No Valentine's Day plans? You're about to get BIZZY.
No Valentine’s Day plans? You’re about to get BIZZY.
If you're feeling a little heartbroken this week, take comfort in BIZZYS’ ‘I Don’t Get Breakups.’ The six track EP discusses the ending of a relationship with a little bit of humor and a lot of truth. The project is concise. It walks you through the artist’s own confusion over ending a relationship, guiding you through her emotions from start to finish. We recently got the chance to ask BIZZY a few questions about the project, funfetti cake, and her thoughts on breakups.
Read our interview below.
You started off your career by writing for other artists. What made you decide to start releasing your own music?
It’s funny because I always wanted to do the artist thing and release music of my own. I was just so freaking scared. I couldn’t quite grasp my comfortability on stage and figure it out. I started writing for other artists to figure out how to get that confidence. And then over COVID, like all of us did, I had a lot of time to think. I was like, “The only reason I'm not releasing music is out of fear. And I just need to get over that.” I texted some close writer friends that I was thinking about doing an artist project and they were so supportive. I was able to get up the courage to put myself out there.
What was it like to release your first song of your own back in 2022?
It was the most fun I've ever had with music. It was such a freeing thing for me because I felt like I was fully me, where before, I hadn’t fully stepped into my own yet. Releasing music of my own felt like freedom and goodness.
I noticed that you celebrate a lot of your releases with cake. Is there a story behind that?
I love that you noticed that! I love making cakes for everybody. For birthdays, it’s always my go-to present for friends. And so, my roommate, when I released my first single, was like, “You always make cakes for everybody else, so I made you one.” I typically end up picking a color scheme for each single, and she had matched the cake with the colors. I put it on my Instagram and now she makes one every time I release a single, which is the cutest thing ever.
What flavor cake?
Funfetti. It’s my favorite thing.
Did you do anything else to celebrate the ‘I Don’t Get Breakups’ EP?
I was on tour when the EP was released, so it wasn’t an at home celebration, but it was a really fun release. I was on tour, which was something that I had always wanted to do, and it felt like I was moving forward.
What don’t you get about breakups? How did you decide on the EP name?
Everything! The whole EP is about one relationship that I was in. It’s funny because I didn't write it that way on purpose. It was me processing a breakup and feeling through the emotions and the waves that you go through. The final song I wrote about that relationship was “I Don’t Get Breakups.” It was probably two years after we broke up, and I had come home after having been in Nashville for a while. I was sitting there, and I was like, “This is so weird. I didn’t miss him at all and now that I’m home all I want to do is hang out with him.”
I had this weird zoom out moment on breakups in general—not just this one. It made me look at them and be like, “This is such a messed-up thing.” We spend all our time with a person, getting to know them in and out. We know their family and their friends and all their little quirks, and then when things don’t work out, we literally never talk to them again. There is such a cutoff. It just feels so unnatural.
That was my realization going into writing it. I wrote the first verse in my basement when I was home and then I brought it into a co-write. It felt like the closing chapter of that relationship. And then I looked back at my previous work and was like “Oh my gosh. I have written an entire EP.” It felt only appropriate to call the project ‘I Don’t Get Breakups,’ because it feels like the overall arching theme.
What would be your ideal breakup scenario?
That's crazy. I've never been asked that. My romantic ass always wants it to work out. I always think it's never going to end the way it ends. And then, when it ends, I'm still hoping that it'll work out somehow. It would be like we break up and then a year later we get married or something like that—but that’s not really a breakup. If we had to stay broken up, I would love to be on good terms with them and not have bad blood.
How did you decide on the order of the tracks on the project?
It's actually arranged in chronological order. The way I wrote the songs is how I put them out. I wanted the listener to have a beginning to end story of how someone deals with a breakup.
Talk to me about the re-imagined tracks.
The idea stemmed from me being a fan of other people’s music. I would always be bummed out when artists I liked would be like, “I’m releasing an EP,” and it would be all songs I’ve already heard. Oftentimes, they had a reason for why they did it and I understood that, but in my fan mind I wanted my fans to have something new to listen to. The song “I Don’t Get Breakups” was new, but everything else people had already heard, and I wanted it to feel new and exciting.
In doing that, I was also able to tie a bow around those emotions too. With “Just Yet (His Side),” having Steinza duet it gave me the male perspective closure that I had never gotten from my ex. You don’t get that in a breakup. With “Clean Cut,” I initially wanted to make the production bare and have the lyrics be the moment. When I re-imagined it with the “Clean Cut (Heartstrings Version),” I was able to make it a little more anthemic and cinematic.
That must have been so exciting for your fans. Have there been any favorite fan reactions to your music?
Totally. Back in November we did this thing called “You Found My Journal.” They were these secret, acoustic shows. We did one in New York and one in LA. I just posted on my Instagram, and I was so scared nobody was going to show up. There probably were twenty-five people at each secret show and it was so intimate and amazing. This was before the EP had come out, and I played it the entire way through in chronological order. It was so special to be able to connect with people more intimately and play it raw, which is how I had originally written the songs. My favorite fan reaction was getting to one-on-one chat with the people there after those shows.
I also saw someone choreograph a dance to one of your songs. That must have been a really cool thing to see.
Oh my God. That has been a dream of mine since Ed Sheeran released that song with the dancing couple that went viral. It was so out of the blue that I saw that. It’s this girl, Gianna. She’s an incredible dancer. She liked my song and did a dance to it. It’s just so beautiful to see that art inspires art. And what other people take from things I've created, which is insane and so surreal to me.
Who made this project possible? Has working with a larger team at Big Loud Rock changed the way you were able to promote this project ?
There were so many people that made this project possible. All my co-writers are incredible. I just have found such solace in writing with people and creating such a safe space to be able to word vomit and not feel judged. I have to give so much credit to them.
As far as Big Loud, they are incredible too. The thing I adore about Big Loud is that they care about you as a person and also as an artist. It’s not like “we are here for the moment.” It wasn’t until six months ago that I actually signed. The thing I love about them is that they give me time and freedom to do what I want. It was never, “You should be this person.” It was always, “We love you and let's see how we can elevate that.”
Having a team behind me is one of the best things ever. This is such a hot take, but I adore group projects. I love bringing minds together. That’s what it feels like working with Big Loud Rock. It’s like a really fun group project with all these great people who have like minded goals for you, which is awesome.
What are your goals moving forward? Is there anything you want to accomplish this year?
I want to start releasing more music, which is definitely happening soon. I would love to play more shows. Shows are one of my favorite parts of this whole thing because you really get to connect with the audience. I definitely want to dive into playing more shows.
Do you have a dream venue to play or dream artist to open for?
Red Rocks. I'm in such awe of that venue. It’s insane. Dream artist to open for is Harry Styles. I am such a fan of his.
Where should fans listen to your music?
I’m a sucker for a car listen. Every single time I get a demo back from any write that I’ve had, I run to by car. My roommates know it too. It will literally be 10:00PM and I’ll get a demo and I’ll be in my pajamas and run out to my car. My car is my little safe space because there is no-one around you. Driving is also such an awesome feeling. As the songs get more intense, I want to drive faster — which you obviously shouldn’t, you should go the speed limit— but I would still recommend listening in the car.
Is there anything you want people to take away from listening to your music?
I’m stoked to put out new music and play new songs live. I think the biggest takeaway from my music is that life is messy and beautiful and scary, and I truly try to be as authentic as I can in my music—only because I need that. It’s literally my journal that I don’t intend for other people to see and then somehow everyone sees later. I hope people can find solace in a friend who also doesn't know what the heck is going on but is trying their best. We are all in it together.
You can listen to ‘I Don’t Get Breakups’ on streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music. Go stream and make sure to follow @twentyminuteslater to stay updated on future posts.
