Babymorocco

0:13Hello and welcome to the Monaco Weekly. For today's show I speak with Baby Morocco. The rising star is releasing his debut album Amour on the 6th of December. a delightful mix of crunchy synths, pop and sexy vibrations. We discuss Amour and more.

0:53Baby Morocco, welcome to Monaco Radio. What a pleasure. I'm a big fan. Thank you. I appreciate it. Very nice to hear. First of all, we're talking about your name. I personally find it very satisfying to say it, but tell us about the inspiration. Do you have any Moroccan connections? I want to hear more about that. Well, I am Moroccan. My mom is Moroccan. And so my name came to me very simply when back in the day when I had a Tumblr account, I was thinking I wanted it to be very satisfying to say and to look at. So I was like, I'm like a baby boy because, you know, I've got that little British vibe, like little geezer on the internet.

1:29And then Morocco is just where my mom's from. So I joined the two up. It's like both my heritage, babies, the UK, Morocco's Morocco. I like it. And you were talking about the British vibes there. I mean, you are in kind of a very nice track. So then we're both in pink. Yeah, we're both in pink. Same tone of pink, I would say. Actually, probably exactly the same tone of pink. And even my tracksuit's got the pink stripes on it. I think we kind of arranged that before. We arranged it, yeah, yeah. But listen, I love your music. I discovered last year. But I wonder, did you start as a musician? Because I know you were studying art, you were an artist.

2:03I mean, you're still an artist. But the move to music was fairly recent or was it something that you always wanted to do? Yeah, it was actually more recent than anything else. Like I've always thought of myself as a performance artist and a writer, but back at university, I was doing a lot of performance art and focusing on that and becoming different identities, whether it be to do with a thing in my certain situation in my life that I would want to personify. So in the back in the day of virginity was like this kind of, I played this character of the Virgin for this performance piece. More recently, it's performing as baby Morocco who has these different meanings anyway.

2:43and soon I'm performing as Jean-Paul, which is another identity. I think I'm always performing and that's always helped me deal with who I am, I think, as a person. And I think, you know, this thing about finding a character, it's quite interesting in the pop scene today because I think sometimes it can be a little bit poor-faced, a little bit boring, but I think you're bringing sexy back in a way, right? I love it. Yeah, I mean, I think with all my characters and within who I am, I've always questioned sexuality and how you can use it as a tool in a way which is like in any kind of way you want in a sad way, in a crazy way, in a super sexy, sexy way.

3:22You know what I'm saying? But I do think I wanted UK pop music. I saw this like this big chunky gap and the UK loves an underdog, but they don't really love a sexy underdog. So I was like, let me try and play that part for a bit. And I mean, it's not without its critique. I get critiqued a lot. I think I'm very divisive because I really give in to just almost being nothing but sex, representing that. And I talk about it so much. So, yeah, that's a whole different conversation. No, but this is a great conversation to have because I think it's fun. I mean, especially when it comes to male pop stars.

3:59You are like, yes, I can be objectified and perhaps you don't mind. I mean, that's the whole thing about Baby Morocco. Totally. Yeah, I mean, I've always wanted to be commodified and see how that would make me feel, even from a performance aspect. I remember when I was younger, when I was doing my very fine art performance pieces and all of that stuff. And when I say fine art like that, I mean, I was being really back in the day. I was being really pretentious with being like, I'm a performance artist. There was this one project I wanted to do where I did would fake becoming a pop star, but it would be a lot more theatrical.

4:30Whereas this is actually what I want to do now. but it's like I do often reference that time of being like oh let me become this certain type of objectification or commodify me because I just wanted to see how that would feel as a person more coming in a way which I was just very I think a lot of the artists I was into were like Sophie Cow and a lot of documentation artists but they use documentation as their final piece so in a way I still kind of do that I don't know what are your music influences because of course you have the character and everything but to be honest you know i first listened to a sun sex party i was in love i added the song to the summer of love playlist that i've created what are your music influences actually well there's a lot they range so crazy there's so many uk people within it i mean larue was one of my in terms of production larue's music in terms of message of sexuality you got some like Sam Sparrow, that one song, Black and Gold, is so amazing.

5:28Bass Hunter. He is just from the very simple lyrics. Sunsex and Party was very much inspired. Also by Calvin Harris, early Calvin Harris. But also just the lyrics, the vibe of it was just, that's what I wanted to live that summer. I wanted to have sex. I wanted to be in the sun and I wanted to party. I didn't get any of those that summer, but that's why I wrote about it. You know what I'm saying? It was a dream. By the way, do you think, and I'm not talking just in the music world, I'm talking film, TV, art in general. Do you feel that sex is back? Because there's been a lot of things that the new generation, the generations had, they would be a bit prudish and there's a different relation to sex than previous generations, but there's also been a counter movement.

6:09Yeah, I think it's back because you can see as well with sexuality, it's back for sure because also even when people are doing something that's not inherently that sexual, the reaction is way crazier, which kind of means that when sex becomes controversial again, like referencing that piece that I did back in the day, that was controversial, but it wasn't crazy. Now if you do something crazy, it's like we've got a whole new wave of super, I don't even know how to say it, like religious, religion's coming back again. So sex in a way comes back when religion comes back. Sex and religion are back.

6:42No, it does. They're kind of hand in hand. The controversy of doing a crazy movie and music so sexually heightened is because it's almost shocking to people that fight against it. But I love sex and I love religion, but I'm not religious. I like it together. Same. Well, and even the name of your new album, that's your first proper album. I know you've released quite a few EPs. No, one. One? One EP, yeah. It looks kind of like I've released more, but I've released a double single. Got it. But it's one EP called The Sound and now it's the album Amour. And tell us about Amour. why Amour? I mean it's about love we're talking about sex but a bit of love as well.

7:22Yeah I mean yeah for sure like I think Amour came from this next record is I play with this character called Jean Paul and so obviously the French word for love Amour and I was inspired by Gaspar No throughout the whole record just his movies because I absolutely I'm obsessed with him as a person and a director and everything but I would say earnestly I wanted to I think the sound was just purely sex and now Amour I definitely have I'm still that person from the sound I still am like this I want to be represented by sex as a concept but also there's there's now a tinge of love in it hopelessness a bit of that sadness you get after sex because there's no love there you know what I'm saying Amor has these weird themes in it it's like party it's trashy but then it also has like oh like why don't you love me back like why did this have to end kind of thing so it's definitely like now I'm trying to play I think after doing sex for so long I'm starting to become emotional.

8:17I think that happens when you do have sex so much. You start to become nostalgic of who you were before. After sex comes emotions. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I wrote down some of my favourite tracks. I mean, I was talking how baby Morocco is a satisfying word to say but I love body organic disco electronic. Because it looks like you picked these amazing words and say that's the title. You know as well, I don't really write my songs. I write every song but I don't write it on paper. I just say it And then I record enough until, yeah, I just keep doing it. So Body Organic Disco Electronic. I literally just started going, Body Organic Disco Electronic.

8:52And it was literally like straight away. And I was like, that sounds good as fuck. I was like so happy with that because I kind of, anyway, yeah, that song is very, it means a lot to me. It was actually one of the first ones I started on that record. And I'm very good at naming things. I mean, you are. You are. Give Me Love really hard. Give Me Love. Yeah, that one is amazing as well. I love that one.

9:29I like that you said that you're good at giving names. What about concerts? You've done a few performances. Are you purely Baby Morocco? Because it's funny meeting you in person. You're very gentle. I mean, you're very, there's a difference there, right? That's what I'm saying. You know, a lot of people say like online people who also musicians, they always say they're like, oh, you're very different to how we would imagine you being. And I get that all the time. And that's okay, right? Yeah, I think people will actively not like me because of what they perceive me as online as well. And then they'll meet me and they'll be like, oh, I kind of fuck with you.

10:04Even though that's a whole thing in itself. What I was going to say is that the live shows, I'm very boisterous. I'm very intense. but I think I'm trying to learn to be like a bit more focused on the music because I used to love like a little gimmick like getting naked like going crazy sometimes after a show it's kind of like sex you kind of regret it so like I'll be like oh I've kind of regretted being such like in it like taking all my clothes off because I just get very scared of people not dancing so the more I'm like doing all this and like taking my clothes off I know people are going to scream and go crazy I need to trust in the music a little bit more I've started to realize yeah but You're never losing this element of what Ron is, right?

10:44I think what I'm trying to do is not be wasted before every show. So I look kind of like a drunk guy at a pub. I want to look sexy like I'm on a stage. You know what I mean? I'm trying to refine it all a bit more. No, super, super. Let's talk about Bikinis and Trackies as well, which is the video for it. It's super fun. Mad. It's mad. Tell us about the idea. Do you like a little bit of gore, of horror? Are you inspired by horror as well? I love horror movies. I mean, yeah. Even like... Have you seen The Substance? Yeah, I love The Substance. I mean, I'm actually... I'm not going to ruin it, but for one of my next music videos, I'm quite inspired to do some kind of concept like that.

11:22But basically, I love this aspect. I think for a while, while I was making Amour, there was this really hating Baby Morocco. I was really disliking him. I think I was listening to too much online, what people were saying. Like I said earlier, I'm quite divisive. I wonder why. I think it's a... I'll talk about that in a second, I think. But with this is that I was hating myself. It's quite a lot hating baby Morocco. Really, there was a really dark period of time. Then I was just like with a more and all of that stuff. I kind of wanted to be this character, Jean Paul. But anyway, yeah. So I think them not liking me is a lot of people who don't like me.

11:56I would often like my peers. They're other gay boys. They're like, you know, other gay boys who don't like me. And I'm a gay boy, even though they are straight baited for a long time. But now I'm very much just open about it. But I think every gay boy wants to be a pop star, right? Like everyone does. You like in your mirror, like you're listening to that girl that you love. But I think there's like now that there's gay men becoming pop stars, there's this weird friction there that they don't really know how to explain. Maybe they want to be in that person's place, but they can't really do that.

12:26So it's this anger. It's like, how did you do that? You're only doing that because you look like that. You're only getting that because even though some of the girls they love, the only reason they're pop stars is because they perform in a certain way or look a certain way so i think that's probably why i get some uh well i'm very divisive that's most of the hate i get i will be honest that's really interesting especially you know as i said i'm a fan but i didn't i didn't even look at that part because for me it's about the music as i said it's quite interesting and and the image because i think let's be honest imagery is important in the pop look at the biggest pop star from madonna to prince you know music is important but so is their image their attitude right yeah yeah i mean totally i think and i do i understand the almost this anguish because i used to be one of those boys online like being like like really loving certain pop stars really hating certain pop stars and not saying anything i would never like publicly do anything but i understand that kind of you know flakiness we have or that kind of like we i think as gay men you kind of really want to dedicate yourself to one person and then you really want to ride for someone and really hate on someone else i understand it but it's it It was weird to be on the receiving end of that.

13:34You were the diva there. Yeah. Love it or hate it. And I think it's worthwhile. But I do think I have noticed that it feels crazy. And I understand why people get so reactive in the public eye. Not saying that I'm in that, but on a very minute internet community scale. You feel things. Your whole image is taken and used either as someone who loves you or a punching bag. So like you said, it is about the music. But when you said earlier, if you do use yourself as imagery, then you can't help. But people are going to decide what they want to do with that, whether it be positive or negative. Out of curiosity, who is your pop star of choice?

14:11Do you have one? Mine is Madonna, I have to say. Madonna is absolutely fucking amazing. She is such a pinnacle of taste, I think, in pop music. I would say it used to change. I think girl-wise, if I was going to say woman, it was Lady Gaga. like that peak 2008 between 2014 the fame the fame monster and i love space cowboy her producer so it was that but i think now i don't really have i don't really have someone i'm obsessed with anymore i like i'm quite intrigued by like you know what the new people coming into pop are doing but i think i'm so focused within myself almost in a narcissistic way that i found it hard to stan anyone i'm stanning myself right now somewhere that i gotta fight my own corner Of course.

14:56And is your debut album coming out? Yeah, so I'm at Ernstown. There you go. I say Baby Morocco. And what are the plans now? Albums released, some performances next year? Yeah, it's album out, Christmas, so it can let it grow and let people receive it. And then January or February, I have my headline show for Amor. I have tried to slow down all plans because this is very part two, what happens next. So I'm trying to keep it very clear at the moment until Amor's come out and then I can make a bunch of decisions. But I'm doing a headline show in February in London, trying to get my American visa to do American tour as well.

15:29Yes. Baby Morocco. Like an American accent. I tried my... Baby Morocco. Exactly. Listen, thank you so much for coming in. What a pleasure to have you over. Thank you so much. Thank you. I appreciate it.

16:06Thank you.

16:24Thank you very much, Baby Morocco. His album, Amour, is out on the 6th of December. The show was edited by Steph Tjungo, and I am Fernando Augusto Pacheco.