what's really nice to finally connect with you and sort of talk and I'm glad we're doing it like this I'm glad we're gonna like do some serious music nerd talk cuz the playlist is awesome that you guys have put together yeah it's very exciting I am it's funny because I only saw my submissions and then when I saw the whole playlist I was like this is so dope but also so clear who picked
which songs and it's so funny we're gonna dive into all that I want to talk about stuck with you obviously because congrats it's great it's great to hear your voice just hear your voice right now and and as soon as this this whole situation changed you got to choose your moment as to win you want to speak or release something or say something or contribute and what changed
to you so we just wanted to make something fun that also helps and kind of makes people feel I think less alone I guess or just consump be hopefully somewhat uplifting I think it's also like a really literally isolating time for people mentally too so we wanted to put music out because music is the thing that makes people feel good it's the thing that speaks most to people's
spirits and we just wanted to lift them so we thought it would be better to do it this way with of course working with the first responders Children's Fund and doing it that way made it feel much better and like hopefully it's making people feel good we hope it is I mean I'm you know looking at the reaction and listening the way is just the way that
it worked in this house you know we played it for the first time watching my kids respond to it they loved it and it just felt it feels like a great moment and I sort of wonder like this is this is a great singular experience to do some good and it's great to hear you and Justin in a collaborative space but I don't know if it's if it's sort of
symptomatic of how you're feeling creatively right now and whether or not you've been able to find yourself and inspire place through this because it's been two months and it's been a real roller coaster the quarantine prom playlist that you've put together with Justin I have to ask this question because I would ask it of anybody making a prom playlist right now what was your
vibe during your prom I never went to prom because I was working on Victorious at the time and we were having a lot of fun and I kind of felt like I did have a high school experience with my cast mates there yeah but listen we're not gonna sit here and talk about victorious we'll save that for a later date is so dedicated to that show because that show kind of raised our kids at one
point for quite a long time that makes me so happy and you killed that wrong you killed that wrong but yeah that was my prom that's the closest I ever got to a prom all right and into Whitney Houston I want to dance with somebody again very prom themed but Whitney I mean the top three greatest singers of all time yeah yeah no totally when I was
younger my mom and you know everyone we were just blast the divas Whitney Madonna Mariah Celine it was all it was a very vocal gay musical house yeah you know that would diva gets thrown around once someone is successful in all the wrong connotations it gets completely rude and what it really is is it's an insult just to strong female energy and then could
be female energy in women or in men or in and by or in transgender it doesn't matter that diva energy really is about taking control and and that's what I love about that word and yet people like oh they're being a diva and I'm like that's the wrong use yeah I'm like I hope so I truly hope they are because that means they've got an opinion and a drive and an artistic artistic integrity they've
got something to say it means it's just it's funny because you bring that up I stopped doing like interviews for a really long time because I felt like I whenever I would get into a position where somebody would try to say something for clickbait or twist my words or blah blah blah like I would defend myself and then people be like oh she's a diva and I was like this doesn't
make any sense like because I have to I have an opinion about something that was like you know something that has been completely whatever you know like or if I have an opinion artistically or if I am directing something or if I have something to say regarding a choice that's being made with my career or something Bubba blah it's always kind of
it always was in the past kind of manipulated and turned into this negative thing whereas I don't see that with men it's like when men express their opinions or defend themselves or are directing something and make notes on something they're brilliant and they're geniuses and yeah and yet it's just not it's just so not the same thing with with women which I hope we can work
on on fixing and of course it's not always the case it's not always that way but it is it does make it kind of it makes you want to quiet down a little bit but I'm trying to also say that I'm just you know what I mean and it can't I'm tired of seeing women silenced by it I think there's this thing where like we'll hear something or be oh like she
said this and then it really like it really sits with you and you don't you feel like oh wow should I not express myself anymore should I not have this fight that I want to have anymore or should I not should I just say okay and let it be and then it's kind of show up a little bit it's like ya know Bless You Strauss Strauss music sorry there are like 4 animals on the couch behind
me and but yeah so of course it's not an all the time thing but it is definitely still prominent but I'm trying to just say it and like let go of that trauma because I do have a lot to say and I do enjoy talking to people and I do want to do interviews and share with people and not be afraid to be myself when you stepped away though you let your work do
that fighting which was my job was really powerful it was like okay I could sit here and have 1520 conversations with people and try to navigate these murky shark ridden waters and see if I can get something positive out of it or I could let this work resonate sit and hold a tone and it did that's gonna make me cry thank you I appreciate that oh yes yuck sorry I appreciate that a
lot wait till I twist your words about instinct will you and thinker Backstreet Boys I was actually a Backstreet Boys guy you don't have to compare they can coexist and they're both fantastic and nobody spotted out it's part of that I like this yeah I don't know I wasn't in sync baby but I want it that way it's definitely one of the greatest songs of
all times straight out of perfect pop music by instinct into perfect pop music by Troye Savannah oh my god this guy oh I love him so much he's such a sweet human and he's also a diva too he's definitely got the diva energy he's not the perfect diva energy I think totally but I still feel like his presence is still approachable and so fun and so sweet
like I love his humor I love his posts I love everything about his presence as an artist and also in my life as a person he's just one of the real ones I really love him how was that time collaborating with him because it's one thing to be friends with someone but you have to really be deliberate and thoughtful before you get in there and work with somebody you know I'm always nervous
when people when friends of mine are artists that I admire send me something and hope that I will get on it and I'm like okay I need to like make sure this is exactly what they wanted or envisioned or like why they asked me so I've tried to just take my time with it and get it right and I sent it to him and he was like oh my god this is what I pictured
Disko dystocia so I love her I was able to work with her earlier this year on this song that I want to save for whenever it's time again to drop but um I love her so much I love her personality I love what she brings to the table musically and just like she's just such a breath of fresh air I think she's brilliant and so talented like a prayer but I mean Madonna shows up it's
just ridiculous that after everything she has accomplished and after reshaping pop music and setting the bar higher and higher so many times in her career I still feel like she just does it because she's still hungry and still just loves it and still just feels she has more to say and more things to try and I think that's why I love her so much as an
artist because she and she's done what she needs to do she doesn't there's no more acclaim she needs there's no more awards number hits anything she just does because she loves it and that's that resonates with me the other thing that shows up on this playlist re as well that is amazing is that there's a really strong sense of love of pure R&B and modern R&B tonight a cornerstone for
the recovery of R&B into the mainstream and should be always recognized as that I think she's punk rock tamashii I really do you know this is the same easy Opie is doing incredible things right now yeah I also I mean I love I love Tinashe because I know she produces as well and I always love seeing women behind the computer and everything that's always such it makes me so happy
and says that I love her so much and she's so sweet and so talented and I love that her writing is not formulaic thundercat oh man I love it I love him so much he's the only person who can write the way he writes it's so personal it's so stream-of-consciousness and brilliant and his he's one of the greatest musicians ever in the world and his the
bass is a lady I can't talk about it used to Easter good ending the night the prom night with the turn down is a really good move would you like to elaborate somewhat behind thinking behind that it's like a vibe and it's really cool it runs a little drunk and it sounds good and it's fun it runs a little you know wonky and then after that and I regret not putting this in
there but maybe you can sneak it in for me and we can pretend that it's been in there the whole time and then I think we have to pick it back up with last dance oh yeah for sure this is a song that has to be played at the end of every event every event I love songs that have a slow intro and take their time like intros are really important to me last dance and vogue
like you better take your time getting into the Sun talked about talked about rebelling against you know structure I noticed you picked a little Justin song on here too which is nice you to throw to your compadre on this play the scenario doing my you know yeah you put down your arms for the believe era that's a really beautiful song however super dark if you really think about
that why is that why but also like but also like it's beautiful and I can enjoy it but like not for too long because like where am I gonna head mentally you not I mean yeah I'm like where like this is such a nice song and then I'm crying you know I like that though I like I like it win win win lovely song songs that shine on the surface take me to
that place I like being surprised by that yeah if you can take the good time I'm having right out from underneath me and make me really sad I love that if you can actually make me less numb because I'm having a good time right now with this song and then send me right back to where I was before this evening begun great he remind me of what's at
hand of the trauma that must be unpacked let's go it's been an amazing opportunity at this point of my life and I guess in your career to be able to finally connect at all yeah and I feel so grateful to do it I again as I've expressed that get so anxious about these things cuz I get I don't mind the world scares me sometimes but I feel so happy and I guess fun this was so much fun