NYC-based singer-songwriter Blythe Woods is making 2027 her year, releasing not one but two debut albums on Jan. 15.
She announced Loser’s Guide to Life on Aug. 31 and is finally ready to reveal its counterpart, Sweetheart.
Blythe is also releasing the “Sweetheart” single on Oct. 14, alongside a music video directed by Alex Lill. Both albums were produced by Alex Casnoff (Dawes, Harriet) and feature Gabe Goodman on guitar and bass and Sam Kauffman-Skloff on drums.
Blythe kicked off her debut era on July 15 with “Rowan Wait Up,” with a stirring music video directed by Meriel O’Connell. She followed it with the title track “Loser’s Guide to Life” on Aug. 19.
We had the pleasure of hopping on a Zoom call with her to talk about the exciting double release debut, the truth behind both projects, the “Sweetheart” video and so much more. Read our full interview with her below.
(Sweetheart via Baby Orion)
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Sweety High: Oct. 14 is a pretty huge day for you. Can you sum up everything you’ve got planned for that date?
Blythe Woods: Wow, okay. I’m so excited because I’m releasing a song that means so much to me, called “Sweetheart.”
It’s important to me because it’s about finding your own identity and rebelling against what people think is feminine, how young girls should act and what everyone says is normal.
It’s about rebelling against what your love is supposed to look like and just showing that it’s all just the world, and nothing really matters, so we can do whatever we want.
SH: That’s also the day you’re announcing a double album, with the album coming next year.
BW: I literally forgot! I don’t know the dates, but yes, I’m releasing a double album, which is crazy.
I’m super hyped because the two are completely different. One is me as a high schooler going through normal teenager things.
The other is what’s inside the loser, and how it’s okay to be dark sometimes and to process bigger emotions. Both have big emotions, but they’re in two different settings.
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SH: The second album is also called Sweetheart. What made you title it around that track, and how does the album revolve around the song’s message?
BW: If anybody’s ever been called “sweetheart,” maybe you’ll get it. It can mean so many different things.
It can be somebody you really love giving you advice, it can be passive-aggressive or it can be sweet.
Basing the album around that title track felt obvious because it ties in the entire record. It all leads back to that word, or to somebody giving you a title when you’re so much more than that.
SH: What’s your favorite lyric from “Sweetheart”?
BW: Oh my god, this is hard. Okay. I think it’s, “While you pay for a fake degree in humanity, she said, ‘I am the wind to your sail.'”
I feel like it’ll all make sense when the song is released, but that’s a little sneak peek. I love that line because it says, in an abstract way, what it feels like to be a young girl in a huge world.
(Photo credit: Silken Weinberg)
SH: What inspired you to do this dual album release, showing these two sides of yourself as an artist and a person?
BW: To be honest, I write so much. We went into the studio to make an album called Loser’s Guide to Life, but I wrote so much that it ended up being two albums.
I’m also a Gemini, so it’s cool to see my two different personalities. I just had so much writing that I said, “Let’s work on it all and see what we end up with.”
And we ended up with two albums.
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SH: Are there sonic differences between the two albums, or do they differ mostly lyrically?
BW: They’re definitely different in the instrumentals. One album is more indie-pop, and the other is more synth-rock, drawing on ’90s inspirations and people I look up to now, like Charli xcx.
Loser’s Guide to Life is rooted in Phoebe Bridgers and a more chill, laid-back indie pop sound. Sweetheart is crazy. There are a bunch of synth sounds, auto-tune and a lot of other stuff.
SH: We’ve read that you write a song every day, and that you wrote hundreds of songs before ever releasing one. How did you decide which one would kick off your career?
BW: The funny thing is that there was no plan for what would come first. I’ve been recording and making music for years, but it’s hard when you’re young to decide to share the deep depths of your soul with the world, because that’s what songwriting is.
I got to a point where I thought, “I’ve been doing this for a long time, I’m really passionate about it and I’m ready.” My family is super supportive and never pushed me. They said, “Sure, go for it.”
Starting with “Rowan Wait Up” was a really vulnerable place to start because it’s a true story and a very personal song. But Alex sent it to my producer to mix first, and we got it back first, so we figured that should be the first one.
It was very unexpected, but I like where we landed.
SH: Regarding the first album’s theme, how have you personally embraced the idea that it’s no longer cool to be cool and lived as authentically as you can?
BW: Honestly, it’s no longer cool to be cool. Just be whoever you want to be. It doesn’t matter if you’re cool or not.
I’m not cool, and I’m just so whatever. These are true feelings that have happened to me, and I’ve felt like a loser, so that’s why I wanted to write about it.
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SH: You’ve written so many songs. Do you think fans will ever get a peek into the vault? I know it’s early in your career to think about that.
BW: For sure. I write a song every day now, so I’m definitely not the kind of artist who’s going to go years without releasing anything.
I have so much music it’s overwhelming, and I’ll always be making more. We’ll definitely look back into the old stuff at some point.
SH: Is there anything else we should know?
BW: I really want to talk about the music video for “Sweetheart” that’s coming out. It was directed by Alex Lill, who is insanely talented. He’s actually a genius.
I became a huge fan when I saw a Phoebe Bridgers video he directed, and I thought, “This is so cool, I would love to work with him.” But I figured that would never happen because he’s so amazing.
Then one day Alex, someone I work with, told me Alex Lill wanted to do a treatment for my song. I was like, “What?” He sent it, and of course we went with it.
No doubt, he made one of the most amazing videos. I think it’s my favorite music video ever.
That sounds selfish, but it’s scary and kind of horror-esque, and I love it so much. So, thank you to him.
I love Phoebe Bridgers and all of her videos, but that one he directed made me say, “What?” It’s so fun.
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