Disco Shrine Brings Her Raw, Glittery Shine to San Diego Pride

Disco Shrine performed at San Diego Pride, premiering her newest single, Only You. We had the chance to chat with her before the set to talk about icons, upcoming music videos, and the best kind of spritz.

Listen SD: Have you been to San Diego before?

Disco: I’ve been to San Diego before, I think I played at the Music Box.

Listen SD: what are you most excited to see while you’re here?

Disco: I love Marina, I’ve been a Marina fan forever, and I love how San Diego is so oceany! Animals make me so happy and I love going to La Jolla and seeing the seals, thats kind of my joy. One time we were in San Diego and we went kayaking, we did a whole mini kayak tour, that was really fun and cute.

Listen SD: That’s amazing, I love seeing the seals its so sweet.

Disco: I love San Diego, its like a beachier, happier version of LA. It’s like if Malibu was way bigger and an actual town.

Listen SD: Yes! Totally. You’ve been compared to Britney Spears, is there anyone else’s energy that has captured your interest made you want to emulate maybe when you’re on stage or as an artist?

Disco: Yea, love her! I’m always inspired, I feel like when people ask me my favorite artist I can’t answer, its very in the moment. But I will say there are a few artists that are the blueprint for me. Gwen Stefani was a big one growing up. She’s very Socal, and I grew up in Southern California, her whole No Doubt to Gwen Stefani was a similar trajectory to me. I started playing in bands, and then I went the pop star route, so I relate to that a lot. I also really relate to her grungy, imperfect vibe, my vibe is very not polished. People aren’t perfect, so I love to allow for people to feel like they don’t have to be perfect. So it’s Gwen and Britney, of course, and then I love Madonna. Madonna was the first concert I ever went to.

Listen SD: That’s iconic. You grew up in the LA DIY music scene, what is your favorite thing you learned from that that you bring into your music today?

Disco: Growing up in LA when I did, it was very much a vibe to throw cool, underground secret shows, and that’s what I grew up going to. Random warehouses would have a DJ booth that was so tall, and then there would be bouncy houses with the ceilings out and you’d be jumping in bouncy houses while watching a DJ set. I think doing things in unconventional spaces is really interesting to me. I love throwing events, I threw one of my first release parties at a laundromat, I even did a mattress store. I think just finding cool, weird places to throw shows is really fun. It’s so cool to take music to a setting it’s not usually at.

Listen SD: You’ve released a few singles this year, is there any potential project coming up.. surrounding those, that you want to tease?

Disco: Yesterday I just released a new song, Only You, and this is going to be my first time playing it!

Listen SD: How are you feeling about performing it for the first time?

Disco: I will be honest I’m a little nervous about it, because it is such a vulnerable song, it’s more vulnerable than my other songs. I would say my other songs are more camp and silly and playful, and this ones a little more serious. It’s still fun, but its more serious, so to be honest I am a little nervous about playing it, but I think its gonna be fine and in the moment I’m just gonna soak in the love, thats all you can really do. I think it’s lowkey a little camp that this is my first non camp song.

Listen SD: I’m so excited, I cant wait.

Disco: And I have a music video for it that comes out next week too.

Listen SD: Yes! What was your world building process like going into making that music video?

Disco: I think because this is my first more vulnerable song, I wanted to video to be really intimate and the visuals to be intimate. We talked about dissecting what Disco Shrine is. Kind of shiny, perfect on the outside, versus having that on the inside, and then switching that. Having this grittiness on the inside, coming through the shininess and it’s my actual soul. I think the vibe of it was very, lets get down to the true heart of the why I make music.

Listen SD: Do you find yourself enjoying the music video process, and making the sound into something you can see?

Disco: It’s honestly the first thing I think of when I make music. I’ll write a song, and I’m thinking of live shows too. I’ll think “Oh my God, we need dancers to do this.” I have this unreleased song, and its kind of army themed, so I was thinking we need dancers on stage to salute. When I’m making music the first thing I think about is what color is this and what visuals would go with this. I think that part is just so fun for me because I think when I write music, I love to start with a concept and I world build around it, that feels very intrinsic to me.

Listen SD: You’ve collaborated with Magdalena Bay, I was listening to your EP this morning, so fun, do you have a favorite song by them? and do you have any other dream collaborators?

Disco: Love them, I’ve known them for so long and they are the sweetest sweeties and I’m so proud of them. Honestly, Mercurial World, I cant choose a song but that whole album is so beautiful and so fun. I appreciate them so much, as someone who also world builds, it was just such a world building moment for them. I’m obsessed with them. They can do no wrong in my eyes.

Listen SD: Do you have any other dream collaborators in the future?

Disco: Yes, of course. It’s all pop girlies, I listen to all the pop girlies, and I DJ them. I think thats just my vibe.

Listen SD: I was listening to Day Drinking earlier, “Day drinking in the sun hours passing one by one,” what is your favorite day drink?

Disco: Ooooh! I like that! Okay, I just got back from tour last year in Europe, and over there they really like spritzes, spritzes are a thing, but I discovered a Hugo Spritz. It’s like an aperol spritz but different. I’m such a pick me, I’m not going to choose an Aperol Spritz, I want a Hugo Spritz. I think that’s such a good daytime vibe. I think it’s champagne, and gin maybe. I do wanna say that I also love jell-o shots. A good jell-o shot during the day, thats my vibe for sure. I think we need to bring jell-o shots back. People forgot as a society about jell-o shots and it’s rude.

Listen SD: That’s so true, we need to bring them back this summer. Okay my last question, what does it mean to you to perform at pride?

Disco: I love that question! It honestly means so much. It means so much and I don’t feel like I really have the words for it. I don’t think I can say it quite so eloquently, but this show in particular, we worked so hard on it. When I found out about San diego Pride, I knew I didn’t want this to be just another show. I know everything that had to happen to lead up to this moment. Not just on a personal level, but in a looking outwards level, with Pride and all the sacrifices people have made in the past. Just to be here, to be able to present my music, and to spread love, and celebrate the community is so meaningful to me. I put on a fucking iconic show for this. It’s gonna be crazy, and I do it for the pride, I do it for the pride.

Listen SD: That’s amazing, I cant wait. Thank you so much.

Disco: Thank you!