Empress Of

Lorely Rodriguez (born October 19, 1989), known professionally as Empress Of, is an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer based in Los Angeles. Her debut album, Me, was released to critical acclaim in 2015.

Empress Of
Empress Of performing in 2019
Background information
Birth nameLorely Rodriguez
Born (1989-10-19) October 19, 1989
OriginLos Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • musician
  • record producer
Years active2011–present
Labels
Websiteempressof.com

Career

Rodriguez initially gained attention in 2012 for anonymously releasing a series of one minute-long demos (via YouTube) prefaced only by a solid color entitled "Colorminutes".[1] Her first 7" single, "Champagne" was released soon after on November 5, 2012 through a limited run via No Recordings.[2][3] Lorely's stage name was inspired by a tarot card reading she did with a friend: "The first card he pulled out was an Empress card and I was like, 'It's me, I am Empress.' [...] the Empress card is connected to fertility and mothering and strength. It's kind of nice to have those feelings."[4]

On April 2, 2013, her bilingual four-track EP Systems was released via Double Denim and Terrible Records in the UK and North America respectively.[5] Since the release of her EP, she's showcased at SXSW, Iceland Airwaves and Pitchfork's Summer Music Festival[6] and toured as a support act with the likes of Jamie Lidell, Jungle, Kimbra and Florence and the Machine.

"Water Water", the first single off her debut full-length Me was released on April 14, 2015.[7] She has also released a Spanish-language version of the track, "Agua Agua" "so that [her] mother listens [to her] music." Rodriguez's debut album Me, which she self-produced and recorded in Mexico was released on September 11, 2015 via XL Recordings and Terrible.

During 2017, Rodriguez released a standalone single, "Go to Hell" on July 12. 2017 via Terrible. She also featured on two singles for Los Angeles producers, DJDS with the Billboard-charting "Why Don't You Come On" additionally featuring El Paso R&B singer, Khalid and a cover of Lana Del Rey's Lust for Life single, "Love" released on August 29, 2017 and December 1, 2017 respectively through Loma Vista Recordings for their third studio album Big Wave More Fire.

On April 11, 2018, double single "Trust Me Baby / In Dreams" premiered on Zane Lowe's Apple Music "Beats 1" radio show and released via Terrible. The former was co-produced by Cole M.G.N. In October 2018, she was featured on Khalid's first extended play release, Suncity.[8]

Rodriguez's second album, Us, was released on October 19, 2018. She supported Maggie Rogers on her fall 2019 Heard It in a Past Life tour.[9]

Her song "When I’m With Him" is featured on the soundtrack of the video game eFootball Pro Evolution Soccer 2020.

On April 12, 2020, Rodriguez's released her third studio album, I'm Your Empress Of via XL Recordings and Terrible. The album was preceded by the single, "Give Me Another Chance" released and premiered March 3. 2020 via Zane Lowe's Apple Music "Beats 1" radio.[10] Due to the 2020 COVID-19 crisis, no touring or live performances could be done to promote the album.

During 2020, Rodriguez founded and announced the start her own record label, Major Arcana. The announcement marked the fulfilment of her contracts with XL Recordings and Terrible Records respectively, thus allowing all future releases to be fully independent under her own brand.[11]

On October 27, 2020, Rodriguez released her first single via Major Arcana, "You've Got To Feel" featuring Grammy nominated singer/songwriter, Amber Mark [12] while subsequently releasing another single, "Broken" for the soundtrack of the Amazon Prime Video series, The Wilds on Nov 20, 2020.[13]

Personal life

Rodriguez is a first-generation Honduran-American.[14] She was raised by her mother in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. Lorely's first experiences with music were listening to her father's cassette tapes of the Beatles and Pet Shop Boys.[4] Formerly a resident of Brooklyn, NY, much of her debut album, Me addressed the hardships she faced while living in Brooklyn: "I hate the rats, I hate the rent, I hate all these shitty guys, I hate capitalism. [...] I am getting cat-called in the street, just being a woman walking and I should just be able to walk down the street, you know."

Rodriguez has a degree from Berklee College of Music in Boston.[15] She cites Julee Cruise, Elizabeth Fraser of the Cocteau Twins, the Zombies, and the Beach Boys as some of her musical inspirations.[16]

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays
  • Systems (2013)
  • Tristeza (2014)
  • Google Play: Live at the Milk JamRoom (2016)

As lead artist
Title Year Album
"Champagne" 2012 Non-album singles
"Realize You" 2013
"Water Water" 2015 Me
"Kitty Kat"
"How Do You Do It"
"Standard"
"Icon"
"Woman Is a Word" 2016 Non-album singles
"Go to Hell" 2017
"Trust Me Baby" 2018 Us
"When I'm With Him"
"Love For Me"
"I Don't Even Smoke Weed"
"Call Me" 2020 The Turning (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
"Give Me Another Chance" I'm Your Empress Of
"You've Got To Feel (featuring Amber Mark)" Non-album singles
"Broken" The Wilds (Amazon Original Soundtrack)
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
US Dance/Elec.
[17]		 US
[18]
"The Way That You Like"
(Pional featuring Empress Of)		 2016 —— When Love Hurts
"Reformer"
(Darkstar featuring Empress Of)		 —— Made to Measure
"Best to You"
(Blood Orange featuring Empress Of)		 —— Freetown Sound
"Stonefist" (Remix)
(Health and Boys Noize featuring Empress Of)		 2017 —— DISCO3+
"Why Don't You Come On"
(DJDS featuring Khalid & Empress Of)		 30— Big Wave More Fire
"Love" ((DJDS featuring Empress Of)
 ——
Zombie Conquerer
(Dirty Projectors featuring Empress Of)		 2018 —— Lamp Lit Prose
"Suncity"
(Khalid featuring Empress Of)		 —88 Suncity
"Red Wine"
(MØ featuring Empress Of)		 —— Forever Neverland
"Naughty"
(Tommy Genesis featuring Empress Of)		 —— Tommy Genesis
"Connect"
(Toro y Moi featuring Empress Of)		 2019 —— Smartbeats
"Wild Girl"
(Kito featuring Empress Of)		 —— Non-album singles
"Tennis Fan"
(Banoffee featuring Empress Of)		 —— Look at Us Now Dad
"Note to Self"
(Jim-E Stack featuring Empress Of)		 2020 —— EPHEMERA

References
  1. "Empress Of's 11 "Colorminutes" « PMA - Pretty Much Amazing". Prettymuchamazing.com.
  2. "Empress Of – "Champagne" Video". Stereogum.com. November 5, 2012.
  3. "Empress Of // "Champagne"". SoundCloud.com.
  4. "Empress Of Takes the Cards She Was Dealt". Noisey.vice.com. September 2015. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  5. "Empress Of". Pitchfork.com.
  6. "5 Minutes with Empress Of at Pitchfork Music Festival 2013". Sidewalkhustle.com. August 2, 2013.
  7. "Empress Of debuts new song "Water Water"". Terriblerecords.com.
  8. "All 27 of Khalid's Collaborations, Ranked: Critic's Picks". Billboard. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  9. "Maggie Rogers unveils fall tour dates". The FADER. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  10. https://pitchfork.com/news/empress-of-announces-new-album-shares-video-for-new-song-watch/
  11. https://www.vulture.com/2020/11/empress-of-interview-new-label-youve-got-to-feel.html
  12. https://consequenceofsound.net/2020/10/empress-of-amber-mark-youve-got-to-feel/
  13. https://uproxx.com/indie/empress-of-broken-the-wilds/
  14. "Empress Of Pivots From 'Me' To 'Us'". NPR.org. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
  15. "Empress Of Releases Her Debut Record 'Me' With A Newfound Confidence". Galoremag.com. September 10, 2015. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  16. "INTERVIEW: GETTING REAL WITH EMPRESS OF". Allstonpudding.com. April 10, 2013. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  17. "Empress Of : Why Don't You Come On Chart History". Billboard.com. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  18. "Empress Of : Suncity Chart History". Billboard.com. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
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