Rebecca Black might not have grown up in the church, but the pop-priestess knows a thing or two about the spiritual realm. There was her frenetic 2024 Boiler Room set, which saw partygoers bowing down to her biblical BPMs. Then there’s her birth chart, which she has memorised (Cancer Sun, Virgo Rising, Capricorn Moon). And then, of course, there’s her latest album, aptly titled SALVATION.
Glittery yet guttural, SALVATION mixes hard club beats with saccharine scatterings of pop. Using religion as a metaphor, Black explores themes of reclamation and rediscovery, touching on her own queerness and the over-the-top idealisation of female pop icons.
For Black, this reclamation is something she’s been living out in real-time, undoing the cynicism the internet imposed on her at 13. “I was a girl who was just so joyful, willing to play, not caring about the result,” she says, reflecting on advice she’d give her younger self. “I think I’m only now coming back to that – reclaiming that freedom, that joy, that instinct to just be without overthinking everything.”
You can see that unlearning everywhere: the camp chaos of her live shows, her collectable plushies she flashes to me onscreen, and the chalice of “Sugar Water Cyanide” she’s got us all drinking from. Fresh off an international run of shows, Black takes our new dA-Zed quiz, sharing her thoughts on crushes, kegels, and her unhinged sleeping setup.
A IS FOR… ADVICE. WHAT’S THE BEST PIECE OF ADVICE YOU’VE EVER BEEN GIVEN?
The only person who knows the right answer, in most cases, is you.
B IS FOR… BIRTHPLACE. WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
I was born in Irvine, California.
C IS FOR… CRUSH. WHO’S YOUR ULTIMATE CRUSH?
I always have a crush. My crush is anyone who’s in front of me. I love someone I can crack, someone I can get in there and poke a little bit.
D IS FOR… DRINK. WHAT’S YOUR GO-TO DRINK?
My go-to drink this summer is the Bombay Sapphire sparkling lemon cocktail. I’ve been partnering with Bombay Sapphire on their campaign for this cocktail. And it’s just everything I am, I’m a gin girl.
E IS FOR… ENDGAME. WHAT’S YOUR ULTIMATE GOAL?
To be fulfilled.
F IS FOR… FOR YOU PAGE. WHAT’S ON YOUR FYP RIGHT NOW?
The girl who tells you to do the Kegels. I got one last night right before I went to bed and I did it, and she’s awesome. I’ve noticed that I jump a lot on stage, and there are moments where I’m jumping so much that if I don’t pee right before I go on stage, the chance I’ll pee in my pants a little bit is really high.
G IS FOR… GOD. DO YOU HAVE FAITH OR SPIRITUAL PRACTICE?
I was actually raised really agnostic. Both my parents turned away from their own familial faiths at the same time. But I’m fascinated by it, and I love it. It’s why I feel like I use a lot of religious imagery in what I do.
H IS FOR… HOBBY. DO YOU HAVE A NICHE HOBBY? AND IF SO, WHAT IS IT?
I love baking for my friends, especially birthday cakes. I was also really into rock climbing last year. Everyone else was doing it, and I thought, ‘Why not?’ It’s fun, but I was getting a lot of bruises, so I chilled on it before starting the album rollout.
I IS FOR… INTERNET. WHERE DO YOU SPEND THE MOST TIME ON THE INTERNET?
Google Calendar or The RealReal.
J IS FOR… JOKES. WHO MAKES YOU LAUGH MOST IN THE WORLD?
I’ve been spending so much time with my touring family, and honestly, my friend and MD, Anton, is the most cursed person I’ve ever met in my life. He makes everybody laugh every day.
K IS FOR… KISMET. DO YOU BELIEVE IN FATE?
I don’t know. I think, when it suits me, I want to believe in it, but I’m not sure I do. Maybe I’ll believe in it when I find the right person, but I don’t really think we’re destined to meet our fate.
L IS FOR… LOVE. WHAT’S THE MOST ROMANTIC THING SOMEONE’S EVER DONE FOR YOU?
I had a girl I was dating a few years ago, I was on tour in Germany, and I was really sick in Berlin. She sent me a care package of wellness stuff, teas, and everything from America. That was really sweet.
M IS FOR… MEME. WHAT’S A MEME YOU REFERENCED OVER AND OVER AGAIN?
I’m so bad at recollecting but right now, it’s Lady Gaga’s reposts.
N IS FOR… NATURE. WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE ANIMAL?
I love an octopus or a whale. Octopuses are just the most intelligent, beautiful creatures ever. Same with whales. I love an intelligent animal.
My friends and I started going to Be At One in London’s West End, and it was so random… The only people that were there were the most fried, geezer men and finance bros. The vibe was insane
O IS FOR… OPINION. WHAT’S YOUR HOT TAKE?
I hate coffee. I love caffeine, but I think coffee is such a difficult drink to get right every single morning, so I stopped drinking it because most of the time it was really bad. Now I just drink Earl Grey, Red Bull, Diet Coke… Londoner at heart.
P IS FOR… PARTY. WHERE IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE TO GO OUT?
London. Not even joking. I had an amazing time when I was in London. I did a DJ set at Phonox, and that was so much fun. My friends and I started going to the Be At One in the West End, and it was so random. It was the only thing that was open. The only people who were there were the most fried, geezer men and finance bros. The vibe was insane.
Q IS FOR… QUOTE. WHAT QUOTE DO YOU LIVE BY?
I think it’s so stupid, but I’m definitely on a big ‘life is short, do the thing, do what you want’ vibe.
R IS FOR… READING. WHAT BOOK COULD YOU READ AGAIN AND AGAIN?
In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado, which is an amazing queer book.
S IS FOR… STAR SIGN. WHAT’S YOUR BIG THREE?
My Cancer sun, Virgo rising, Capricorn moon. I live in LA.
T IS FOR… TV. WHO WOULD PLAY YOU ON A TV SERIES ABOUT YOUR LIFE?
This is unconventional, but I do know there’s a porn star named Rebecca Black. She’s nothing like me, though. I don’t know anything about her, but there’s that.
U IS FOR… UNDERRATED. WHAT DO YOU THINK IS UNDERRATED?
It’s so hard to find things that are underrated these days on the internet. As soon as something feels like it deserves to be bigger, then it has its moment. So it’s probably a disgusting answer, but I’ll say I think I’m underrated.
V IS FOR… VIDEO. WHAT IS THE LAST VIDEO ON YOUR PHONE?
Me in the studio working on a new song yesterday.
W IS FOR… WHERE. WHAT’S YOUR DREAM TRAVEL DESTINATION?
I’ve never been to Asia. I want to go to Japan, or Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand.
X IS FOR… X. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE SOMEONE TRYING TO GET OVER THEIR EX?
There’s no set time frame for healing, and that’s my main advice. Also, don’t fear doing the wrong or right thing in order to get over someone. There’s no correct way to do it. The only regret I have is when I was too afraid to get myself back out there, too afraid to do something for myself, or too afraid to break up with that person in the first place.
Y IS FOR… YOUNGER SELF. WHAT’S ONE THING YOU’D SAY TO YOUR 13-YEAR-OLD SELF?
I’d tell her she was right. She was right because there was so much freedom in the thoughts we have as kids. I was a girl who was just so joyful, willing to play. I didn’t really care about the result, it was mainly about the experience. After my experience at 13, my ability to live in that space got shaken. I became more self-aware, more cautious, more afraid of being wrong. But that little girl knew what she was doing. She trusted herself, and I think I’m only now coming back to that – trying to reclaim that freedom, that joy, that instinct to just be without overthinking everything. So yeah, I’d tell her: you were right. And I’m trying to find you again.
Z IS FOR… ZZZ. WHAT HELPS YOU SLEEP?
ASMR. I have an app on my phone where you can mix your own white noise, and I have a giant sleep mask that goes over my face. It looks ridiculous, but those three together, I will sleep. That’s the combo.
SALVATION is out now
