BTS: Villain in the Studio pt.2 (Patreon)

I didn't take a ton of photos, but I made sure to get one from behind each of the two microphones we had on me 😅👍

I really loved working at this studio with the audio engineer, Pherbie! We met a few days before I went in to record – right before I headed out to the second day of Ellie's music video shoot! – because I wanted to meet the person I'd be spending 10 hours with in isolation in a sketchy part of town 😅 And from the moment we met, it felt like a great match!

Because of our chat prior to my recording session, Pherbie made sure to turn the vocal booth into a little cave for me, dimming and covering lights and pulling down the blinds so I couldn't see him. I just know that if I can see anyone else or know they can see me, I'm just more anxious at baseline. He also set up not two, but three microphones! And had me sing into each of them so we could decide which one best suited my voice and the vocals we wanted for these songs.

And of course: he showed me how to adjust the bar LED light so I could make sure the room was giving me the right vibes. 😎 Fun fact: the room did not actually look that red 😂 But the camera picked up the light a lot more than my eyes do.

I also made sure to dress for the vibe! I made my hair wavy because I feel like it helps me feel sassy (idk why...maybe because a friend referred to this as my "evil ramen" hair 😂), and I wore my black jeans and slightly distressed red denim jacket 👈😎👈 for the vibes.

Of course, if you were in stream the next day, you already know about my gremlin walks to calm myself down, my jumping during indie pop girl to give myself the energy for the chorus, and how I danced my arms above my head to remind myself to sing high for the harmonies 😂 I so wish I'd had someone there to get you a video of that because it was absolute gold.

I often close my eyes while recording because it helps me forget I'm in a studio being recorded 😅 So I always manage to accidentally hit something, either because I'm dancing to keep myself in the right headspace, or because I forget there's a microphone on front of me and just fully walk/sway into it. 🙈 This time I think I only hit the mic next to me...but who knows 😂 BUT ALSO, this time, especially during vampires, I opened my eyes and looked through the pop filter toward the red light. Because there was something about that specific perspective that made it feel more...ominous. And that was the vibe I needed!

But I genuinely think that what made the day the easiest was Pherbie. He suggested most of the harmonies and ad libs we did (that I'm really excited for). And helped me feel less stupid about how recording the harmonies and ad libs felt. 😅 He joked around with me. He goblin walked with me from the other room. He tried to guess what each song was about, and commented on how sassy each take sounded. 🙈 And he just generally hyped me up and helped me feel more comfortable.

I'm super excited to work with him again - NEXT SATURDAY! 🥳 Maybe I can get a friend in for some more/better BTS...we shall see.