Hey.
I'm TeZATalks, and you're watching "The Five"
with "Entertainment Weekly."
[MUSIC PLAYING]
I definitely have, like, a couple of, you know,
just little answers for this, because I can't say
that, like, oh, I know exactly where to shop,
and this is where I got this all the time.
But comfort is a huge part of my style.
And then also, like, goth couture is something I always
try to, like, incorporate.
Vivienne Westwood is really dope to me,
and I can't afford her pieces.
But the fact that she has this, like, rebellious angst
in her designs, and layering, and just
is unapologetic with her, like, patterns--
I think that's super cool.
So thrifting-- there's a shop that I love here in Seattle
called New York Xchange.
And they kind of, like, are a thrift store
for some popular goth-couture shops, like Killstar,
and just a few other, like, local designers.
But you can get it for an affordable cost.
And so I got with them.
And I was like, hey, guys.
I'm going on tour--
'cause I would usually shop for stuff from them,
like, all through 2019.
And that's kind of where I was able to, like,
lay it out and get prepared for tour.
I definitely had all the outfits picked out.
But it wasn't until, like, the day of the show
that I would actually pick what I was going to wear.
I just knew I had kind of options to choose from.
I want to feel good going on stage.
I want to, like, feel comfortable.
And you know, I want to also be able to feel
like I can be seen through the people
that I'm connecting with.
Like, oh, I could wear that, too.
Like, I have a little sister.
And I don't know why, but her complimenting me on my outfit
is probably, like, the biggest flex for me.
If she loves it, then I love it.
It's like, it works out perfect.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Being a woman, I mean, and coming from a long line of just
strong, powerful women overcoming some just difficult
challenges in life in the most triumphant way
has been an inspiration for me to follow those same footsteps.
I think another thing, too, is representation.
It's important, as women, to make sure we are showing
the world who we are, for everything we got,
because we're told so often how we should be,
how we should act, what a woman really is in the eyes of a man
or just someone that isn't them.
And if I can bring all of myself to a stage and be seen,
I would hope that it inspires that same
spark in another woman to fearlessly go out there
and be the incredible goddess phoenix that she is.
Rise from the ashes.
Like, become you, and do not take any-- can I say [BLEEP]??
Do not take any [BLEEP].
Don't let anyone tell you who you are.
You can become all that you want to be,
because you already have the makings of it
all inside of you.
So that's really important to me.
If I can do that, I feel like that's a win.
I do this pinky promise with my fans before every show.
I just am asking them to hold on and remember the things that
make them human and to remain humane to one another,
'cause that's what's going to keep us together,
at least in my opinion.
You know, it's really interesting
that started on tour.
I feel like I had to make it to myself first.
And it was just kind of realizing, wow.
I'm about to be in front of all these people
for the first time.
Some I've been internet friends with.
Some I'm meeting-- you know, they don't know me.
And I would go to bed, and I would wonder, like,
if this was the last thing that I was going
to say, like, what would it be?
What would I want the world to be impacted by?
And with everything going on in the world,
and coming out of the pandemic, it felt like we
had lost our connection.
And we didn't know how to find our way back.
Remaining humane through all of the things
that have come our way and continue to challenge
us, allowing us to be better, seems like the most
important thing to hold onto.
And so the pinky promise starts with me,
and I get to make it with everyone
I connected with on tour.
And hopefully it acts as a ripple effect
to continue that promise, 'cause I
think that's what's going to really hold
us together and keep us here.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Performing the stage-- that's home for me.
So when I started doing shows in 2019,
I knew how I kind of wanted to come into it.
So a lot of what was happening on tour, even though it was
the first time, was something that has been instilled
since I started doing shows.
Like, our pre-show ritual is, we definitely all take a moment,
grab hands, look at each other in the eye,
and pay respect to whatever it is
we hold higher than ourselves.
And we ask for the performance to be authentic
and that whatever may happen happens.
But the message isn't lost, and the music
carries us all through.
So you can kind of see, on my Instagram, I try to, like,
put up little clips right before.
We're just all, like, gathering together and, you know,
appreciating the fact that we're about to meet people
for the first time and bring ourselves forward in a way
that we hope touches them and inspires them.
And then as far as--
like I said, the performance side of things--
that's what I love to do more than anything.
And it's really interesting 'cause I get
to go on tour with my friends.
They are like a second family to me.
And the fact that they just kind of allow me to take the reins
and trust me to guide us through whatever
the message is for that day really is just a labor of love.
We also haven't really--
goodness.
There's, like-- the way that the set can go
is broken down into, like, three different parts.
So that was actually probably the most--
simplest way, 'cause usually, there's dancers and whatnot.
So a part of me felt like I had to overcompensate sometimes.
But then I would just look around,
and Dame would be going off, or Poison would be going off,
or, like, Levitate would be doing his thing.
And so each show was different because the energy of the crowd
brought something different.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
In the beginning of the tour, I could not afford
a videographer, like, at all.
And then we decided, because-- oh my goodness.
Like, we're about to play Webster Hall.
It's sold out.
This is iconic.
We have to get somebody out here.
And luckily, Connor Jalbert is not
only an incredible videographer, he's also an amazing friend.
And he hopped on a red eye and was like, I'll be there,
and shot the Webster Hall show and every show after that,
and captured some incredible moments that really made
me appreciate, after tour, why I'm so thankful that we
got the opportunity to do this.
I wish the stress and the transparency of the fact
that it was just us--
what was it, five of us?
Doing the tour for the first time, and the fact
that we had to get to every show in a van,
or we had to figure out what we were going
to eat or, like, where we were staying-- like, everything--
it wasn't glitz and glamour.
Like, I love the fact that, like I said, Connor is so talented
and created an incredible body of work
that I will never, ever, ever forget.
But what got us through each show and what allowed us to put
on a show night after night was the fact that we had this,
like, crazy trust through these moments where it was like,
what is about to happen?
Like, are we even going to be able to, like,
get to this place on time, or are we even going to be
able to, like, eat right now?
Or like, just, you know, dealing with those things,
'cause like, I'm not perfect at all.
And I don't think anybody is.
And I feel like showing the fans and even people who, like,
dream of going on tour, want to go on tour, that side of things
gives, like, a very realistic message to the fact
that, like, it just takes patience and hard work
and the belief that, you know, you have
the right people around you.
I would have not been able to do that all by myself,
nor would I want to.
And that-- I'm just so grateful for it.
Like, I'm really grateful for the people that I work with
and who join me on stage, especially,
then, night after night.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
You know, I thought about this.
I was like, what can I do?
And honestly, I haven't dropped the title of the album.
So I figured I would say it here.
[LAUGHS]
So the title of my debut album is called "Black
Girl American Horror Story."
And it's scheduled to drop this fall.
It will probably be in two parts.
And I can't wait to bring you into the inner makings
of my mind and the wonderful people that have
helped me bring it to life.
It's going to be a crazy time.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Hands down, Poison Ivy.
Hands down.
Like, have to.
You should see my house.
It's, like, full of plants.
I have this obsession with plants, one.
And the fact that she was brought in to the series
the same way Harley Quinn was.
And then they became a duo, and they're also married.
It feels reminiscent to how I've been
able to come into my, like, artistry,
as TeZATalks, where it's like, I just embraced the crazy.
I embraced the mad.
I embraced the darkness, which ultimately
showed me that I'm the light in it,
and nothing can really stop me.
So I mean, you could try, but it's dangerous.
So that's why I really love Poison Ivy--
for that reason.
Oh, and it would probably be everything
that I'm already doing, as far as, like, the sound.
Just maybe a little bit more--
how do I say--
industrial punk.
Yeah, yeah.
I think that would probably add a little bit more of that
into it.
But she feels very familiar.
I'll just say that.
This has been "The Five."
Thanks for watching.
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