Music and fashion have always been intertwined. Look to the past to Beatlemania’s influence on the Chelsea boot or Janis Joplin’s psychedelic ensembles. Today, music’s influence over culture and fashion is at an all-time high, with iconic styles like Beyoncé’s felt cowboy hats, Taylor Swift’s sequin-embellished looks, and Kendrick Lamar’s now famous boot cut jeans.
Breakout pop artist Audriix seamlessly walks between these two worlds, and this was particularly poignant during New York Fashion Week. The singer (fresh off tours with Lindsey Stirling, Madison Beer, and Aly & AJ) released her newest song, “Where the Boys Are” on Valentine’s Day, following a week of runway appearances, performances, and designer collaborations in the Big Apple. We sat down with the artist to chat trends, inspiration, and of course, her go-to footwear for on and off the stage.
Unlaced: Tell us about your new release, “Where the Boys Are.”
Audriix: My new song, “Where the Boys Are,” is a tongue-in-cheek, upbeat synthy pop song that playfully captures the struggle between restraint and temptation. I drew from a few different personal experiences in the lyrics, but overall wanted to write something that was super catchy and gave the feeling of having relationship struggles and going out to find some new boys. I wrote it with the incredible Kevin Rudolf who also produced the track. The goal was for listeners to be able to sing along with the song by the time they’ve listened to it once and hopefully we achieved that.
Who are some of your biggest musical and fashion influences?
My earliest musical influence was the Backstreet Boys, who inspired my love of pop music at a young age. I’m very influenced by pop artists who write catchy, synthy songs with meaningful lyrics, like Dua Lipa, Sia, and One Direction. My main fashion influences are Taylor Swift, Margot Robbie, and Zendaya — super glam, beautiful, fashionable, and colorful.
Is there a particular era in fashion or music that influences your artistry the most?
I think both my music and my fashion are heavily influenced by late 1980s/early 1990s aesthetics. In terms of fashion, I wear a lot of colorful mini dresses, crop tops, mini skirts or high-waisted shorts, and monochromatic palettes with pops of color, and vibrant makeup. My music also draws heavily on this same era, especially “Where the Boys Are,” which has a very ’80s synth sound with the catchiness of ’90s pop.
How do you use fashion to visually communicate the themes of your songs?
My music is upbeat fun, synthy pop and draws on themes of women empowerment and relationships. I think my fashion fits this well in terms of fun, colorful, girly outfits often paired with a chunky boot or sneaker to add some power and edge. My go-to colors are pinks and purples, and I wear a lot of sparkle, which I also think fits my sound and themes of my music.
What were your go-to shoes for Fashion Week? And what about for performing on stage?
My go-to shoes for both Fashion Week and performances are chunky heeled boots or stylish sneakers. When I’m performing, I’m also dancing, so it’s important to be able to dance and move and have balance while still having a fashionable outfit. I also tend to have girly, sparkly outfits, and boots add a little edge to the sparkle. My favorite shoes for Fashion Week were black leather Dolce Vita boots. My favorite brand of shoe is Loci, which are super stylish and comfortable vegan sneakers that come in an enormous variety of colors and styles.
We are loving your look for Cesar Galindo with the fishnet tights. We’ve been seeing a big rise in legwear. How do you like to style them?
I love dresses and skirts, so tights are a go-to for me in the winter to stay warm under my dresses. I like to play with different kinds of tights, not just black, but different colors and sometimes different patterns as well.
What were some of your favorite trends spotted at NYFW?
My favorite trend from NYFW was sequins and sparkle. I saw a lot of looks full of embellishments, and all the looks I wore were also very out there and sparkly. When I walked in the Flying Solo Show wearing Viktoria Marchev, I wore an incredible silicone silver sparkly dress (silver was another trend I saw a lot). I wore a full sequined pink dress for the Richerette X Care Bears show. For the Michael DePaulo show one, of my looks was a sequined gold dress. And for Cesar Galindo’s show I had a black dress with a bedazzled sequined “New York City” emblem. So, the metallic, sequined trend was very present for all the shows I walked in.
