Exclusive Interview: Kacey Fifield Is Our ‘Dream Girl!’

Are you looking for a new ‘Dream Girl’ to stan? Well, look no further than our exclusive interview with Kacey Fifield! We discussed her new single ‘Dream Girl,’ Hannah Montana, nostalgia, and so much more!

‘Dream Girl,’ which was released on July 19th, is filled to the brim with the sense of humor that we’re seeing so much from our fave pop girlies like Sabrina and Chappell. We’re never gonna say no to more of that! The juxtapositions are so much fun, and it’s getting added to our Brat summer playlist ASAP. We unpacked the creative process behind the track with Kacey Fifield in this interview! So without further ado…

Kacey Fifield X THP Exclusive Interview

Huge congratulations on the release of ‘Dream Girl!’ How does it feel to have the song out in the world after teasing it for so long?
Thanks so much! It feels amazing. It’s always such a strange experience to have a song come out—it almost feels like sharing a secret with the world. It’s always such a long process from when I first have the idea for a song to when I actually get in the studio to record it to when we’re finally ready for release, after months of photoshoots, back and forths on the production/mixing, and planning meetings. We first started writing ‘Dream Girl’ in January based on an idea I had last August, so it’s super exciting to finally have it out!

Creating ‘Dream Girl’

We’re absolutely in love with how fun ‘Dream Girl’ is, and the juxtapositions in both the lyrics and the track only add to this! Can you tell us about the creative process behind it, and how you went about creating the tension in the song?
The song was inspired by an idea I had back in August of last year about a “dream girl” who seems perfect on the surface but is actually driving herself crazy just to fit that mold. In the studio with my cowriters Sam Beresford and Michael Kamerman, as soon as we started coming up with the chorus chord progression, the lyrics, “so unwell, I get possessive and I lose myself” came to me with the melody. Building on that melody idea and thinking back to the concept I came up with in August, we shaped the rest of the song to show the contrast between being a supposedly picture-perfect dream girl and the consequences of changing yourself to fit that beauty standard. I always love a super fun, upbeat pop song with a deeper meaning hidden behind the earworm melody.

We totally relate to the theme of ‘Dream Girl.’ Do you have any tips or tricks that you can share that help you snap out of the mindset in the song?
I think learning how to be your authentic self is one of the biggest lessons in growing up. The world around us—from social media to IRL—is constantly trying to change us so sticking to who you are is one of the bravest things you can do. I’m not even sure I’ve completely gotten it down myself; I’m constantly figuring out who I am and what I value. But I think that journey to discovering who you really are is so important. We can’t let anyone else get in the way!

Some of the anecdotes are so specific, and we love the talking section, it’s very reminiscent of our group chat voice notes! Did you record that specifically for the song? It must have been so fun!
The talking section is my favorite part of the song! It’s definitely meant to feel like a debrief. We were actually just sitting around in the studio talking when we had that idea. I started telling stories about my life and Sam went “Wait, we need to put that in the mix.” So we recorded a couple of different clips of me spilling tea into the mic and ended up putting them in the song!

It reminds us of the lyrical remarks from the likes of Taylor Swift or Sabrina Carpenter. Who are some of the names who inspire or influence you at the moment?
So so many! I love Lorde, she’s an all-time favorite of mine. I also love Charli XCX, Conan Gray, Troye Sivan, Gracie Abrams, Clairo, Maude Latour, Maisie Peters, and Chappell Roan (who I’ve been listening to for the past two years, if that gives me any bragging rights LOL). Those are definitely my favorite pop artists but my taste is all over the place: I listen to rap by artists like Childish Gambino and Kendrick Lamar, as well as The Smiths, Jeff Buckley, Green Day, and a bunch more rock bands. I’d say my influences come from all over the different eras of music I love listening to!

Balancing School And Music

You’re also studying at Columbia University, so you must be so busy, and lowkey living the Hannah Montana life! How are you finding it? Have you got any tips to share on balancing these different pursuits?
Definitely feeling a lot like Hannah Montana, but it’s honestly nothing too new to me. I grew up as a child actor while still going to public school my whole life. A lot of my acting peers were homeschooled and thought it was insane that I was still in regular school, and a lot of my classmates thought I was insane for going to auditions and shoots all the time.
Balance has always been super important to me, and I’ve found that, in college, prioritizing my own self-care is a must. I make it a priority to go to the gym regularly, get enough sleep, and spend time relaxing with friends. At the end of the day, I know that if I get sick or run down, I won’t be able to do everything that I love doing! My biggest tip is to block out time for specific tasks. For example, I’ll have class until 2pm then dedicate 2pm to 6pm to working on assignments in the library. After that, I might have 6pm to 7pm blocked out for exercise, 7pm to 8pm for dinner with friends, 8pm to 11pm for working on music and then I’m in bed by midnight!

Speaking of Hannah Montana, which is clearly something we feel nostalgic about, your last EP was Nostalgia Haunts Me. What are some little fun things that you feel nostalgia for?
I’m the definition of a nostalgic person! I’m always looking through my photos from prior years, re-reading text conversations and thinking back on old memories. Recently, I’ve been feeling super nostalgic for the things I did with friends to stay busy in 2020. We’d play Among Us, go on Zoom and play JackBox games, use HouseParty for calling each other, and blow up each other’s phones in group chats. I remember being absolutely miserable back then because there was obviously a global pandemic but, looking back, I feel oddly nostalgic for those memories!

What’s Next

It’s been a packed year for you with Nostalgia Haunts Me and now ‘Dream Girl.’ Is it too much to ask if we can anticipate another EP in the works following ‘Dream Girl?’
I’m always working on new music, so of course there’s more in the works! I can’t make any promises about an EP or release date, but I’m working on some music that feels like the best I’ve ever made so I can’t wait to share more with the world.

We’ve heard you’ll be playing at The Mint LA next month, are you looking forward to performing ‘Dream Girl’ IRL? Can we cross our fingers for more shows in the near future?
I’m so excited to play ‘Dream Girl’ live for the first time ever! Debuting new songs at my live shows is my favorite thing ever so I can’t wait. For now, the August 14th LA show is the only one officially on the books but expect to hear about an upcoming East Coast show soon!

We can’t wait! For any new fans who discover you through ‘Dream Girl,’ which of your other tracks should they check out first?
I feel like anyone who likes ‘Dream Girl’ will probably also like ‘Left Behind’ and ‘Never Reply.’ If those resonate with you as well, check out ‘Self Sabotage’ and ‘Doppelgänger.’ Those are fan faves!

And lastly, what message would you like to share with our THP readers today?
Thank you for the support!!! I hope you love ‘Dream Girl’ as much as I do 🙂

We certainly do! Thanks for chatting with us in this interview, Kacey!

What are your thoughts on ‘Dream Girl?’ And what makes you nostalgic? Let us know over on Twitter @TheHoneyPOP, and you can also talk to us over on Facebook and Instagram!

Want more exclusive interviews and premieres like this one? We got you!

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT KACEY FIFIELD:
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