video. They won't strike you as artists interested in following a formula, or sticking to a mold, but rather artists who are creating their own version of a musical mosaic. If they're playing by rules, it's their rules. And a whole lot of super cool inventive pop.
To get to know them better we asked a few fun and thoughtful questions...
Where does the name prettypretty come from?
Name comes from a habit of ours of just saying random words at each other in improvisatory style and finding what feels fun. Another band name idea was The Winona Ryders?
Describe prettypretty in 3 words
strong, alive, metanoiastic (our own word)
How long have you been making music together?
We’ve been making music together for a year. We got started through our friendship really—we were discovering all new facets of our Queerness together and it felt so natural to create music together to drive our discoveries. We also go to singing school and wanted to sing more than classical music or Tin Pan Alley (even though those are great).
How would you describe your music?
Our music is zig-zaggy, joyful, and founded upon harmony, from “sounds like country” to pure pop.
Who are you currently listening to? Who do you have on repeat?
Marcos: Serpentwithfeet, The Dø. Rachel: Dreams by Solange Both: Kate Bush
What does the next 2 years look like?
Next two years looks like a lot of sonic exploring and developing an incredibly theatrical and intense live show.
What’s something on your career “bucket” list?
Really just having some people identify a little bit of themselves in our music.
If you were going to collaborate with another artist, who is on your dream list?
Kate Bush, Kate Bush, Lila Downs, Tegan and Sara, Kate Bush.
Do you think it's important for LGBTQ artists to be out in the media?
HELL YES IT’S IMPORTANT; we want to normalize the celebration of all different sorts of Queernesses!
As LGBTQ artists what do you find challenging with your music?
We find challenging the pressure we put on ourselves to speak to everyone’s story but there’s no way we can do everybody justice. We want to make a brave sonic space for everybody’s fully-felt emotions and be specific in our own stories, but we also want to do the right history to discuss the things we want to discuss in accurate ways.
What do you get up to when you're not making music?
When not making music we’re acting, directing, or dancing around the city.
What's the best way for fans to connect with you? Are you on social media? What platforms?
Fans can connect with us on Instagram and Twitter @prettyprettyband and YouTube and Vimeo.
If you could go anywhere in the world right now where would you go and why?
We would go to Kate Bush’s Tour Of Life in 1979 in Europe because we could learn from the high octane performance style mixed with mime, puppetry, and unabashed passion.
Kate Bush seems to be a big influence on you. What is it about her and her music that resonates with you?
Rachel: Nearly inarticulable but Kate Bush is what we aspire to be: undeniable. She plays by her own rules. And that is inspiring. “How does one even describe her different-ness?”
Marcos: Kate takes all of her experiments and does them all the way; she’s never half-assing it.
What’s one last thing you want listeners to know about you?
Our music comes from a place of joy and is created in an effort to fully actualize the emotions we, as human beings, are forgetting how to truly experience.
With this kind of vim and vigor and being filled with so much positive energy, drive and life it certainly won't take long for the spitfire duo of prettypretty to start "running up that hill" to plant a Kate Bush sized flag atop their own unique musical mountain.
Banner Photo by Fintan Mason
Rachel Wilson and Marcos Ospina of PrettyPretty