Birth name Lorely Rodriguez Website empressof.com | Years active 2011–present | |
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Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter, musician, producer Origin Los Angeles, California, United States Albums Me, Colorminutes, Google Play: Live at the Milk JamRoom, Systems Genres Dream pop, Alternative R&B, Synth-pop, Electronica, Experimental music Record labels Terrible Records, XL Recordings, Double Denim Records Similar Dev Hynes, Pional, Kali Uchis, Boys Noize, Fatima Al Qadiri Profiles | ||
Empress Of is the solo project of Los Angeles-based, American singer-songwriter, Lorely Rodriguez. Ethnically, her parents are Spanish-Honduran descents. She gained attention in 2012 for anonymously releasing a series of 1 minute-long demos (via YouTube) prefaced only by a solid color entitled "Colorminutes". Her first 7" single, "Champagne" was released soon after on November 5, 2012 through a limited run via No Recordings.
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Lorely's artist name was inspired by a tarot card reading she did with a friend: “The first card he pulled out was an Empress card and I was like, 'It's me, I am Empress.' [...] the Empress card is connected to fertility and mothering and strength. It's kind of nice to have those feelings.”
On April 2, 2013, her bilingual 4-track EP, "Systems" was released via Double Denim/Terrible Records in the UK & North America respectively. Since the release of her EP, she's showcased at SXSW, Iceland Airwaves and Pitchfork's Summer Music Festival and toured as a support act with the likes of Jamie Liddell, Jungle, Kimbra and Florence and The Machine.
"Water Water", the first single off her debut full-length Me was released on April 14, 2015. She has also revealed a Spanish-language version of the track, 'Agua Agua' "so that [her] mother listens [to her] music. Me was released on September 11, 2015 via XL Recordings/Terrible. The album was recorded in Mexico City.
Personal life
Lorely was raised by her mother in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Lorely's first experiences with music were listening to her father's cassette tapes of The Beatles and Pet Shop Boys. She now resides in Brooklyn, NY. Much of her album Me addresses the hardships she faces living in Brooklyn: "I hate the rats, I hate the rent, I hate all these shitty guys, I hate capitalism. [...] I am getting cat-called in the street, just being a woman walking and I should just be able to walk down the street, you know."
Lorely has a degree from Berklee College of Music in Boston. She cites Julee Cruise, Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins, The Zombies, and The Beach Boys as some of her musical inspirations.
Studio albums
Extended plays
Singles
Songs
How Do You Do ItMe · 2015
StandardMe · 2015
Everything Is YouMe · 2015