Ralph on Angel Numbers, Alignment and Evolution in '222' EP
Queer pop diva Ralph shares her 222 EP. Packed with smoldering sapphic bops, upbeat pop anthems, and tenderly introspective love songs, the 222 EP is as dynamic and intriguing as Ralph herself. The six-track EP brims over with danceable rhythms, groovy hooks, and Ralph’s connected lyricism, creating a sonic experience that is equal parts meaningful and fun. With the EP release, Ralph also announces her fall tour dates.
222 is led by focus single “Sweetener,” an electronic-tinged breakup anthem bolstered by addictively thrumming percussion. Ralph chooses to protect her peace on the charming club track, leaving an energy sucking ex to their own devices as she sings “I can’t be the sweetener in your coffee / sugar rush when you want me / trying to keep you up all day all night, so exhausting / I can’t be your sweetener.”
Ralph teamed up with Devon Cole and Goldchain on previous single “Scary Hot” to create a perfect piece of pop perfection. Saucy and sultry, “Scary Hot” is like a sonic soft-drink, frothing over with flirty fun. The accompanying music video puts Ralph at the center of a sexy sapphic fight club, “the kind where everyone makes out in the end.”
The introspective “Pain Relief” takes a gentler tact, giving a bravely authentic glimpse into Ralph’s struggle with jealousy and toxic comparison. Through her vulnerable candor Ralph finds healing, realizing that “envy is empty.” “Pain Relief” is Ralph’s love letter to herself as she gives herself comfort and grace to find contentment from the inside out. Collaborating with an all women team Ralph celebrates the diverse beauty of the female in the sweet music video which Ralph directed and edited herself.
“1-800 HRT-BRK” is a saccharine sweet piece of soaring stadium pop. Sweeping synths and a bouncing bass line come together to create a track that is light hearted and buoyant. Though Ralph has been unlucky in love she finds a rebellious optimism on the relatable track, and even the most jaded will feel inclined to join in as Ralph belts the catchy chorus, “I’m calling 1-800 HRT-BREAK / I don’t know what to do but at least I got you.”
Opening track “Just A Rose” (which Ralph co-produced) is a vocal triumph as Ralph flexes the higher register of her range on the upbeat track that she describes as an encouraging love letter to herself. Ralph marvels at the tender care she receives from a partner in the delicate closing track “How Do You Measure Love?” At once both euphoric and melancholy, Ralph writes an intimate note to her lover, celebrating their connection whilst acknowledging her own shortcomings.
“222 is an angel number that has been following me around for the past year and a half,” Ralph says. “If you see 222 repeatedly, it means you’re on the right path, even if it’s full of obstacles – you’re meant to be there and it will all be worth it. The songs on the EP reflect this journey and faith; each one represents a moment of big change that was very important to me.”
[UNPUBLISHED]: Thank you for sitting down and talking to Unpublished Magazine. Our readers would love to get to know you and your music more. For any readers who aren’t familiar, what inspires your artistic style and creative persona?
[RALPH]: I'm super inspired by everything that I see here around me. How I write is from an autobiographical point of view, but even when I'm not feeling inspired by what's happening in my life, I'll hear a conversation in a restaurant or see something really small and beautiful happen between two people on the street. I try to gather little snippets of things around me that feel interesting and emotional. Aesthetically, I'm so inspired by fashion and always look out for what people are wearing. I’m also on Pinterest a lot.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Do you design your own merch?
[RALPH]: I haven't, but I’ve wanted to for years. I have some fun new merch for my 222 tour and incorporate white vintage tees and print angel number graphics on those.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Say if someone hasn’t heard of your music yet, which song would you introduce them to that encapsulates your style and maturity the best?
[RALPH]: Before this EP, I would have said “Gimme” which is an old song I continue to put on my setlist now because it’s so playful and cheeky. I think the lyrics are smart and we have a lot of fun performing it, whereas some of my older songs, I find myself thinking that they aren’t the best representation of me currently. I think the 222 EP represents an evolution within my artistry, both soundwise and aesthetically. I think “Scary Hot” is my best representation.
[UNPUBLISHED]: You recently released your 222 EP and a huge congratulations is in order. Why did you name it after angel numbers and what inspired the project?
[RALPH]: When I started dating my girlfriend, she noticed that I kept texting her at 2:22 frequently and she said that it has to be my angel number. I was starting to learn what those meant. I looked it up and it had to do with alignment, building trust within yourself, trust in the future and sticking into the path that you’re on. Even if there’s obstacles that feel really big and challenging, the path you’re on now is always the path you’re meant to be on, so you have to stick it out and it’ll be worth it. That message felt so fitting for me and I really needed that push because with this EP, I had a lot more control and I worked with new people. I decided that I was making all the decisions, whereas normally I lean pretty heavily on a team to help me with that. I appreciated having the idea that people are watching over me and guiding me in the right direction. It felt obvious that the EP was going to be called 222 before I even finished writing the songs.
[UNPUBLISHED]: Once you start seeing angel numbers, they follow you everywhere.
[RALPH]: Every site has something different, but a recurring message that I read is that they say that angel numbers are a message from your spirit guides, ancestors or friends and family who have passed on. I have that connection to people who have passed on and I like the idea that they’re messages from the beyond. It’s like a little nod or whisper of encouragement to me.
[UNPUBLISHED]: It's also a really nice resonant affirmation to keep within yourself.
[RALPH]: It almost became a mantra which I needed especially when you're an independent artist, if you are not feeling motivated, like it's not going to work, you are your own best cheerleader.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What did the creative process for 222 look like?
[RALPH]: 222 is so largely me in terms of fueling everything and making all the decisions. I was working with new producers and writers and I was really trying to find the sound for this EP because I wanted it to be different. When you’re working with new people, you’re seeking a new sound and are more impressionable throughout the process. I showed the finished results to close friends of mine and the feedback was that it didn’t feel like me and it wasn’t my strongest work. It was hard to hear but I went back to the drawing board and put more of myself into it. I wanted to write a concept album and I wanted it to be a full dance album, and I have been listening to Charli XCX which served as a huge inspiration to me. When my producer and I wrote “How Do You Measure Love,” it was so magical and exciting. We knew it had to be on the EP and the project kept reimagining itself. I kept having to ask myself what my gut was saying and if you’re going to sing this song, it’s a huge representation of who you are right now.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What is your favorite song off 222 and why do you love this song? Is there a specific element or message that stands out to you the most?
[RALPH]: I don't have a favorite song but I am very proud of “Just A Rose.” That song is so special to me because it’s the first time I ever co-produced a song. When I first started writing for this EP, I felt like I couldn’t communicate to producers what I wanted to hear and nothing was hitting. I wrote “Just A Rose” and realized I was flexing my high register, which people don’t ever get to hear. Lyrically, it’s about an artist who felt forgotten about and felt obsolete and then had a comeback and everyone was really impressed. I was hyping myself up and putting it into the world as a manifestation.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What was the hardest song for you to write, either lyrically or instrumentally?
[RALPH]: The EP all came pretty naturally, maybe “1-800 HRT BRK” because I wanted all the songs on 222 to have a story and feel as interesting as the song before it. I didn’t want it to feel too fluffy or overtly poppy.
[UNPUBLISHED]: I would love to touch on the music videos from this project. You self-directed the video for “Pain Relief.” What is the inspiration behind the video and how was your experience directing that?
[RALPH]: Whenever I write a song, I naturally envision what the video would look like. I wrote “Pain Relief” in LA and I was very much in that mind frame and landscape. I wanted the video to feel gentle and for there to be a story that is reflected within the lyrics of the song. The outfits presented were really important to me. I wanted the video to feel gentle, reflective, and also really warm and have a connection to the community – a narrative in an artful way. I stepped into a huge directing role and it felt really intimate to shoot because it was such a learning process. The people that were there to support me knew it was a learning process and they were key to making me feel safe and supported. I would do it again, it was such an amazing process and I am really proud of myself for doing something I’ve been afraid to do.
[UNPUBLISHED]: I love the music video for “Scary Hot,” and it’s super playful. What is the inspiration behind that video?
[RALPH]: For me as an artist who feels like evolution is really important, I've never had a song that's sexy or sexual and I’m an adult woman who is very comfortable in that role. It was this idea of having a queer fight club filled with professional stunt people. There was a storyline of why these two women are trying to beat each other up, but at the end, it was a tantric edging game. That was important for me to convey and not that it’s about two women who are trying to kick the shit out of each other. It’s all a game – a sexy game. It’s about the thin line between pleasure and pain. We had a lot of fun coming up with a concept and bringing it to life because it was very ambitious.
[UNPUBLISHED]: You are also doing a tour this fall to celebrate the 222 release. What are you looking forward to the most for tour?
[RALPH]: I'm looking forward to evolving the set with me and my bandmates. We've done a lot of touring and a lot of people who see me are recurring fans, so within the vein of evolution and change, I want to put together a setlist that people aren’t expecting. We want to throw in some more covers and songs people may have forgotten about. I want to incorporate a chair dance choreo and make it feel like a fluid transition between songs.
[UNPUBLISHED]: What is your favorite song to play live?
[RALPH]: I really like singing “Gasoline” live which is a deep cut because it was just a single release. As much as I love hype dancing songs, “Gravity” is so fun to perform live and so is “Love Potion.” I come from a folk singer-songwriter background, so I like moments where the audience completely shuts up and it signifies respect. Emotional ballads are also important to do. “Gasoline” is an emotional song for me. It’s just an opportunity to flex the singing register that people don’t get to hear and whenever I sing it live, I surprise my audience and they never know what they’re going to get.
[UNPUBLISHED]: How are you feeling in this current era of your career and what does the rest of the year look like for you that you would like to share with Unpublished?
[RALPH]: I feel really good. I have this theory that I have been sticking to for this EP where two years ago I was feeling unmotivated and didn’t know if I had the energy to keep pushing through. It felt like such an uphill battle. As independent artists, there’s always money issues and trying to make things work and wanting things to go well. I told myself that when I do this EP, I am going to make sure that every song on there I love and am excited about, then go onstage and perform the songs I’m genuinely excited about what I’ve created and it’s going to translate and the audience will be excited too. It’s a symbiotic relationship. I feel like I’ve created something that I’m really proud of and I’m genuinely excited to perform. It's been inspiring to see people connecting to the music and the feedback has been affirming. After the tour, I will go back to writing and would love to do some remixes – especially for “Pain Relief.” I don't know what's in the cards for the rest of the year. Currently, I'm just focusing on the tour and feeling good about that. I love writing for other artists, and I've started working on creative directing for other people too. I think just continuing to say yes to things instead of feeling tentative about them.
