Exclusive Interview: Daisy Grenade Talk All Things ‘Are You Scared Of Me Yet?’

Are you looking for the next duo to rule your playlist? Well, you’re in luck! Allow us to introduce you to Daisy Grenade, a duo hailing from NYC who are sure to have you hooked after one listen to their newest single, ‘Are You Scared Of Me Yet?’ We are lucky enough to have gotten the opportunity to pick the brains that make up Daisy Grenade ahead of the release of ‘Are You Scared Of Me Yet?’ and got a lot of behind-the-scenes, creative process bits, that we are so excited to share with you!

Aside from the interview portion of this article, we are also sharing the single here, with you guys, for the first time! We hope you enjoy, ‘Are You Scared Of Me Yet?’

We want to know all about ‘Are You Scared Of Me Yet,’ from the time the idea sparked to now how long did the process of making the track take?
Dani: Honestly? The song took like 3 hours to write. The lyric “Are you scared of me yet?” had come from a different song we were working on that wasn’t quite nailing it for us, but we knew we liked the concept of it. We brought it to Jordan [Witzigreuter, The Ready Set] and Cam [Cameron Walker, guitarist for The Ready Set and vocalist for Twin XL] over a zoom writing session, and that was one of the lyrics they latched onto, and then it just rolled from there. As we were writing the song it became clear to us that it was something of a dramatization of how we feel we can come across in our personal/romantic relationships. As far as the track, Jordan and Cameron worked so effortlessly and quickly that it came together instantly and we were just like, “Yeah that’s it.” We played around with a few chords and then Cam played this awesome bass riff that we built the rest of the song around. A few months after that we came back out to LA to put some finishing touches on it in person, and voila! So all in all, it’s been in the works since November of 2021, and we are so stoked to finally put it out in the world.

We know you used a photo channeling Jennifer’s Body to promote ‘Are You Scared Of Me Yet,’ if you had to place the song on the soundtrack of any horror movie, what movie would that be?
Keaton: I think Jennifer’s Body is a perfect movie for this song to be on the soundtrack! Which is part of the reason we decided on using some of that imagery for promo. One of Dani’s coworkers said one day (apropos of nothing), ‘Your music sounds like it would be in Jennifer’s Body.’ So, there’s that! I think ‘scared of me’ captures that feminine energy, that’s so beautifully harnessed in Jennifer’s Body. I also think Carrie would be a perfect film for this to be on the soundtrack of. Any of these badass anti-heroes, horror babes are sort of the blueprint for ‘Are You Scared Of Me Yet?’

What made ‘Are You Scared Of Me Yet’ the perfect first single from the EP? Dani: This was a tough one because I think all five of the songs have single potential, but you just never really know how it’s gonna go! We decided after hearing the whole EP that the title of the EP itself was also going to be ‘Are You Scared Of Me Yet?’ because it perfectly encapsulated the feel of the project. The song is dark but playful, everything we feel drives the artistic approach of Daisy Grenade. Also, our manager is obsessed with it, and one of her friends said she wanted to get it tattooed on her so we were like ‘Okay, that’s the single.’

NYC is one of the creative capitals of the world, do you often find yourselves drawing inspiration from the city itself, or the energy the people within it seem to carry?
Keaton: Definitely. I think Dani and I are both truly New Yorkers at heart, we draw a lot of inspiration from the people and the energy that’s in this city. There are so many cool underground music scenes in the city, that give us a lot of opportunities to learn from our peers as well. I think our first EP Sophomore Slump draws from our experiences as 20-somethings, figuring our shit out in NYC. This second project is a lot more co-writes and collaborations with some artists we’ve met recently giving us a little bit of a fresher and newer sound. We love our New York roots but it’s always fun to try new things 😉

We know narrowing down favorite lyrics can be a chore, but is there a lyric from ‘Are You Scared Of Me Yet’ that shines through as a favorite?
Dani: For me, it’s got to be, ‘A house that’s always haunted, you want it.‘ This idea comes up in a lot of our lyrics; I’m fascinated with the concept of people craving chaos and instability. There seems to be this little piece in us all that secretly likes that messiness in life, despite always trying so hard to appear put together.

Keaton: I love the line ‘Sipping kerosene, waiting for a spark.‘ I just like the play on words here. I also love the imagery of a spark on kerosene, watching something just erupt into flames.

The EP is on the way, can you tell us anything about what the concept for the project is? What are you hoping fans take from this next chapter?
Dani: A lot of this EP was inspired by our first trip to LA we took last October. It was our first time going as an artist duo, to take sessions and see what the vibe was. After a really long week of hard work, we had our last session with Jordan and Cameron (of The Ready Set) and wrote an absolute banger that we just fell in love with. We knew it wasn’t going to be released with our first EP, Sophomore Slump, but we wanted to release it for sure. Then we got the idea of going back out to LA to write the rest of our second EP with them, because we had so much fun and loved the product, and that’s just what we did! The first song we wrote, ‘Cult Classic,’ definitely had some cool horror elements, and we decided to roll with that tone for the entire EP. Jordan’s production is just unrealistically good, and he has such a skill for adding cool ~spooky sounds~. They both understood what we were going for lyrically, and melodically, and we wrote this entire EP with such ease. We are all having FUN, despite some of the darker lyrical elements of these songs.

Keaton: Yeah, I think this is definitely a different vibe from our debut, which is beautiful and cool — we are still a very new band, and we’re figuring out what our sound is, and what we like! I love this new project because it was such a collaborative process, everything we did, we did as a group. It’s a lot more openly dark lyrically, but much more poppy musically. It’s a fun little dichotomy, just like us.

We know you both are theater kids, so we have to ask, is there a specific play/musical that has impacted you and the way you create?
Keaton: God, there are too many to name. I think all of Sondheim’s works sort of stand out in my mind as ~in another category.~ I grew up getting to work on one of his shows on Broadway, and I’ve learned so much studying his writing.

Dani: Honestly, American Idiot was the show I saw on Broadway where it all clicked. I had no clue you could put something like that on stage. Musically, I didn’t know that could happen on Broadway; my two worlds (pop-punk & theatre) came together just like that. That was also when I realized the actors up there, that was their JOB. And I was like “I wanna do that!” (performing, etc). Funnily enough, Keaton and I met doing a production of American Idiot many years later, so there’s something to that I think. The angst, the rawness — it all influenced me and how I create.

We know Pete Wentz has been a huge part of your musical journey, what have you learned from him? What would the younger versions of yourself think if they knew that connection was a part of your story?
Dani: This is something that we talk about all the time because we’re still pinching ourselves every day. The fact that we get to send him the songs we write, and get feedback, is insane. He’s such an iconic artist and brilliant writer, having him on our side supporting us and helping us grow is something we are immensely grateful for. And past, present, and future me is freaking out obviously because he is literally Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy.

‘Daisy Grenade’ is such a unique duo name, how did the name come about? What does the name mean to you guys?
Keaton: Funny story! We originally called ourselves “Make Your Son Famous” which we liked but felt the name was a bit long. We were toying with the idea of having something soft and flowery, combined with something harsh. We had a few combinations of things but Daisy Grenade just seemed to stick. I always say “Daisy like the flower, grenade like the explosive,” and I think that encapsulates our vibe really well. The sweet outer shell, and completely explosive interior.

With the EP release so close, is there a track you are most excited for fans to hear?
Dani: Honestly, the last track on this EP (though still perfectly fitting with the project) feels like a big shift in sound for us, but I’m obsessed with it. I think it’ll be a pleasant surprise for listeners. I like to think it’s a cool example of us being like ‘Yeah, we can do THAT too!’

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