Freya Skye is chasing a feeling. The feeling is swerving and dodging, and circling her, but putting up a lazy fight, because she catches it so easily. In the end, maybe it was less about chasing the feeling and more about translating it. In Skye's world, there's a slight liberation that comes from divulging deeper matters of the heart to create a piece of work about your seemingly bad taste in men.

As far as the songwriting process goes, there is nothing to rush into for Skye; getting there is more about preserving the feeling that writing the song means, and immortalizing this time of her life in a way that allows others to reach in and share. In her newest single, “bad taste”, that's exactly the mantra she adopts. A single that takes on a messier, more reflective mood, and is more sarcastic than the place she usually creates.

With over two million monthly listeners on Spotify, and an amassed 2.8 billion streams worldwide, Skye released her debut EP titled Stardust in February. After a two-month gap in her international tour, Stars Align, that started in the same month, she is coming back to the US. for another sold-out leg of shows. Since her breakout into the music industry in 2022, the past four years have been a whirlwind of creating new music, as well as starring in Disney’s Zombies Franchise. But as far as music goes, Skye is only just honing in on her sound, and learning how she plans to navigate creating her art.

Skye is only in the early stages of her career, and while she develops these different eras of music for herself, she can't help but bathe in their light as they unfold. New music will follow, but for now, she chooses to languish in the present. 

You've grown up performing; what has it been like to have such an illustrious career during such formative moments of your life?

Honestly, it's such a strange thing to try to explain, because it's genuinely all I've known. Performing has just kind of grown up alongside me. I think the biggest thing is that I've had so much support around it the whole way, my family, my team, keeping me grounded through all of it, so it's never felt like it was happening to me. It felt like something I got to grow into, if that makes sense.‍

Most of your music touches on the tribulations of love, especially your latest single bad taste, is it cathartic, daunting or both to express these themes? What do you hope fans connect with?‍

Honestly, it's both, every time. Getting a feeling out of your head and into a song is so cathartic, but there's always a moment right before something comes out where it feels daunting too, because suddenly it's not just yours anymore, it's out there for everyone to hear and pick apart. I think that's true no matter what the song is about. What's different with "bad taste" is the tone more than the theme, I've never let myself be this sarcastic or playful in a song before, and it was such a fun place to write from. But what I hope people connect with is the same thing I always hope for, that they hear it and feel a little less alone in whatever they're going through, even dressed up in something lighter this time.

How has embarking on your own journey as an artist impacted your thoughts about forging your own creative license?

I've actually always been really hands on with the writing, even before anyone was paying attention. I started writing in my bedroom when I was so young, just because I loved it. So for me it's less about gaining creative license and more about getting to keep it and build on it as things have grown. Getting to work with so many incredible writers over the last few years has really evolved my style and my confidence though. I've learned so much just from being in the room with people that talented, and honestly it's pushed me to trust my own instincts even more too.

Confidence is something a lot of young people struggle with. How has it felt to put yourself out there so unabashedly and received such positive fan response?

I'm not going to pretend I don't still get nervous, because I definitely do. But I think putting yourself out there gets a little easier every time you do it, especially when you have fans who show up for you the way mine do. Every message, every comment, it genuinely means so much, and it's made me so much more comfortable just being myself. I'd tell anyone struggling with that: it doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to be honest.

What was your state of mind while creating 'bad taste'? Was there anything different about your perspective as opposed to your earlier records?

I wanted to write something fun and a little messy for once, honestly. My earlier stuff came from a more serious place a lot of the time, and I love those songs, but with "bad taste" I just wanted to let loose a bit. It's fast, it's a little chaotic, and I had so much fun in the studio with it. I think that's the biggest difference, I trusted myself more this time to just make something that felt good, without it having to mean something huge.

Did you use any references for this new single?

Not really specific references, if I'm honest, it was more about chasing a feeling than pulling from anywhere else. I just locked into this playful, sarcastic mood early on and let that lead the whole thing, more than any particular song or sound.

With the release of 'bad taste', what can we expect from this new phase of your music career? Are there any new themes that 'bad taste' is teasing?

"bad taste" is actually a really special one for me, I wrote it over a year ago and honestly never thought it would even come out. But watching fans react to it live during the first two legs of the Stars Align Tour completely changed my mind. I could just feel how much they connected with it, so I knew I had to give it to them properly, a video and everything, and really tie a bow on it. So for me, "bad taste" isn't teasing what's next so much as it's closing out this chapter in the most fun way I could. There's a whole new era coming, and I cannot wait for that, but for right now, I just want to give this one its moment.