We’re at a divey Mexican restaurant in Austin, Texas andĀ Debby Friday is eating tacos and reliving her SXSW set. āGood vibes all around,ā she tells us in between bites. āThere was a group of people there who have known my music since my āBitch Punkā days,ā she adds, nodding to her 2018 EP which introduced fans to her genre-defiant sound. āI was really shocked because Iāve never even been to Austin, never played here and Iām just putting out my first record. It was so heartwarming, I had no idea what to expect.ā
Fridayās full-length debut, āGood Luckā gives listeners insight into her wide-ranging influences as she walks a knife’s edge between industrial rock, house music and pop. Across the album, the Nigerian-born singerās voice is soulful over sinister arrangements and caustic production, like on lead single āSo Hard To Tellā, as she wonders aloud about her fears, admitting, āIs this heaven or hell? / When it gets like this Oh, it’s so hard to tellā. On Ā another album highlight, āWhat A Manā, she sings against quivering guitars as she calls out her previous, tumultuous connections with “chaotic” men.
Fridayās ability to inhabit multiple sonic worlds at once, layering them with sultry vocal tones and candid lyrics, is what makes the electronic producer stand out. Though itās just the beginning of her career, with a fanbase growing worldwide and eagerness to continuing experimenting with her sound, the uniqueness of her music is already shining through.
NME: How do you feel about sharing ‘Good Luck’ with the world?
āIām very excited. It feels like itās been a long time in the making so Iām just ready and Iām ready to see what happens. When I made the album I had the intention of making something that felt honest and I feel like I accomplished that with āGood Luckā. It feels authentic to me and to so many parts of my artistry. Itās a very personal album.ā
Was it daunting to produce and write such an authentic record?
āI donāt think Iāve had a choice. Even from the beginning as a young person growing up in a very strict household being myself was an act of rebellion. When youāre in a really structured environment you have to find ways to express yourself outside of your home. You have to find ways to be honest about who you are. It comes automatically, I donāt know what else I would do.ā
Youāve previously said that if you could describe your music in one word youād choose āthunderā. What word would you use to describe āGood Luckā?
āI would say ājourneyā. A lot of the emotion that went into āGood Luckā was coming from a place of feeling lost and finding myself and becoming myself. A lot of those songs are me in the present time writing to a past self, either sharing words of comfort or reflection. One of the things I wanted to do with this album was connect with people who had similar experiences. If youāve ever felt lost, or like āwhat am I doingā or ever wondered, āis this heaven, is this hell?ā I wanted to translate that question of āwho am I?ā into the album to let people know they arenāt alone in that experience. Itās something thatās very common and a lot of people go through that, and a lot of my album speaks to that.ā
What messages were you hoping to share with those past versions of yourself on āGood Luckā?
āI love you. Donāt be scared. Keep going. Especially keep going. I never thought Iād be a musician. I was very creative as a child but the idea of being a musician never entered my mind. My parents are immigrants and I had no understanding of the music industry. Even now, putting out this album I still feel so in awe of everything. I have a lot of gratitude and Iām still wide-eyed. Iām still like āwhat life am I living right now?ā So I would tell my younger self, ākeep goingā. Everything Iāve been through all of the pain all of the suffering, all of the fucked up moments, my path hasnāt been linear but I can say now on the other side that itās worth it.ā

Youāve described yourself as the āzillennial anti-heroineā. What is it about that title suits you?
āI feel in between generations. Iām a very young millennial and I grew up on the internet which I think is the dividing factor. I call myself an anti-heroine because I think if you look at the beginning of my story, you wouldn’t think Iād eventually figure things out. I was very lost and rebellious when I was younger. Now, I feel like an unexpected underdog in a certain sense.ā
You recently released āHot Loveā and said itās about āintoxicating and combustibleā relationships. What drew you to write a song about it?
āI write songs in this vein because Iāve been through a lot of these explosive relationships. Now, I feel like Iām writing from the perspective of someone who is able to break that cycle. Iām not in those types of relationships anymore, but I can see why I was. It happens to a lot of people. We arenāt really taught how to love each other properly and we arenāt taught to love ourselves properly. So when we get into relationships, what do we expect is going to happen? Iāve come to terms with it because Iāve learned from it. Any experience I can have, I can handle if Iām able to derive meaning from it.ā
How did you approach the production on āGood Luckā compare to your previous EPs?
āI wanted to hear my progression as a producer. Iāve self-produced everything that Iāve made which is really important to me because itās my voice, my sonic voice. For me, itās important because if youāre going to hear something from me, I want you to hear it the way I intended. Even if itās not polished and Iām not the best producer in the worldā¦ yet. I want people to feel me in the sounds and in the songs and I feel like I accomplished that with āGood Luckā. Itās me, like it or not.ā
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