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Kristi has made 90s-influencedrock music addressing young womenfor years, butFake It Flowersis her clearest statement yet.
Tracks reference and address her mental-health journey, past relationships, and her current longtime boyfriend, Soren Harrison.
Kristi spoke to Vulture about the album, her TikTok stardom, and making rock music for young women.
What has it been like to be back at home?
I know its been a really inspiring place for your music.I love my bedroom.
I always say this, but I feel like no one knows you better than your own bedroom.
Its the place where Im most comfortable in.
And thats where Im most creative.
For a while, you were just releasing EPs.
I wanted to write something about everything Ive been through in my life.
I remember going on tour as well, thinking I knew myself; I didnt know myself at all.
I wrote about why I thought that, and its all inFake It Flowers.
What about touring made you realize that?Ive never been away from home for that long.
So it was really scary.
I learned how to do the washing [laughs], simple stuff like that.
Its like that equivalent, literally.
This album that has this really big, blown up rock sound.
If I hear a really good guitar sound, Im going to go copy it.
You know, nothings really original these days.
And I wanted something big.
Id just done an arena tour with the 1975, and I wanted music to fill that space.
I just wanted to go crazy; I wanted to go big; I wanted to rock out.
I felt like I was born ready.
So I was very excited to scream in the studio.
Its going to fuck up your vocals.
And Im like, Nope, I dont care.
I really want to scream.
And it was one of the funnest moments of recording.
This album is really something I wish I could be seeing live.
[But], I needed this time to really be by myself.
But now, Im ready to go out.
Youve never been afraid to be lyrically direct.
Where does that confidence come from?Its definitely not confidence.
]I cant help it sometimes.
After it comes out, Im like,Fuck, everyones going to know now.
And I definitely have those conflicting thoughts aboutFake It Flowers.
But at the end of the day, I wrote this album for myself.
It helped me a lot, mentally.
Im not used to this much attention.
At first it was hard for me, but you know, its cool.
People are listening to the music at the end of the day.
It seemed like a more passive process on your side.Yeah.
Have you been in touch with Powfu at all since the song got big?No.
Hes so talented; he really made that song his own.
And hes a cool guy.
Did you have any favorite TikTok videos that came out of it?[Laughs.]
I feel like I missed TikTok by a couple of months and I dont get some of the jokes.
I know theres a lot of dog TikToks with the song in the background, I like those specifically.
I see them on Instagram sometimes.
But I want people to appreciate my music.
I want my music to evoke a feeling.
Whether thats good or bad, if it evokes a feeling, that means Im doing something.
And I hope to inspire girls to play more.
I always say this, but there needs to be more chicks onstage.
What do you make of that?Genres are limiting sometimes.
In what way?I feel like, you know, Im not anything.
Do you feel hopeful?Its good to be hopeful.
Im part of this amazing community of amazing female artists, and there are a lot of us.
And I think thats what 15-year-old Bea needed to hear.
Its okay to be a bitch.
Its okay to be annoying.
Its okay to be loud.
Its okay to be a sarcastic little shit.
Theyre supposed to have each others back.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
