An Interview with Penny Bored
Penny Bored is the pop-rock solo project of Faith Alesia (they/them), whose music is filled with honesty about personal struggles and mental health. With these topics in mind, Penny Bored’s music aims to be relatable to audiences all over and is mixed with both toe-tapping melodies and lyrics that you want to sing along to at the top of your lungs.
On June 24th, Penny Bored released ‘Cherry Chapstick.’ ‘Cherry Chapstick’ is the most personal song that Alesia has released, as it chronicles their experiences with a toxic romantic relationship, and struggling to get out of said relationship despite knowing that the situation is bad. As highlighted in the single, the hardest part about breaking free from those relationships is the tendency to block out the negativity and focus on all the happier moments of it.
Alesia hopes that this single “can help someone as much as the writing and creative process helped me.”
“Cherry Chapstick” is available wherever you stream your music and you can follow Penny Bored on Instagram and Twitter @pennyboredband!
Below is a brief interview with Penny Bored:
IF: How did you settle on “Cherry Chapstick” for the title of the song? Did you have any other possible titles in mind?
PB: Cherry Chapstick actually started as a love song. Initially the song was about: everything reminds you of someone you have feelings for and you wish you could just speak up. I was already attached to the name when I decided I wanted to take the song in a different direction and left some previous elements in there such as the song title and the last chorus.
IF: This is one of the most personal songs you’ve released, is there a specific lyric from ‘Cherry Chapstick’ that you think stands out from the rest?
PB: “You were tugging on my heart strings, but now you make my heart scream.” That lyric defines a lot of the song and the experiences I went through. Going from the honeymoon phase to a nightmare that you can’t escape is difficult to put into words, but I knew I needed a line to summarize it all.
IF: You’ve released a few music videos, and I heard that there is going to be one for your newest single. How do you come up with concepts for your music videos, and have you begun filming the ‘Cherry Chapstick’ video yet? If so,how’s that been?
PB: The video is actually completed and will be available on YouTube, July 8th. This is the first music video I have directed for penny bored and decided to take a step back from being in it. I delayed the release of the video because the story is something many of us can relate to so I wanted to have some focus on it apart from single release day. For my videos, I usually come up with a visual metaphor for the entirety of the video. This one however is the first narrative and I’m excited for everyone to see this story unfold!
IF: Every song of yours has a cover that’s very different from each other’s, how did you settle on the cover art for ‘Cherry Chapstick’?
PB: I had so many different ideas for the artwork and I’ve wanted each single to stand out on their own. We decided on this one when the videographer sent over some screen captures from the video. It pretty much sums up the video as a whole. It looks like a great moment, but in reality the relationship is falling to pieces.
IF: If you were to introduce someone to your music, what song of yours would show them and why?
PB: Cherry Chapstick is the song that bridges the gap between Conversations and Gemini (both of which I’m very proud of) as far as sound, so definitely that one!
IF: You played at So What in May and are opening for Broadside next month. Is there any band or solo artist that would be a dream come true if you were asked to play a show with them?
PB: Broadside is one of my favorite bands ever and there were so many of my favorites playing at So What?! so it already feels like a dream come true! A few more would definitely be Chloe Moriondo, Kailee Morgue, and hopefully one day Avril Lavigne and Paramore.
IF: Going along with the idea of playing shows, what’s your favorite venue you’ve played and what’s your least favorite? Do you have a dream venue that you’d want to play at?
PB: I personally love playing smaller venues. The stakes are lower and I enjoy being on the same level as the audience! However, I love that we can amplify our stage production at bigger venues and there’s so much room to dance around on stage! My least favorite was definitely a house show at my own house. Unfortunately, I was incredibly unprepared for that! Would love to play at Chain Reaction one day and an even bigger goal is Red Rocks!
IF: What’s the future of Penny Bored looking like? Any new music set to be released in the near future?
PB: Definitely a ton of new music, touring and even some other surprises as well. This summer, we’re just enjoying the journey and having fun at shows!
IF: Anything else you’d like to add?
PB: Thank you for your support and keep supporting your fav local bands! :)
