We are catching up today with sora, Synamin Vixen and Laveau Contraire! Let’s dive into your release “Body Party”! Who had the brilliant idea to make it a collaboration project?
s: Heyhey Showbiz Mag! Thanks so much for having us! I guess we should introduce ourselves a bit first before getting to your first question, since it’ll make a little more sense after that. I’m sora, New Orleans’ premiere DIY pop star! I’ve been working on my latest musical project, VOL.24, which is a single-a-month venture, and “Body Party” was my December release, just in time to ring in the new year.
Synamin Vixen: Hi, I’m Synamin Vixen and I am the Synsual Spellcaster. I’m a performer, healer, writer, and diviner. I am the owner of Synsual Healing, where I offer a variety of services and herbal products for your personal healing.
Laveau Contraire: Hi I’m Laveau Contraire the Voodoo Drag Queen of New Orleans, here to put you all under my spell. I’ve been doing drag since 2015 and you couldn’t get me to stop if you tried! I’m the mother of Haus Contraire and I’m so excited to be here! Thanks for having us.
s: So “Body Party” is the seventh single from VOL.24, which is my single-a-month project I’m currently working on. The origins of the song is kind of a disjointed story; I took the verse from a separate song that I had been co-writing on for a different project. Ultimately the project, and therefore the song, was shelved, but the verse was too good to let it just collect dust, so I decided to take it for myself and repurpose it. The name of the song came from a tweet I came across that said something along the lines of “rhyming is such a funny thing, I can rhyme ‘body’ and ‘party’ and it’s totally valid.” With those two as the backbone, the song came to be.
The more I listened to it while I was working on it, the more I realized this would be a perfect song for a collaborative opportunity. And who better to call up than my fellow Haus Contraire members? I honestly couldn’t imagine anyone else on “Body Party”, and they seriously brought their all to the table.
Do you all have any plans to release a follow up?
s: Ooh, a follow-up…I hadn’t even thought of a direct follow-up to “Body Party” to be honest! What do y’all think?
LC: I don’t see why not!
SV: Let’s do it!
s: Ultimately, this isn’t going to be the end of our working relationship by any means. Even if we don’t end up making more music together, we will still be working together through thick and thin, be it on local show productions or each other’s music in the near future (is that a spoiler? Or wishful thinking? Haha). I’m definitely not opposed to having another Haus track though.
The video to Body Party was such a highlight! Did you all come up with the video treatment together? Fill us in on how it came to life.
s: I tend to work in a lowkey perfectionist manner; when I write I always make sure everything is a full package. Like with my debut album, PARAMOUNT, I had the tracklist written up and in order before some of the songs had even been written, but I knew the title of the song and what sound I wanted for it. So in this case, I already had some ideas for the “Body Party” video going in, but it was a relatively loose treatment.
LC: The song was sora’s creation, but the choreography was all Synamin.
SV: sora wanted a Body Party personified in the video, and is already an amazing dancer, so it was a fun challenge for me to merge our styles into the choreography for this song! All of the dancers were open to the challenge as well, and it made it such a joy to choreograph my first music video!
s: So while we had the treatment to follow, I really just wanted us to perform and do what we do best. Plus, we had some spur-of-the-moment inspiration hit us too; for instance, the human throne moment during Laveau’s verse in the video was Syn’s idea while we were filming. Overall, the video came out as a true authentic representation of all of us as performers and creators. Shoutout to our director too, Ricardo Betancourt, who we worked closely with to create the most dynamic video fitting for the song.
We love how you all incorporate style into all that you do! What is your favorite piece of clothing or accessory right now?
LC: I’m in my fringe era? So I’m just adding fringe to everything I wear. It catches the light, keeps you warm, blows in the wind… it’s perfect for all seasons!
SV: Part of my work is as a sex doula and somatic practitioner, so my favorite piece is my clitoris necklace. It makes a statement and sparks some conversations about safe and healthy practices.
s: Laveau got each of us a custom-made Haus Contraire ring for Christmas. It’s this beautiful gold band with the name in cursive wrapped around your finger. It’s a nice simple accent piece that pairs well with everything while also having the heartfelt sentiment. I absolutely love wearing it and flashing it to everyone who asks about it.
Any big goals for 2022?
LC: Survive! My goal for 2022 is to make it to the end without catching the ‘Rona.
s: What she said. I’m also still releasing songs for VOL.24. I don’t have a set end date on the project, but the idea is to keep going until I decide it’s time to end this chapter.
SV: I want to be on bigger stages this year, and continue to have fun with everything I create.
s: YES to bigger stages too! And just performing as much as possible in general.
Fill us in on where to watch the video and keep up with each of you!
s: The “Body Party” music video is out now on YouTube. The single, as well as Body Party The Remix, is also out on all major streaming platforms (Spotify, Apple Music, TIDAL, and more). You can find me online on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok at @soracalling. If you do the #BodyPartyDanceChallenge, make sure to tag us so we can hype you up!
SV: You can find me at @synaminvixen on IG and Tiktok.
LC: I’m @LaveauContraire on FB, IG, TT, Christian Mingle and Venmo <3
s: Not Christian Mingle! *laughs* Oh, also, follow the Haustagram at @hauscontraire!
End of Interview
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