Enter spooky SZN the right way with multi-faceted rock artist Brocarde’s chilling new single “Twisted”. Accompanied by a gothic horror music video, the singer’s raw and impassioned vocals are chopped up and remixed with electronic guitar melodies and dark productions that’ll have you channelling your inner rockstar. Refusing to be limited and put in a box, the singer brings her imagination to life with this self-made video using creepy circus-style sets and sumptuous cinematography.

Speaking on the release of her new single, the artist said, “I’m essentially watching my own life play out as if I’m not part of it. I’m studying myself being pulled in multiple directions and I’m watching myself be manipulated to the point of fear and suppression. It has dark undertones and sadistic notes, I wanted to make myself uncomfortable, hence having knives thrown in my face, it’s actually terrifying to watch some of that footage back and to see how close I was to being hit with a blade.”

Gaining support from rock legends such as Korn and Whitesnake’s David Coverdale for her electrifying sound and creativity, the singer also designs her own capsule collection for each release, creating bracelets and vintage style dresses. We caught up with the classically trained opera singer talking creating the collections, the new video and what’s next.

Check out the interview below…

Hi Brocarde, how has this uncertain time been for you?
Scary, inspiring, and claustrophobic. When the first lockdown was announced, it was terrifying, the thought of losing freedom and having to strip back to the simple life was difficult to cope with for someone with such an active life and active mind. It felt like the world had been silenced, I remember walking through the centre of London and you could hear birds sing, there was no traffic and no people, you could literally hear a pin drop, it’s was like a horror movie but there was beauty in that. I try to find beauty in darkness, and I take a lot of inspiration from sadness and desolation. There was less in the way of distractions so I could focus more on myself, it feels like a reflective time and reflection is great for creativity.

How has it impacted your music and creativity?
I wrote a lockdown song, called “World Upside Down” and filmed a music video in lockdown, having those creative goals stopped me going insane and gave me a sense of purpose. It gave me a new perspective, as a writer you sometimes get lost in your own mind and your own feelings, having a topic that was universally identifiable was valuable to me. The lyric says “The world, is slowly turning upside down, We’re being forced to find a new perspective. All the things that we rely on, are slowly slipping from our hands, and what we class as normal is getting more and more profound.” And that sums up this time for me perfectly.

Where do you pull most of your influences and inspirations from?
People and my personal life experiences. I find people fascinating and I’m analytical of human behaviour and interactions. People I meet often become subject matter, I have to be careful, it’s given me a new appreciation for idiots. I’m like “come and hurt me, make me feel something”. Nothing inspires a hate anthem like a good villain. When I first started writing my album there was so much I needed to get off my chest, things I’d keep bottled up for years, it was liberating, once it’s written about it feels done to me, like over. That notion may be of a problem shared is a problem halved. A song written is a step towards inner peace.

How would you describe your genre?
The whole notion of genre frustrates me, it feels closed-minded and I don’t like the idea of putting things inboxes. That’s probably me being overly rebellious, but musically my goal is to orchestrate my emotions, there’s a good mix of fragility and angst so it sits somewhere around the orchestral rock genre, the tracks I’ve released so far anyway.

Congratulations on your new track “Twisted”, just in time for Halloween – what is it about?
Ultimately, it’s about feeling misunderstood, throughout my life, even now as a fully grown adult, I feel misunderstood. It’s about being misjudged when someone can’t see who you truly are, so they vilify you and dismiss you. It’s sarcastic, it’s coming from the perspective of “I’ll be the monster you see me as. I’ll assume the role given”.

And it’s amazing that to accompany the track you’ve got a capsule clothing collection of limited edition pieces, featuring lyrics from the single – what made you come up with this idea?
I’ve always loved fashion and clothing. I’ve owned fashion brands in the past but there was always a disconnect between my music and fashion like they were two separate parts of me. I wanted a way to combine my two worlds and unify the end goal. I came up with the idea to put my lyrics and poetry on clothing and it really took off. It’s like wearing my heart on my sleeve, literally. I love the notion that words can be inside my head one day and emblazoned on a dress the next, it brings a whole new meaning to making a statement.

Has fashion and music always been synonymous for you?
For as long as I can remember I’ve designed clothing to wear on stage, so in my mind the two worlds were always closely connected. Before the Brocarde brand, I hadn’t been able to commercially marry the two. In the past fashion and music had been duelling each other like two angry beasts fighting for my attention. Now they are so integrated that when I’m writing a song, I’m imagining what I’m going to be wearing in the music video. It’s become very 360 and all-consuming.

Which love came first?
My childhood love was performing, I was that kid who would kill to be on stage. Fashion had always been a fascination; it wasn’t until I realised it was a further arm of expression that it really captured my interest. What you wear and how you look is your statement to the world before you even open your mouth, rightly or wrongly.

And the music video is super dark – what did you want to convey with it?
It’s quite complex and there’s a lot of hidden messages bubbling under the surface. There are subversives in it, like feeling controlled and feeling manipulated to be a certain way. I really just want to be accepted for who I am in life, both personally and as an artist, I think we all do. The music industry, in general, feels like a quest for people’s approval, that can be personally destructive on so many levels.

And where was it shot?
It was shot in several parts, the knife-throwing scenes were shot in a circus, we were lucky to get those scenes before social distancing became a thing and the rest was shot in a vintage theatre where I was isolated with just a cameraman.

What was the biggest challenge of putting together the music video and collection at a time like this?
Proximity, because we didn’t have the luxury of being able to interact, the narrative had to play out differently. In the music video, I became the observer, someone who was watching my life play out on film.

How do you want people to feel when they listen to your music?
I want them to feel something. My heartbeat.

What’s next and what are you looking forward to?
I love the notion of releasing music and clothing in tandem, so I want to continue to do that. I have something special lined up for Christmas and a new single in the spring so I’m excited for what the future holds. It’s an interesting journey.