LIZ x Nicopanda Is Pure Plastic Bubblegum Fantasy
If you’ve never heard of LIZ, the glitchy pop princess at the heart of Diplo’s record label Mad Decent, then just imagine putting sugar, spice and everything nice into a blender and then throwing in a pack of Red Bull and a Totally Hits 2001 CD for good measure.
Today she released her newest project, LIZ x Nicopanda, which is part mixtape, part fashion editorial and pure plastic bubblegum perfection.
Where did the idea to do this mixtape/fashion editorial come from? It kind of feels like the Instagram-era version of an album booklet. All images and no words.
Nicopanda reached out to me and suggested a collab of some sort, so, I thought pairing an editorial by one of my favorite designers with a mixtape of music I’d been working on would be a really fresh way to share content these days. Nicopanda and I conceptualized this “set of pop icon portraits” idea after going through my songs and identifying certain characters and vibes that were present in them.
Do you feel like when you’re performing or taking photos like these that you’re still fundamentally yourself, or are you playing LIZ the character?
Like I mentioned, I feel like I channel different characters in my music — but, my attitude, point of view, sense of humor, and what’s in my heart tie all of those sides of me together. I’m pretty much just ME. This is just the best way I know how to express myself.
What role does fashion play in your art and establishing your identity?
Moving forward, it was a natural partnership for me to combine a fashion element with my music. In general, I’ve really wanted to experiment and play with my image. For this project in particular, both Nicopanda and I found a strong parallel between the clothing line and my music – Nicola’s designs are hyper cute and playful with a dark undertone, which creates a nice juxtaposition. I feel that the apologetically pop and colorful world my music comes from matches that vibe.
In some of the pictures you look almost plastic – was that deliberate?
Yes, it was most definitely deliberate! We were playing on that whole “plastic pop star doll fantasy” for the editorial. Golgotha (from Paris) did the post production. If you take a look at my Instagram account, you’ll notice I post a lot of those star dolls from the early 00’s. I’m kind of obsessed with that whole concept of how pop stars are packaged…literally.
Do the different pictures represent different personas or different aspects of your music, or are they just different looks that fit into your general aesthetic?
I would say I naturally became different characters on set in the outfits, because fashion just lets you fantasize like that. However, these looks definitely all fit into my world and wardrobe aesthetic. Maybe they’re like Monday–Friday looks! (Weekends are for basketball shorts and no makeup, haha.)
What do you think is the ideal environment for people to hear your music in?
In a bubble bath – or in a car ride, bopping out with your friends. <3
Check out LIZ x Nicopanda here.
