by abby samuelson
photo courtesy of deathbyromy
Fueled by passion and purpose in music, DeathbyRomy leads the alternative music scene with her confident styles and iconic makeup. She’s collaborated with stars such as Lost Kings, Kiiara, and PVRIS that have brought her to shine on stage. Her new single “Beautiful Mayhem” accurately describes her “wild child” side and how passionate she is for living life to the absolute fullest, not wasting a single second missing out on adventure. Check out our exclusive interview with DeathbyRomy below.
Tell us about your new single “Beautiful Mayhem.” What inspired it?
DeathbyRomy: “My insatiable hunger for passion and adventure! Especially in these crazy times. I am so blessed with a lust for life. That’s really what this is about, the wild child I am.”
Who is your inspiration that got you into music?
D: “Hannah Montana. I can credit Miley Cyrus for being the reason I started writing at five. She filled me with the fantasy of life on stage and I knew my whole life what I was going to do.”
Tell us about your collabs with Lost Kings and with Kiiara and PVRIS! How did those come to be and which of the projects do you feel expresses your style the most?
D: “I’m so multifaceted that both songs honor different sides of me. ‘Numb’ is me in a one-sided love-type relationship, craving the love I so long for, and ‘Hurt’ is me after getting out of it, realizing I’m worth all the love in the world and I’m fine without that loser. Both were sent to me and brought together by mutuals, so luckily some people got my name in their mouth for good [laughs]!”
Let’s talk makeup! Your signature dramatic eye shadow art turned many eyes as you gained a following in 2018. What inspired this signature, and did you see it gaining popularity from the beginning?
D: “I knew it would be jarring and disturb some while comforting others. I am a huge fan of Marilyn Manson and Alice Cooper as well as metal music. I like feeling tough and honoring my past – this look is meant to represent scars. Beauty scars of strength. I don’t run from my past – I honor it. I had no idea what people would think, but I did it for myself.”
Has music become therapeutic or exhausting for you throughout the years?
D: “Honestly, both. I’d be lying if I said it’s always a walk in the park and it’s not even like work at all, but more than anything it’s my purpose. I just want to help people, and console and comfort forever. I am a huge romantic and a lover so I feel pushing myself will be worth it – though I’m ready for a vacation about now.”
How did you gain so much confidence to look, feel, and be yourself in the music industry?
D: “I got bullied a lot in school. For everything. And long story short – it broke me for a while, but I never stopped doing me because it’s all that made me feel kind of okay. And these kids weren’t going to accept me even if I dressed like them. I didn’t stop dressing how I wanted, and I started gaining a following for it. I gained the acceptance I so longed for on the Internet. People thought I was cool and my following kept growing and growing, and I gained a lot of confidence thanks to realizing it does pay off to be yourself.”
How have you seen yourself grow in songwriting from your first song at only five years old?
D: “I’ve learned to try everything. Tell all stories. I’ve learned to critique, rewrite, elaborate, and simplify. I’m not afraid to scrap things and restart. And most importantly, trust myself first in my creative decisions.”
If you could perform anywhere with anyone, where and who would it be?
D: “Wow! Incredible and insanely hard question. I think it would be to do a show with Bring Me The Horizon where we both do a bunch of their songs and my songs but all together. [laughs] The combination of the styles would be INSANE. And to be honest, it could be anywhere, but Staples Center would be iconic since I’m from LA.”
What sort of goals are you trying to reach in the next few years?
D: “I want to write more songs for movies! I can’t wait for A Promising Young Woman to come out! I have two songs on that soundtrack that I’m geeked about. But I really want to gain the respect of some of my idols. And I want to tour for fuck’s sake! That might be number one, actually.”