Indie-pop musical artist audalei is back with her brand-new single ‘meringue pie’ infused with dark, emotional, bittersweet and heartbreaking tones that will capture the listeners attention from the very first note.
We sat down with audalei to discuss the hauntingly sweet, bedroom pop hit 'meringue pie', and much more. Here is what she had to say:
Hey audelei, welcome to FLEX! How are you? Hey! Thank you so much. I’m so happy for the opportunity to chat. I’m doing super well! Working on lots of upcoming music and I'm very excited about my single “meringue pie”. I even learned to spell meringue for the occasion! Congratulations on your latest single 'meringue pie' - what inspired this particular track? Thank you so much! I appreciate that! ‘meringue pie’ is a song about being in what seems like a perfectly fine relationship but already planning an exit. It’s about the feeling of anticipation that something is going to go terribly wrong because past experience has shown you that. I’m not terribly inventive when it comes to songwriting. I’m always inspired by my own life. And truly, it feels more authentic that way. If I even momentarily write a lyric that isn’t genuine to me, I call myself out and try to find one that is more honest. It always turns out more interesting when it’s based on reality. I sometimes feel a strange pressure to write something relatable but I have hope that just being me is relatable enough to the right audience and I don’t need to make anything up. That being said, sometimes I change small details so that I’m only sharing what I feel comfortable sharing.
Did any event in particular inspire you to write this song? Definitely. I actually wrote it while I was in the early stages of a relationship that looked good on paper. I wrote all the lovey dovey parts about morning coffees and seeing your partners cute sleepy eyes because that’s where I was at. But my subconscious took over when I wrote the chorus and I didn’t even realize what it was talking about. After showing the demo to my manager, they were like “yeah this is a sad break up song”. I was in a strange denial that it was sad or about a break up because I had set out to write a love song. Not to mention I was still currently in the relationship. I wrote the bridge later on in the process when I had come to terms with what the song was truly about. And do you have to be in a certain mood to write? Being inspired definitely helps me write. I’ll be in the middle of a walk with my dog and think of a lyric and immediately go to my ‘Notes’ app to jot it down. My voice notes are all filled with melodies and lyrics, I probably look like a psycho if someone found my phone. When I have a big feeling that I want to understand more I’ll write. But really, if I was always waiting for inspiration I would write way less. I think it’s important for me to sit down and write regularly regardless of my mood. I write something every day and I believe in consistency and forming daily habits like that over just waiting for the inspiration to hit. Not every song is a banger but I usually end up having several that turn into demos and get shown to my team. But as I said, sometimes the mood strikes and I stop what I’m doing and write and that’s a super cool feeling. Any plans to release any sort of video for the track? Yes! I’m very excited to release a video in the coming weeks. I’m traveling to Canada to work with someone I really admire and I’m super stoked. The video will play on the metaphor of the sweet sunny day (early stages of a relationship) and then mid way through when the sun disappears we have a darker vibe for the break up. How was the recording and writing process? I record out of my own home studio and write there too. I definitely believe if you are an artist, it’s great to have access to make art from your home. The verses of this song were written in May of 2022, but at the time the chorus was different. As I said, it started as a love song but my subconscious took over and it became a break up song. I wrote the cutesy verses first and literally as I was recording them, I had new lyrics come to mind for a chorus so I recorded those. Soon enough the song was in a totally new form. And much more heartbreaking. For viewers that don’t know audelei, how would you describe your sound? My songs have a lo-fi quality which is super characteristic of bedroom pop. I love cute and simple instrumentation paired with dark elements. If I have an opportunity to make the song sound like it’s underwater, I will jump on it. I also love playing with duality in a song and having a shift part way through it. The music I have upcoming is a new flavor and more upbeat but I think it’s the logical next step. There is more to me than just sadness so I want my music to reflect that.
What’s the music scene like where you live? I live in Los Angeles where the music scene is vibrant, fun and full of possibilities. I just moved so I have love goggles on for sure. There’s an amazing culture of collaboration and supporting one another, especially if you find a good circle of like minded and positive artists. I feel super lucky that I’ve found the friends I have. There’s this magic about LA that makes you feel like anything is possible. It’s contagious! I had the pleasure of meeting my manager, Tyler Gardosh, here in Los Angeles and Dalton Ricks, who did the incredible mix and master on ‘meringue pie’. They’ve both been so lovely, I feel super lucky to have them on board. My very talented brother, Lucas Furseth, laid down the ukulele for the track while he was in Canada but he’ll be coming out regularly to LA because he loves it here too! And what are some of those activities that you engage yourself in when you aren't writing or recording in the studio? I definitely go to my friend’s concerts often, I genuinely love the music they make so I’m happy to go see them live as much as possible. Outside of music, I love going on night drives to Malibu with friends, walking my dog in some dusty California hiking trails, hanging out on my roof to watch the sunset (my Instagram stories are full of this) and my latest obsession is Matcha-which granted is not an activity, but I make it one. I have this theory that it’ll make me superhuman if I drink enough of it.