Since making her debut in 2020, Rachel Bochner has gone on to make some serious waves with her fiery, playful pop sound and whip-smart lyricism. Giving grit to vulnerability, she is unafraid to own the thoughts, mistakes, and emotions we tend to shy away from. In her new single, "Here For The Drama", Bochner crafts a theme song for life's messy moments. She explains, “I wrote it as a reminder than when life gets messy, sometimes it can be more fun to lean in, embrace it, and enjoy the show. From questionable decisions like texts we wish we could unsend, or the round of tequila shots that nobody needed, it’s a song that celebrates being young and stupid."
“Here For The Drama” seems like the perfect theme song for a reality television show. If you could have it put into any existing show, which would it be and why?
“Here For The Drama” would be such a good theme song for that new Netflix show ‘Perfect Match.’ The show takes people who were on other reality tv shows, puts them all in a house, and they go on dates and do challenges to ultimately vote on which couple is a “perfect match.” All of the contestants are reality TV alums, and they really are there for the drama!
Do you have a music video for it in the works? If so, can you give us an idea of what to expect?
As of right now, no, but we’ll see what happens… I just released a video for my last single, “If I’m Gunna Be Sad,” which I actually self-directed and edited - you can check that out HERE! Think bouncy castle, cotton candy, and inflatable bull.
Many of your songs are about finding humor in life’s bad moments. How do you think you’ve been able to achieve that level of self-acceptance?
As much as I try to embody that mindset on a day to day basis, sometimes it’s easier said than done. I think that reminding myself that most people are too preoccupied with their own lives and thoughts and issues to pay too much attention to my mistakes and missteps helps. It’s almost never that serious, even when it feels like it. I’ve been trying to just enjoy life a little more by caring a little less about what other people might think of me. Being perceived can feel really stressful, but realizing that people’s opinions of me only carry as much weight as I let them is freeing.
What advice would you give to a fan or listener who is struggling at doing the same?
Try to surround yourself with people who you truly feel like you can be yourself around. Whether that’s 1 best friend or 100 friends, it helps to have a support system of people who celebrate every part of you, don’t judge you when you do stupid things, and will even participate in the stupid things with you sometimes.
What is your writing process like?
I love writing with other people, so I typically will brainstorm ideas and concepts alone but then bring them into a session to collaborate. I like to have a sense of what I want to get off my chest, and sometimes it’s a half written song or just a title that’s been sticking with me. Inspiration is a weird thing though, so I try to just let it sorta take me on a ride whenever it stops by. Sometimes I’ll be alone and a full song comes pouring out - usually those feel really special to me. Most times though, I’ll get really excited about an idea, and it’ll make me think of a writer I love working with that I want to finish it with.
Do you have a favorite song you’ve written? If you do, why is it your favorite?
I have this habit of overplaying the shit out of the demo when I love a new song I write until I’m absolutely sick of it. I’ll then write a new song and become infatuated with that one, but then a few weeks later I’ll revisit the other song and be like, wait, this still goes so hard… I love every song off of this upcoming EP, but there’s one called “Hard To Please” that I really love. It’s the most vulnerable track on the project you could say, so that’s probably why it feels particularly close to my heart.
Who, or what, has most influenced your music and artistic style?
This is kind of a stupid answer, but I think everything I’ve ever done, felt, listened to, etc influences my music and artistic style. I make pop music, obviously, but I’m never thinking too hard about the sound or genre when I’m writing/creating. Maybe that’s a product of there being a ton of flexibility in the umbrella term of pop as a genre. I just like to make music that makes me feel excited or feel SOMETHING in the moment, and what songs I’m loving, the things that are keeping me up at night, and the people I’m around all mold the music I’m making in that moment.
What are you listening to currently?
“Dream Girl” by Baby Queen, “Blame Brett” by The Beaches, and “Red Wine Supernova” by Chappell Roan.
Listen to Rachel Bochner's single "Here For The Drama" now.
Photo credits: Carina Allen.