INTERVIEW: Queens Of Club On Why Three Heads Are Better Than One

Queens Of Club. Photo supplied.

Melbourne trio Queens Of Club are here to show you why their signature sound of “pop-techno-witch-doof” is going to change electronic music (or at least, make it a lot more spooky). All artists in their own right, they’ve come together to create electronic concoctions to make you dance when the full moon hits, as well as bring out any long-dormant spirits that may be around…

I spoke to Osopho, Ok Sure and Hai Priestess about their inspirations for the project, as well as their new single, Bones. When I heard it, I was instantly drawn to the dark, brooding beats present on the track, and you’ll find yourself in an absolute frenzy once the drop hits. It’s also a track that’s been inspired by vampires, so just watch out you don’t go around biting anyone - that could end badly for all involved. Check out Bones, as well as the interview, below.

Firstly, can you introduce yourselves and your music?

We are Queens of Club, three electronic music producers comprised of Osopho, Ok Sure and Hai Priestess. Osopho (Sal) is a pianist and abstract sound painter. Ok Sure (Akaysha) produces downtempo melodic electronica with elements ranging from dark industrial techno through to ambient, or otherworldly 90's pop. Hai Priestess (Hannah) draws inspiration from the natural world to produce earthy dance music, fusing tribal & house elements with modern alt-pop, spoken word and catchy hooks. Together, we are Queens of Club which is an amalgamation of all our sounds – a kind of dark techno witchy doof pop.

You’re all artists in your own right – what made you want to come together for this project?

It can be lonely making music as a solo producer. We all craved collaboration and were keen to create something quirky, dark but playful. We sent our projects to each other, added to, chopped up and rearranged each other’s’ songs. Eventually we started catching up weekly on Akaysha’s balcony for “beats and bubbles” (geeky music chats over sparkling Rose) . From there the Queens of Club concept developed .

It’s a project based on both visuals and audio – can you talk me through how you make decisions as a trio when it comes to deciding what different aspects of the project will look and sound like?

All three of us are lovers of art, fashion, theatre, hair. We started sharing ideas, playing dress-ups, cutting up things, glueing them to our heads, wearing placemats – basically making each other laugh. We are definitely kindred souls in that way. After the first few photo shoots we had a pretty clear idea of the initial aesthetic of Queens of Club (with many more iterations to come!)

Sound-wise , again there's a lot of exploring. We dig chopping and time-stretching samples, singing like robotic cats etc. It's all a playground for us. We also have the luxury to be able to dive into each other’s projects, pick and mix and create afresh with our favourites. We each have different influences to bring to the table.

I’m loving the soundscapes on Bones – can you tell me the story of how the song came to be?

Bones began its life as one of Akaysha’s dark, synth-driven projects. Sal fell in love with it and together they developed the concept. It’s a visceral tale of lovers shedding well-crafted facades, sharing vulnerabilities and the embroiled internal mess that can create.

As of now, you’re hiding your appearances in the promo photos for Bones – why have you made that decision?

By removing our faces, we hope to remove our egos from the project. Queens of Club has a theatrical quality to it - masks help us create our characters.

What are your short/long-term goals for Queens Of Club?

Short term: We're releasing a bunch of tracks this year. We're planning collaborations with videographers, fashion designers and choreographers. For us the goal is to tred a slow and steady journey with our community.

Long-term: World domination, obviously.

Is 2021 the year that the gothic style becomes a cultural touchstone again?

We hope so, but by then we might be on to something else Queen. There's been talk lately of cyber realities, belly-dancing and psych wards (in a creative sense) - so who knows what 2022 will bring!

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Finally, what are the next few steps for you all, both personally and music-wise?

Personally, next steps are doing what we always do - juggling life with creative endeavours. We We're starting to design the film clip for our third single "Mirror" so that's our main priority now. Ok Sure,Osopho and Hai Priestess are also releasing songs individually soon. We're pretty prolific people, so there's always something on the go.

You can follow Queens Of Club on Facebook here, Twitter here and Instagram here.