Cailin Russo for French Fries #6
Interview: Ally Ferraro & Guilherme Ferrari
Photography: Ivar Wingan
Multi-hyphenate artist Cailin Russo thrives at the intersection of music, fashion, and digital arts. She started her career modeling before launching her eponymous punk band RUSSO, and is now paving her own lane as a solo artist with the release of her avant-garde pop album INFLUX earlier this year. Previously, Cailin was tapped for creating the song "Phoenix" for the online game, League of Legends, which to date has amassed over 140 million streams. She's also been active in Web3 and even walked (via avatar) in the first ever metaverse fashion show in collaboration with Florence fashion house AVAVAV and metaverse fashion community BNV.
INFLUX is a record four years in the making. Oscillating between hypnotic club beats, sultry R&B turns, and heartfelt acoustic ballads, Cailin puts forth INFLUX as a holistic representation of herself: “I was on a mission to have the world see me the way I wanted to be seen. If you look at my resume you see a pop-punk band, model, video vixen and songwriter. That left me with multiple identities that are all pretty hard to separate from my essence. I knew I had to make a very prominent project that would leave no questions unanswered. This body of work reflects all sides of my character– my personal life, my depth and my shallowness. One could say this is an influx of Cailin Russo."
You’ve just walked for Helmut Lang, how was that?
It was amazing. It was a dream come true. I have been a really big fan of Helmut Lang my whole life, a huge part of the DNA of how I dress. So it was very cool.
How do you choose your persona for your videos?
I think my persona comes naturally. I don't really think it's a conscious choice. She is like a powerhouse and very forward thinking and fashion forward and future forward. The world naturally builds itself. And that's like something that I've always done and been a part of and I think now I just get to display it.
You have a song called “Psycho Freak”, do you identify with that?
I definitely have a very strong sense of who I am, even though I'm a very indecisive person. And I have a very specific take on sexuality and being a woman, and have a very quirky take on life. I like strong unique people. And I think that's what a freak is.
And how was it like growing up in a super musical family?
No one ever pushed music on to me, and the music that I grew up on was very fun and rock n roll centered. It wasn't like a classical musical household at all. It was very much like new wave rock and sublime and weed and cigarettes and parties and skateboards.
You've been playing in an orchestra as well
Cello was just my first instrument that I learned, and I wish I would still play it, but I went into guitar. I went and I stopped making music completely until I was like 16. And then songwriting and I started learning guitar later.
How would you define yourself?
I think I'm a multi-hyphenate. Artists think everyone is hybrid right now. But if I were to define myself, I would call myself an experimental pop star or maybe an experimental rock star, because I don't know if I identify so much with pop as a whole. And I think I'm a little bit more rebellious as an artist.
Does love inspire you?
It inspires me a lot. Mostly not getting it and the heartbreak, but moving forward. Moving forward. I think it will inspire me in the right way.
Are you addicted to it?
I don't know what I'm addicted to, but I love love and I love boys. I might be addicted to flirting.
Is love the last thing connecting us with a form of transcendence that comes to us out of nowhere?
That's what every transcendental teaching says. And I think like when you are in that state, you can call it love. I just call it Connecting with God.
Do you believe in FaceTime romance?
'Lonely Estate' is about FaceTime romance, it’s very nuanced, very real. I think a lot of our relationships are on FaceTime, and I think it's really convenient for people like me. Whereas , depending on your relationship, it can really work in your benefit for someone to not be there all the time. It's actually the other end, the other side of the lyric. I think I wanted you because you don't need me. Like you don't need me to be around you. You know what I mean? Like, you just need me and I need you just whenever that phone rings. I think FaceTime relationships are awesome.
You are traveling a lot as well, so that helps.
It's my favorite thing. I consider myself a very independent person, and I'm also very attentive. So if I have someone around me all the time, it's very hard for me to manage my attention. If I'm trying to coordinate anything to do with my art and satisfy somebody's desire to want to be next to me. It's just very difficult for me to balance, but I'm getting better at it.
