The musician Loreley Rodriguez gained a cult following for songs about heartbreak and anxiety – now her new album pays tribute to pleasure. She talks about her pop inspirations, social media and enjoying her ‘single era’
The musician Empress Of, real name Loreley Rodriguez, is trying to tell me about her new album, but there is a problem. A Los Angeles native, she’s in London for a week of press, with starry trappings: a show at the Jazz Cafe; an appearance on Radio 1; dinner with friend and fellow pop star Rina Sawayama at a Mayfair restaurant, where she was stunned to find the chicken priced at £140.
Now she’s in a corner on the third floor of the Barbican centre, finishing her coffee before we head into its exhibition on textiles. No trace of Mayfair glamour today: she’s looking low-key in a black bomber jacket and slick ponytail. After describing the photoshoot her team set up for this article – “Fashiony, very Mugler, Schiaparelli. The Guardian isn’t ready!” – she moves on to her album, but we keep getting interrupted by people wanting to know whether the Barbican’s conservatory is open today. With our dark coats and coffees, we could pass for gallery staff. But we don’t work here, we say. A woman shuffles away, affronted. The encounter feels polite and passive-aggressive at the same time, and therefore quintessentially English.
