Diandra Reviews It All- Interviews Chelsea Collins: Being Iconic Pop

She loves Britney Spears and Harley Quinn! She would be an emo-version of Belle, and believes troll figurines give good luck. PASS HER A FRAPPUCINO because Chelsea Collins is cool. She is fun, visual, and sees both as doorways to get people dancing and thinking about the one topic music can NEVER stop discussing: love. In our interview, Chelsea opens about the power of a approaching your art “in character” and how music helped her be brave enough to be herself.

Diandra: What about Britney Spears do you find most iconic? What is your “Britney-esque” moment?

Chelsea Collins: Britney was the ultimate pop phenomenon of my childhood and I’ve looked up to her from the beginning. Honestly, she is the word iconic. What I admire about her the most is her work ethic and performance skills. My re-occurring Britney moment is definitely getting Frappuccinos everyday, i’ve been getting them every other morning as a tradition since I was a kid because I wanted to be like her when I was young. lol
Chelsea Collins – 07 Britney (Official Music Video)

Diandra: You capture audiences, especially, in your videos through framing your work in characters. What characters, from either films or books, do you find most inspiring? Why?

Chelsea Collins: I incorporate characters into my style because I feel like I can express another side of creativity that is separate from my music, whether it be through a visual, or a costume, or whatever. As long as you don’t limit yourself, there’s a whole world out there for you to imagine and build. If I had to pick a favorite fictional character, I would choose Harley Quinn. She is very much a flawed person and has been both the victim and perpetrator in many instances throughout her life. Even though she’s conventionally considered a “villain,” she’s still a strong, smart, confident woman with a so much ambition, even if her emotional state is wildly unpredictable.

Diandra: Bouncing off that previous question, what is one role you are eager to play and why?

Chelsea Collins: Out of any character, I think Belle from Beauty and the Beast would be fun to play. Maybe in a modern-emo version of the film that is set in a more Tim Burton-themed castle. Belle is witty, elegant, empathetic and most importantly strong— even though The Beast didn’t really deserve her kindness; especially in the beginning of the film, she still is able to see the best in people.

Chelsea Collins – Used To Be (L.O.V.E.)

Diandra: What about goth do you feel appeals to your style and personality?

Chelsea Collins: I wouldn’t really describe my style as goth, but I love to take influences from goth style especially jewelry I liked as a kid. It’s so dope because, somedays, in fashion you want to be Paris Hilton and, other days, you want to be Avril Lavigne. What’s cool about fashion, is you can combine as many elements as you want.

Diandra: A fan of trolls, which one was your favorite? Do you believe they give good luck?

Chelsea Collins: I actually haven’t seen the movies yet!! I collect the old vintage trolls, generally finding them at thrift stores so its cool to wonder about their history. I’m still yet to get into the modern day trolls, I guess i just have a soft spot for the oldies. And duh they give good luck!!!!

DIandra: being self-produced and self-written, how has music shown you your own powerfulness?

Chelsea Collins: Taking control over my music and learning the skills has given me the opportunity to be the most honest version of myself as a singer, writer, and producer. I, originally, never thought I’d become a producer, but after hearing so many ideas in my head, I was anxious to learn because I had to execute them somewhere. I kinda just locked myself in my room until I figured it out and the biggest thing I learned, through the process, was that it was my own mental boundaries and doubt that were holding me back from starting. But never ever be scared to try something because of a fear of getting judged! I learned that when you truly put your mind to something, anything is possible.

ME: YAS,QUEEN!
Chelsea Collins – Tobacco and Tears

Diandra: What is your favorite lyric you have ever written?

Chelsea Collins: Off the top of my head, one that sticks out to me is “I miss trust issues, black tissues scattered on the bedroom floor, I miss drugs in your pocket, girls in the closet, somehow I liked it more”. It’s from an upcoming song of mine called “When U Were Psycho” and I can’t wait for my fans to hear this one! It’s a bop. lol

Diandra: What is the first song you ever wrote and what was it about?

Chelsea Collins: The first song I ever wrote was called “Addictive,” and the chorus was something like “Why are you so addictive it’s hard to get you out of my head”. I really wanted to be Taylor Swift so I would try and write songs with similar chords to hers. It was about thinking “it was fate” with a boy, who liked my best friend of course. Age 10 was rough.

Diandra: What is your favorite childhood memory with music?

Chelsea Collins: Woooahhh! I have so many. Whether I was jamming out to Britney or Avril or Taylor or Gwen with my Hello Kitty CD player, putting on mini room concerts for an audience of no one, finding new music through my parents old CDs, or making new music with my brother Nico. It’s so hard to choose because I feel like, since the beginning, of time my whole life has been music!

Diandra: Singing to love in “Used to be (L.O.V.E.), what is the most toxic and beautiful thing you find about love?

Chelsea Collins: The most toxic and beautiful thing about love is that it makes you selfless. When you truly love someone, you no longer come first. You can’t help it, you’re heart does the thinking for you. When two people are so in love, it’s so beautiful and a magical feeling, but when things start to fall apart, for a while, you feel like a shell of yourself.

Diandra: The track samples Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra, what about their era do you find glamorous, especially in terms of star power?

Chelsea Collins: When we look back on that era, you think of the ultimate legends of Hollywood. The talent was out of this world, and the overall sound and aesthetic of that time period is classic and timeless. The whole era was glamorous as a whole! When we think of Hollywood legends, like Marilyn Monroe, for example, you think of her style, attitude, confidence, and how much she has influenced so many other major actresses and singers that came after her. The musicians, like Frank Sinatra, as you just mentioned, are still widely known even by Generation Z because his voice and songs are the definition of timeless.

Diandra: You value visuals as much as sound. What are the films and/ or artworks, you find most stunning and why?

Chelsea Collins: I think modern-day action films are insane, like “Avatar” for example, because the colors and technology combined with humans is so out of this world. It feels like you are truly in that futuristic world with all the characters! I think the reason I gravitate so much towards those types of films is because they feel larger than life — and I love to use my imagination. It’s like an alternate universe; the same way I feel when I am lost in music 🙂

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