Hentaii

Meet Hentaii

The time has come to bop to the top people! Let us take you to a magical world where the lines between art and music are blended smoother than a green smoothie. Is it lazy to use the same word you are describing for your metaphor? Ah oh well no time to dwell on that. This week we got a chance to explore the mind of a very talented artist. They are the electronic, bombastic, magnetic Hentaii! Check out the stellar music video below along with our whole darn interview.

Would you rather have two heads or ten legs? Please explain why.

10 legs. Having another me attached to my neck at all times would be the ultimate torture for me. I used to watch that show about the conjoined twins Abby and Brittany who share their body, and it seemed like they really loved each other. I don't know if I could survive as long as they have. I'm very private. 

If you were running for mayor what would your slogan be?

"please, please, please don't vote for me"

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

I got the idea for the song Magnetic in a vision I had in the shower. We tried to recreate that vision in the music video, but when I wrote the song, I tried to translate the visual idea into a sound. I'm really inspired by the music I listened to in high school and college. I was a big fan of Crystal Castles and The Knife. These days I listen to a lot more pop music, so I also try to blend that in too. 

What is objectively the best "drunk food" and why?

Taco Bell spicy potato soft tacos. You have to try them. Life changing. 

Do you think you are more of a performance artist group or a musical artist? 

Hm, that's a good question. I've spent the last 3 years as a performance artist in my hometown of Austin. But during that time, I was always making music too, I just wasn't sharing it the way I am now. I did a lot of the music for my promotions, performances, and events. Right now, I think my brain is totally in musician mode. The other day I had to get ready for a gig right in the middle of a big break in a song I was working on, and I just couldn't stop working. I was sitting at my vanity recording demo vocals while I waited for my eyeliner to dry. 

If there was one message you could get out to the entire world, what would it be

America's immigrants are some of the hardest workers I've ever met. I work as an ESL teacher in my day job, and as a result I am interacting with immigrant populations daily. And they're such good people who work so hard for so little. I wish the world would realize that immigration isn't the problem, but rather a symptom of the larger problem of poverty. People who immigrate illegally into America are generally doing so empty handed. 

Do you think today’s music is too predictable?

I watched this Ted Talk about repetition in pop music, and I was really happy with the positive spin the guy put on it. There are so many ways to be repetitive without being predictable. I think the example he gave was of a Lorde song, Ribs. 

Anyway, I don't think so. I think there have always been predictable songs and soundalikes, but there are so many other artists who are really doing something new. I just found out about this band called Magdalena Bay, and I'm really obsessed with them now. 

Who is a director you would want to work with on a future project?

There's a local drag queen here in Austin named Rosalind Hussell @rosalindhussell who I admire so much. We're actually going to try to do something together for the EP. So her. 

If we're talking like dream level, I would choose David Cronenberg or David Lynch. 

Any final comments? (This is your electronic soapbox for one last answer.)

Thank you so much for giving me a chance to talk about myself. My first EP will be dropping this summer, and you can listen to my first single Magnetic on all major streaming platforms. And the music video is on Youtube! We worked so hard on it, so please give it a watch! Thanks!