'A lot of my references, they haven't changed from the beginning' - Interview with Goldie Boutilier

ME: your sense of self branding is incredible; what helped create the aesthetic of the Goldie you are today (cowboy, sixties, etc)?

GOLDIE BOUTILIER: I think just coming from a small town, obviously, I've traveled a lot now, but when I was a kid, movies and TV and books were my way of understanding what was happening outside of myself and my like little village. And I don't know why I think about this often, but why did I have that like yearning for something more? Because most kids, they do, you know, grow up watching some of the similar films and all that kind of stuff. But for whatever reason, I thought I just wanted to experience more, and I think, like through films and books and stuff that was my that was my first introduction to a world outside the world that I knew, and it seemed very cool. So I think, like, as I've grown up, it's still like my North Star, like, I just love watching, like, vintage films. And I don't know why I'm more attracted to those things than like, what's new, but there was a simplicity, I think, yeah, to like a classic film that doesn't exist anymore, that I'm still not done studying.

M: you’re soon touring! what are you looking forward to most when you do?

GB: I'm really excited about Europe, especially just because I I found myself in Europe like I moved to Paris, and that changed my life for the better. And because I was in LA for a while, and I think, like just being like a white woman with blonde hair, people in LA were like, this is who you are. And I was like, No, I don't want to be defined. I am my own person, and I'm all this stuff and I'm not what you're putting into this. Nobody likes to be told what people's expectations are of you before you're able to express yourself. So the thing I love about Europe is that there's so much more of a focus on arts and culture and history, and it's everywhere. Like, you just go for a walk and you're just absolutely linspired. And I felt like, just embraced there. I just miss Europe so so much, and I want to move back. I want to see if like, my music can take off in Europe, so that it makes more sense for me to be there.

M: I found you through the song cowboy gangster politician; what was the inspiration for that song?

GB: it's actually changed. I love that when I wrote it, it was one of those beautiful moments where I was in, now what I understand as flow state. And at the time I was like, who wrote that? So it just kind of came out of me naturally. And I think it was an amalgamation of so many feelings that I was going through. I had genuinely, you know, been around these archetypes, or these like characters that I put into the categories of cowboys, gangsters and politicians, and how my father warned me about thieves and liars and these types of people that would take you off course. When I was young, coming from a small town, there's a lot of these, like little sayings that old people say that when you're younger. I didn't really understand what it meant, but it was kind of in my DNA. So there's these little one liners that I was discovering through that because I was thinking about the advice that, like my father or my uncles or, you know, these people in my life had given me, and I don't know, I think I am this type of person, a strong woman and like, I just felt like it was like this declaration of like, you can't get away from a woman who loves you, I was just like, I'm going to haunt you. And now I kind of feel like I am the cowboy, I am the gangster, I'm the politician, I am the woman. And it just it fits like it feels so different for me now, like I think, like I was at the time, part of me was like, crying for help. And now I'm like, Oh, I am all those things, and I feel really empowered by it.

M: you’ve said you were raised on the likes of Tammy Wynette and Dolly Parton; in what ways would you say they inspire your music and you as an individual to this day?

GB: Oh, my gosh, totally. And I think in ways that I'm still discovering because someone could hear my music and say, like, Dolly Parton? That doesn't make any sense, but I remember this storytelling and her songs and, like, there was this one song called Coat of many colours and it's about how her mother makes her this coat. And it's all these pieces of fabric because they were poor, and she would go to school, and everybody you know else had, like, new coats. I'm paraphrasing the song, and doing a terrible job at it, but yeah, she just loved this coat that her mother made her, and it meant more to her because, like, her Mom made her this. Growing up maybe at times with less, like I saw myself in that story, which is really important that we can see ourselves in other people that are having success. I mean, Dolly Parton's been, she's been rich longer than she was poor, but still!

M: you’re Canadian and moved to Los Angeles in your twenties and then also Paris; what would you say is different about the Canadian versus American versus European music industry?

GB: I guess in everyone's defense, I've been a different age. I was much younger when I was in LA and I was a little bit older and wiser when I moved to Paris. So I think that definitely changed what my experiences were. But I just felt my chapter in Paris was much more exploratory and but I also wasn't, you know, I wasn't signed to a label. I didn't have any of those types of links in my life. I was just really free. And at the time, I don't want to say nobody wanted to work with me, but it wasn't like my phone was ringing off the hook for people dying to work with me. I really had to kind of carve out my own path and find people that would resonate with what I was trying to do. And so I guess in that respect, like I felt really, I felt really supported by the musicians that I met in Paris. They taught me so much. When I was in LA, I was younger, and I really thought everybody knew better than me. So I was coming from a different place. I was just like, teach me, tell me who I am. And people were like, This is who you are. And I'm like, damn it. I don't like that. Like, now I get to go back to LA and I have such a different experience, I feel like I'm more in control of everything, because I'm coming in with my vision. Nothing was a failure, because I really learned, but some chapters were difficult to get through to the next room. Like, okay, so that was a lot of learning. I would like less learning in this next chapter.

M: you have such a beautiful eye for visuals, what is the process of music videos like for you?

GB: Gosh, well, I realized the other day that a lot of my references, they haven't changed from the beginning. Two of my favorite movies were, like, Scarface and Casino. And I still reference those movies. I've been referencing them since I released cowboy gangster. Well, obviously cowboy gangster was like a reference to Viva Las Vegas with Elvis and Anne Margaret. And I'm still referencing Anne Margaret to even now for my like upcoming videos, because it's just like she was such an interesting person in her mannerisms and how quirky she was, I relate to that so much more than somebody who's just like, super slick and sexy. Maybe my process is not very exciting. Of course, I have some people in my life that are wonderfully archived humans and I go to them, I ask them for recommendations on films and and books to read. So there's that. And then I just go down rabbit holes online. I find movies, and sometimes I just play them on mute when I'm in a studio. So if ever I'm, you know, without inspiration, I just kind of glance over at my computer and I see that there's a movie playing, and I'm like, Oh yeah, that sunset. That's beautiful, or the wallpaper, yeah. And then, of course, I guess if you're really stumped, micro dosing on anything is always helpful.

M: earlier this year you supported Orville peck; we’re nearing the new year; what was the best thing that happened for you this year and what are you hoping to achieve the most next year?

GB: I've worked really hard for a long time and not really seen much result. So this year, I started seeing results. And I was like, whoa. Like, slow down. I started getting what I wanted. And so I really made an effort to be like present, and even though I was scared like so a big thing for me this year, obviously, touring with Orville. It was a goal. It was such a clear goal, I specifically said I wanted to tour with him, and I got one show. And I am such a resourceful little lady that if I just get my foot in the door, I'm like, yes, I'm with you forever. So I managed to make that into 10 shows with Orville, and it all just kind of fell into place. And obviously that was huge, because I wanted to be around him also, just because of his meticulous esthetic, yes, and I know how hard it is to stick to that. So, you know, on the music side, sonically, I've been very inspired. But then you're like, creatively, how have you done this? It's so strong, to be around him, and he's so kind and and then a thing that happened, that I didn't really plan for, was meeting his fans and his listeners and his community. Everyone was so kind and accepting to me. So then when I did my headlining tour, a lot of the people that were at the Orville shows like would come up to me. They would say, I discovered you through Orville. And I could see the type of person they were, the way they spoke, where they carried themselves, the way they dressed. And I was like, shit, these are my people. Yeah, I love that. I hadn't toured in 10 years. My first real show was with Orville.

M: I like to end on a fun one! if you could be in any movie pre 2000’s, what would it be and why?

GB: Ohh! I think I would play Ginger, which is Sharon Stone. I would play her for so many reasons. I obviously love the fashion and the creative direction and the set design in the movie, that is a world I would love to live in, but just her character arc and how she was living this glamorous life, and then she just couldn't get out of it. She, you know, kept going back to her boyfriend who was a pimp. And it was glamorous. But also, reckless. I just have never ending cornucopia of life, but so so much of it was reckless and glamorous and so now I, yeah, I mean, I love that movie, love the character. And now I kind of, I feel like I get to delve into that with my music and songwriting and performance, but I get to put all the drama into that, and then what I'm trying to do is have, like, a healthy life.