Eclectic pop visionary Sam Short aka Earthgirl has released her Indigo EP to rave reviews. Standout tracks include “Lovesick Lobotomy” and the title track “Indigo”. Her sound echoes that of Charlie XCX and soaks up that electro pop vibe that we all crave.
Chris Lyon helped to produce the project. He is responsible for producing such pop gems from Carly Rae Jepsen, Rina Sawayama, and others.
I talked to Earthgirl on how she dialed in on her sound, her new EP, and her influences.
Was Charlie XCX an influence on Indigo at all?
I have been a Charlie fan for a really long time. Her older material was an influence when I was writing a few years back and then she catapulted with Brat. She’s in my blood somewhere.
When did you start singing?
I started singing when I was doing musical theater when I was five years old. I never stopped. I am such a Broadway lover. I did Aladdin and Beauty and the Beast as well.
Your lyrics speak volumes of different stages of grief through relationships.
Yes. Lyrics in general for me are my favorite part of the creative process. I always related to artists that are lyrically driven like from Bob Dylan to Taylor Swift to Kendrick Lamar. My songs are a vessel of healing through relationships in terms of grief. I wanted to take the listener on a narrative journey with my lyrics. I wanted to start with heartbreak and end with something very different.
What is your favorite song off the EP and why?
Mine is “Lovesick Lobotomy” and no one else really agreed with me. That seemed like the one that people like the most.
Do you think it’s a good time to break through in this very competitive pop market?
I don’t think it’s ever a good time really. I think it’s really saturated right now. More than anything we do have as young artists that we can build culture and fandom over our phones. It’s about building that core community because there are no gatekeepers.
You worked with producer Chris Lyon. What was that experience like?
Me and Chris are like besties. We wrote a ton of songs for this project. My friend Eva Honey helped write the project as well. They are both insanely talented. They helped me grow as an artist. We worked together for years. He is one of the producers that gets into a creative flow space. That room feels like family!
How have you evolved as an artist through the years?
I was posting songs to Tik Tok post covid and the songs took off. It feels like I did everything backwards and built my artist identity around a song. I think because those foundations were not solid, my artistry wasn’t either. I was chasing that high that was working online. That is not what a career in music is. The past two years I sat with myself and I felt I couldn’t relate to my earlier songs. I feel night and day different now. I think my sound is more dialed in now. I wanted to have a folky sound meets electronic vibe. Next project I want to lean into more organic instruments though.
What kind of reception is Indigo getting now?
It’s getting a good reception. I started a whole new Spotify. This is just the beginning though.
What’s next?
Yes, I haven’t announced yet but just got off tour with Two Feet and took a couple months to relax and then I will go back out on tour.
