fantastical dreams and nightmare worlds

Photographs By Rick Perez

Los Angeles musician Polartropica opens up about coming from an authentic place, staying true to your vision, and her upcoming “Do You Wanna Play?” Single Release Party on March 10th.

Los Angeles, USA

How did you begin your journey as a musician?

I started out playing classical piano and trumpet in orchestra, marching bands, and jazz bands. When I moved to Los Anegeles I played in local bands to learn as much as I could about touring and live arrangements. When I started Polartropica I got to record, perform ,and make music videos with some of my best friends and favorite people so it's truly been an awesome journey.

What are some things you've learned along the way?

To not take anything personally, things can get weird sometimes with industry and even friends but just stay true to your vision and keep truckin along.

How did you develop your sound? What makes you unique from other indie artists?

I'm always trying to create fantastical dreams and nightmare worlds with my music and aesthetics, and whatever I'm creating I take the time to really live that life for a minute to research and come from an authentic place so it's as real as possible.

You came to the United States from Taiwan when you were two years old. How do the Taiwanese and American cultures influence you as an artist? Why is this important?

Because I came here when I was so young, I'm always finding ways to stay connected to Taiwan and tell stories I can remember from my relatives and family. It's such a beautiful place with so much nature, the kindest folks, delicious food, and rich history. My biggest influences in pop and rock music growing up definitely come from American culture.

There is a bit of storytelling in Polartropica's catalogue of music and videos ~ and now that travel is better I would love to perform and spend some time there! Asia tour, let's go :)

What are some highlights of your musical journey? What are some struggles?

Releasing our first full length LP "Dreams Come True," getting our record into Amoeba Records and then selling them out, opening for Poppy at The NOVO and SD House of Blues, headlining L.A. Pride Hollywood Stage. and Palm Springs Pride, getting our song "Give Them Hell" into feature film thriller "Unseen"...it's been such a fire year! I would say it's always hard building something from the ground up as an indie artist but I'm so lucky to have incredible friends and collaborators to make the coolest art and it's worth the blood, sweat, and tears.

You are gearing up to release your single, "Do You Wanna Play?", on March 10th. What is this song about ? How is it different from your previous releases?

DO YOU WANNA PLAY is an epic Sports and fashion anthem complete with hot crushes, competition, camaraderie, and betrayal - we've never had such drama before.

We're excited for the release party at the Paramount on March 10th. What can everyone expect from the show?

Show of the MF YEAR with local legends TRISHES and Alexis de la Rocha of Beatmo and Morriseyoke, and Tune In Tokyo DJ Collective closing the night with their Plastic City - City Pop and Vintage Vinyl. More special guests TBA, the show is co-presented by Coconut Spaceship Records and Reckless Magazine who will be curating a photography exhibition that night, at the gorgeous, historic Paramount Theater. All ages show with free parking, pull up with the fam!

Other than the new single and party, what's next for you?

We're excited to share that we have a few more singles coming your way this year, and we can't wait to announce our next record! In the meantime, we'll be hitting the road and bringing our music to you. We'll be performing at several showcases at SXSW in Austin, and we're thrilled to announce that we'll be hosting our first-ever roller skate disco Polartropica show at The Template in San Diego March 19.

We're also proud to announce that our latest music video, "What's Your Fantasy," directed by Vanessa Marzaroli, has been selected for the New York Indie Shorts Award, Cannes Shorts, Luminous Frames, Bloody Festival Roma, and is a winner of the London Director Awards and will be screening at various film festivals this year!

In addition, keep an eye out for our song "Give Them Hell," which will be featured in the upcoming Blumhouse horror/thriller feature "UNSEEN," directed by Yoko Okumura. We have more exciting festivals and travel plans in the works, make sure you're following us on IG or Tik Tok for updates!