We’ve all been there. We’re seeing someone and everything is vibing pretty well, but somehow they only want to talk when it’s 3AM. BARKLEY’s latest single, un-ironically titled “3AM” covers the exact feeling.
BARKLEY, who’s real name is Susie, chose this alias because it’s her mom’s maiden name.
“Susie sounds like a suburban child from the 50’s, so I was never super into that as an option. And my mom is truly the best (hey mom!) so using her name was a very natural choice for me.”
We got to talk about it and she explained to me this was actually a personal experience for her.
She says, “For me, it started as that universal situation where I was into someone, but they’d only hit me up every Friday or Saturday late at night. So I initially thought the situation was very casual, but then he’d randomly do very sweet, romantic, not-casual things.”
"I knew it would never be serious, but it was never just physical. It lived in that amazing/tortuous grey area where everything is magical but fleeting.”
“I’m not into being over flowery or precious with my language,” she tells me. And when BARKLEY goes into her childhood it kind of makes sense.
“I think I was kind of a weird kid. I was a comedy nerd who also played competitive hockey, but I did have a tight group of friends who were also somewhat odd in the most amazing way so we had this wonderful us-against-the-world mentality.”
“I think that worldview still seeps into my songwriting today. It’s very blunt, but still romantic and kind of cheeky.” BARKLEY’s sound is unapologetic and raw - and that’s what makes each song so addicting.
“I think it was a super conscious choice to do this. I really like to write the way I talk. Swearing or being blunt is part of how I talk when I’m with my friends on any given day. All of the lyricists I love the most tend to have a really honest, conversational tone as well so I always try to channel that.”
“I grew up on a fairly wide variety of artists, from Avril Lavigne, to John Mayer, to David Bowie,” she tells me, "But I’d say as far as current artists go, Charli XCX’s most recent mixtape is blowing my mind. I really think she’s pushing the needle forward in a way that few other pop artists are."
As for the rest of the year, don’t worry, BARKLEY assures me she’ll be releasing more music.
“I’m going on a few international writing trips to continue writing material for myself. And I’m also a songwriter for other people, so there are a few artists whose projects I’m excited to keep working on.”
Check out “3AM” now because I guarantee you’ll love it as much as I do and follow Barkley on Spotify, Instagram, and Twitter.
