Enfnts Terribles

Orchid, you have such an iconic moniker. What does it stand for?

It’s my real name! But I always felt like it was too big for me and that I had to earn it, grow into it, ‘cuz it is quite iconic, isn’t it? And I think that’s what developing my music and visuals has been, becoming that name instead of the other way around. Orchids embody mystery, fantasy, something alien, dreamlike, sensuality, being both delicate and strong, something shining amongst the darkness, something unique.

Are orchids your favorite flowers?

I’m so happy you asked me this because no, not at all. Mine are the opposite. My favorites are all based on smell and memories of them. Jasmines, honeysuckle, hyacinth. Jasmines are my ultimate because they’re small, playful, romantic, and wild but somehow fierce, and they open up and come to life at night. They remind me of Iran, and remembering that’s where I belong too—on summer nights the streets are drenched in that scent. I get really emotional when I realize they’re around because I miss being there so deeply. It’s my sister’s name too.

Your handle on Instagram is @whatswithorchid, so what’s with Orchid? How are you doing?

I’m doing good! It’s spring, my favorite season. I just got the final master back for my favorite song I’ve ever made, and I’m about to enter my jorts era.

You recently released “Gorgeous!”: the B-side for “Everything in Every Direction”. What connects these two songs?

They both felt so vulnerable to write and put out, more so than my other music so far. They’re both about inner strength, really. We love to pretend that “Gorgeous!” is a no-thoughts-just-pretty song but it’s deep to me. The biggest connection, though—I’m not claiming to have synaesthesia at all—is that they’re both 1000% blue to me when all my other music feels pink, orange, and earthy. EED is all the shades of early night, dark, electric, stormy, and “Gorgeous!” is crystalline violet blue.

You directed your own visuals for the project. What was the vision you had in mind?

For “Everything in Every Direction”, my vision was stormy and brooding, heavy rain, chaos, and being lost and disoriented, just as the song is about. Feeling like my internal and external worlds are whirlwinds and sometimes feeling so unable to hold on and keep it together. The reality, though, is that we made it completely spontaneously on holiday, as in, with about an hour to capture it all. I had that imagery in my head while making the song, but no plan to shoot it, but we did have a camera with us. Everything you see in it happened in the moment. I started running with no warning, over all these sharp rocks, and we came across all this insane scenery as we were doing it, just communicating through the lens. It was one of my favorite things ever to make, for that reason. It’s raw and real.

“Gorgeous!” is the opposite: manicured, striving for perfection, but both are trying their best to hold it together. I wanted to make something ethereal and longing. I was looking at a lot of imagery from Mugler’s runway shows from the ’90s when I was working on the song. Something about that era feels so fierce and full of agency with a rebellious fire but still so caged and constricted in its ideals of femininity. I immediately connected those visuals to the song because of Mugler’s consistent ethereal blue palette and the boldness those shows evoke.

You’re currently flourishing (no pun intended) as an artist. What helped you grow in the past few months?

Honestly, I owe most of it to this one dance class I started to go to last year. I’m not a dancer, but I’ve always dreamed of getting really good. I tell everyone I meet about it incessantly. It’s just a heels class, but it’s like a cult. Imagine 30-40 girls all from different types of lives—some of them are dancers, some of them have office jobs—turning up, dressed up, and so excited to be in this space where there’s a full license to be sensual, sexual, and slutty to the max. Everyone’s hyping each other up, the energy in there is wild. The teacher has this amazing way of building so much confidence in you, and you do things you never thought you could. I find it so inspiring. Not just the community, not just bringing out that part of myself, but it also seeps into my writing. It becomes part of the beats I work with, my lyrics, and my flow.

Pictures by Freddie Stisted.