Nashville Based Artist BIZZY Opens up About Relationships and Growing Up in Cheeky New Single “My Age”
Photo by Alex Berger
Relationships can be really, really confusing. Especially when we do not know where the other person’s head is at. In Nashville based artist BIZZY’s new single “My Age,” she navigates the confusing aspects of dating someone who is much older than you. Wrapped up in ironic lyrics and catchy indie-pop instrumentals, the single combines the genuine questions we have in confusing relationships with BIZZY’s energetic and fun sound. Released on June 2nd, this is BIZZY’s fifth single to date.
BIZZY first captured the hearts of fans with her debut single “Anybody” in 2022. Growing up, BIZZY’s main focus was swimming. But, with her sisters always playing Taylor Swift and having picked up guitar at age twelve, music always made its presence somewhere in her life. After attending an Ed Sheeran concert, BIZZY was struck with the inspiration to follow a career in music at full force. Applying to music schools thereafter, BIZZY found herself at Belmont University in Nashville for the next few years. When beginning to share her music on TikTok with a snippet of her song “Anybody,” BIZZY’s career had taken off as fans quickly became obsessed with her coined witty lyrics and a song you could scream-sing in the car.
BIZZY looks ahead to bright horizons, eager to release more music in the future with a couple more singles coming out this Summer. In a conversation with Unpublished Magazine, BIZZY dug into her fifth single “My Age,” sharing with us her creative process and the story behind the song.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Thank you for taking the time to sit down with us today! How are you doing?
[BIZZY]: Feeling good, excited because everybody's getting those Summer tinglings which is nice. The single's about to come out. I'm excited. All good things.
[UNPUBLISHED]: How has 2023 treated you so far?
[BIZZY]: That's actually the weirdest thing because when you said 2023, I thought it was 2022. Oh my god. It's been so good. I think lots of learning, lots of growing. You know how you have that image of yourself in your head, but you're not there yet? Of who you want to be, what you want to achieve? If you're filling in numbers of a picture, I'm filling in a couple now, which is nice.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What was it like having your first single blow up on various social media platforms before you had even released it?
[BIZZY]: It was wild. I was talking to my friends about what to do, how do I promote it? And they said Tik Tok is the thing. And I was like, "Okay, great. I'll do that." I think I had posted three videos prior to that and it was my family and friends that followed me. So I got on Tik Tok and did my little video where I said an intro into the song and sat in my car and played the song. Then I meant to click the sixty second but I clicked the fifteen second and it cut my song short and I was like "I'm late for work. Whatever." I was working at Taqueria Del Sol. I drove to work, was literally carrying out a tray of nachos to people and my phone was buzzing like crazy in my pocket and I'm like, "What the frick is going on?" So I pull it out and it's my sisters blowing up my phone. They're like, "check Tik Tok right now." So I looked at Tik Tok and my video was blowing up. And it was the weirdest feeling ever because when it happens you're like, "Oh my God, that's awesome for that person that that's happening to." It doesn't feel like it's yours, it was just this disconnect. But, it was so weird. So, then I just started to continue to post and it kept doing well, which was awesome. Like thank you Tik Tok Gods. We love.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What has been your favorite part about putting out music so far?
[BIZZY]: I think honestly seeing other people connect to the music. That's like the craziest part. I've grown up always doing the same thing with other artists and getting so connected to the point where I can see the picture playing of my life when that song turns on. Music brings up so many memories. But, it's such a surreal feeling to have people message me or come up to me and be like, "your song helped me get through this breakup" or whatever. like, Oh my God, I'll never get over that. It's like the craziest thing. It's such a magical feeling that I hope I never get used to and that I never start taking for granted. I write songs totally from the perspective of what I go through. So, when I put it down, I'm putting it out for me because I need to. It's like a journal entry, like everybody says. But, when someone can relate that moment to their own breakup or their own whatever, it's so wild to me how universal life is on that page. I feel like it just brings us all to an even ground, which I think is awesome.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What does your creative process look like? What inspires you?
[BIZZY]: I think it changes depending on if I'm writing with someone or if I'm writing alone. If I'm writing alone, either I'm gonna just sit in front of a guitar and play the guitar and see what comes out or I'm gonna go to my little studio downstairs and be feeling some strong emotion that I can't quite get out, it's just sitting in my chest that I have to get out. But, it's very much stream of consciousness when I'm writing by myself and saying the same line over and over again until it sits right in the beat and then moving on. Whereas if I'm writing with other people, which I love writing with other people. And I think it's funny because I look back to my childhood and I loved group projects because I love doing things with other people. So, it feels like a group project, but a fun one where you're not sitting with someone who doesn't do the homework and you're stuck with all the shit. So, it's just such a group effort. I usually try and go in with a concept or an emotion or something that can steer the ship in the way that I want it to go. Because what I really noticed about co-writing is they're all going to try and help you their best, but they need to know where they're going. And even if that's for a verse or for a line, you don't have to know how the song is going to end or how it's going to sound. But, it's just giving them as much detail as possible to get inside your head. And I think that took me a while to learn and be comfortable enough to do. I mean it's so personal, you're literally just being like "okay, yeah, this person broke my heart" or I lost this person or I'm feeling really happy, whatever. So, it's just learning how to be vulnerable and very open in a write and then realizing that's what's gonna get the best music, so it's worth it.
[UNPUBLISHED]: You have a new single coming out called “My Age.” Can you tell me about this single and what inspired it?
[BIZZY]: It's a very true story. All my music is true. Maybe a year ago, I was dating this guy, we were like "talking," the classic 2023. It was just wild because before this, I had only dated people my age and maybe a year older than me. When he expressed interest I was so confused because it was weird and he's thirty-seven and I just turned twenty-four. So there's like a twelve ish, thirteen year age gap. So, when it all started happening, I was like what the heck is going on? This is so fun and weird and cool. He treated me like an adult and I felt like an adult and it was very like a mature relationship. But, there were also things that twenty-four year olds wouldn't have done or thought of or conversations that we would be having that are very much more mature than the average twenty-four year old. So, I don't know, it felt like a cool situation to be in. We would go on dates and they were expensive dates and he knew things about wine and he was telling me about old history and I would sit there and be like what the heck is going on? But, I'd also love it at the same time. So, it just felt like this whole moment of “whoa this is kind of cool, kind of magical.” But, then I would go home after the date and you're rethinking the date, you go through all the steps. Kind of rehashing it with the roommates. Then that little anxious little thought comes in and you're like wait a second, this is so fun and awesome but are you just liking me because I'm a young pretty girl and you want to hang out with me? Or do you like me because of me? And I think that's where the song came from, not even this insecurity, but, just this actual wonder of is this real for you? Because it's real for me. It's just an honest question. And I think that's where I was when I wrote this song, I don't know where my head's at or his is.
[UNPUBLISHED]: So this is your fifth single that you are releasing, what have you learned so far as an artist in the time that you’ve been releasing music?
[BIZZY]: So much, oh my god so much. I feel like this year I've grown into a different person. But, also stayed so true. You know how they always say as you heal as an adult, you're really just turning into your childhood self? Which I think is such a beautiful concept and I hope I get to the point where I feel like a child, but also like a full human. I think I really see myself getting there and being able to start speaking up for myself and start saying what's on my mind and really starting to trust my instincts. I think the biggest thing in art is you really just have to go with your gut and not everybody's gonna like that. And that's totally fine. But, you have to be able to still do it even if not everybody likes it. And I think I've just learned a lot of confidence in that and in myself, which is such a beautiful thing to look back on and be like oh my god, I started here and now I'm here in a year. Which is crazy because I think it just came up on a year that I first released my song. So, it feels like it was five years ago. But, every single feels like a year. I just feel like I've grown a lot and I got a manager in between that time and that's been such a beautiful journey to learn how to work with someone on such a deep level. But, also because music is so intrinsically personal, it's really hard to bring someone in on the business side of it and then also share your music constantly with them. You're part of the business, but then you're also like “here's my diary entry.” So, it's like figuring out how to balance those relationships and make it personal, but business, but productive. So, I feel like I've grown so much. It's been really awesome.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What was your creative process like when creating “My Age” specifically?
[BIZZY]: This one was actually really funny. "Anybody" was the first write I had with the producer and then this one was the same. "My Age" I wrote with Robyn Dell’Unto who's brilliant, absolutely love her. And it was our first time writing. We literally got set up and it was a two way write. And I was like, okay, this could either be amazing or really frickin weird. You just never know how first writes are gonna go. And I came in and it was that night that I was going on the date with him, like our first official date and I was telling her I'm a little nervous. I don't know what I'm doing. I don't know where his head's at, like what's his vibe? And she's like, "Yeah, it just sounds like you just don't if he would like you now or later." So, we just kind of started to dive into it. Honestly, I think we wrote it in like an hour. It was so quick and it was just fun and it was like a funky song and I was like, “okay, I really like the song”. And I really thought we were gonna go back in and edit a lot, but, the song is as it was the day we wrote it, which is so cool. So, it was a fun process for sure.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What are you up to when you’re not doing music?
[BIZZY]: I'm a big hobby person. I have a lot of hobbies, which is funny. But I do work another job. I work at a barn out in Franklin. It's really sweet. It's just this horse barn and I train and take care of some of the horses out there. And it's my favorite thing to do. It's so nice because it's just far enough outside of town where you feel like you're in another place and it's just nature and I get to disconnect from everything. So, that's really awesome. And like I said, I'm a big hobby person. So, I'm always picking up something. A couple months ago it was knitting and now it's stitching.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What have you been listening to lately? What’s been inspiring you?
[BIZZY]: I've been listening to Chappell Roan. She's so talented. I just discovered her like two weeks ago when I was in LA and she's incredible. She's got such a cool mix of MUNA and Kacey Musgraves and she's just cool. So, I've been listening to a lot of her. Tommy Lefroy. I've been obsessed with them. You should listen to "Trashfire" by them. It's so good. They're just this kind of indie vibe with a little grit to it. It's two girls that started a band. They're badass. I love it.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Who did you grow up listening to?
[BIZZY]: I grew up listening to Avril Lavigne a ton. But, I wouldn't say that she influenced my stuff. I think that's just what I remember dancing to with my sisters in our basement. But, I think the biggest childhood influence is definitely Taylor Swift. My sisters were Swifties and I wasn't really a Swifty, I just did whatever they did. So I was like, "Yeah, I love it." And then I grew to really learn about her and it was actually more in college that I became such a huge fan. And I just respect her and how she's kind of navigated fame and just her way of staying so honest and true to who she is. So, she's been a huge influence. And then Julia Michaels, I'm just obsessed with. Her lyrics are not even real and I think I definitely try to pull from the lyricism of her and probably the production of Rainbow Kitten Surprise. Their production is so live sounding that I really try and emanate that feeling of like, "oh my god, I'm at a concert." But, it's not to the point where you can't hear it. It's just like that emotion you're gonna get through the production. Then I've been really into Joe P right now. Then JP Saxe is also a big influence. But those are probably my top.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What does the future look like to you? What are you most excited about?
[BIZZY]: I'm releasing more music. I'm just excited to just continue to paint the picture that is BIZZY and really let people get to know who I am because I feel like it's hard to do when you have such a small amount of music out. And I think with every song people can put it in the picture frame. And touring. I want to tour. I want to play more shows. I'm excited to connect with fans and people and all that kind of stuff. I have a couple more singles coming out this summer that I'm really excited about.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Anything else you would like readers to know?
[BIZZY]: Try listening to "My Age" backwards. You might hear something.
Photo by Alex Berger