Chrissy Chlapecka is a theater kid at heart. Just a few weeks ago, the queer pop sensation sang Lady Gaga’s “Judas” in a higher key during her New York City concert just because she felt like it. Ahead of her November shows, the singer-songwriter put on her bubbly personality and glittery black newsboy cap to chat about her deluxe EP “Girlie Pop: Encore,” where her Broadway pipes now take center stage on three new powerhouse pop ballads. “No tea, no shade, but I can sing live, like, I’m not going to sit here and deny it,” Chlapecka tells Beyond The Pines. “I’m not sure how many divas can, but I have a multi-faceted range.”
As a founding member of the “Bimbo Tok” movement, the blue-eyed glamazon is making great strides in moving away from the diamond-studded island of blonde stereotypes, an insult-turned-persona that the rising star curated for her five million TikTok followers via satirical, goofy skits. “I think people sometimes lose the plot [of my TikTok videos]: I was doing a bit, and [they would] come with harsh critiques,” explains Chlapecka. “People feel extremely threatened by femininity in itself, regardless of gender or sexuality. I just simply chose to celebrate mine. No matter what you wear, how you dress, or how you present yourself, everybody deserves respect. Period.” Now, she primarily uses the video platform to chip away at her music career, offering an intimate inside glimpse into rare live performances and the making of a gay pop star until she strikes gold.
And her six-track debut, “Girlie Pop”—a sound reminiscent of the early pop days of unsanitized (read: electronic) masterpieces from Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, and Heidi Montag—is pretty much that. Chlapecka admits that “Girlie Pop” is purposefully unserious and pumped with “pretty is a variable” gimmicks like cheerleader-coded sexual innuendo, amazing gaydar, and whiny pleas for more boyfriends.
Despite having millions of followers and opening for drag superstar Trixie Mattel in a body-painted “solid pink disco” look, Chlapecka still felt incomplete: “I find so much joy in the wit of what I do—the jokes, creating characters. But, you know, throughout my time on social media and making music, I’ve really craved more understanding from my audience.” The curation for “Encore” started with rifling through roughly 70 songs that didn’t make it onto the original EP, most with the singer’s trademark satirical wink. That was the case until the Illinois native rediscovered “probably the best song she’s ever written,” aka “My Only Dream Is To Be Loved”—the first of three times she struck something more precious than gold. Ultimately, the track’s sheer vulnerability shifted the direction of “Encore” from repeating the sapphic bimbo-nese of “I’m Really Pretty” to a darker, more serious affair, coined by her black leather “road dog” attire and matching metallic star-shaped eye art in the “My Only Dream” music video.
The chorus of “The One Who Gets To Cry,” the second bonus track, shows that Chlapecka means business: she bites into the fifth octave with a healthy vibrato that seemingly shies away from bigger leaps until the bridge requires multiple beyond sky-high belts. “I’ve wanted to let people in more because, while I’m goofy and fun, there are many layers to why I present myself that way. I’ve felt it was time to bring my audience, and others I want to reach, into my world, which is much deeper than it might seem,” Chlapecka explains. The deluxe EP’s new closing track, “I Only Want You,” trades the ballad territory for a thunderous, dance dark-pop edge but still requires the vocal acrobatics seen on the two previous tracks. “I love to present myself as sunshine, but it took a long time to get there, and it hasn’t been an easy journey.”
Switching from “10 Boyfriends” to “My Only Dream” is like starting another record, but the mic has always been on at Chlapecka’s shows and will continue being that way as she embraces her roots as a “theater girl” in future projects. “I’m really excited to share this side of my music with my audience because it’s so different from what the original EP sounds like. I think it introduces me to a new world of pop music and new sounds; everything really showcases my voice and the theatrics of everything I love,” Chlapecka says, who credits Lady Gaga as a “major blueprint” for her career, especially as little Chrissy mimicked her voice alongside Broadway icon Bernadette Peters in her childhood bedroom. “When I first started making pop music, I think for me, there was a bit of a disconnect, or understanding maybe, where I lived in the pop music space, just because I come from such a musical theater background.” Chlapecka went on to say that the three additional tracks “really complete” this era but would still want to give Gaga a full bimbo-tastic “Girlie Pop” makeover.
“Encore” is the going-off point of Chlapecka’s career, according to the LA-based singer-songwriter herself, but don’t worry: she’s still rocking pink stars in the leather-loving “My Only Dream” music video. “My fear was that if a song from ‘Girlie Pop’ blew up, I’m not sure I would’ve felt ready for all the attention and critique. I want to feel prepared [for my career to blow up],” said Chlapecka, who emphasizes that it feels great to explore “who Chrissy is” while she still can as a developing artist. “Before, I think I was a little bit swimming through, just trying to figure it out. Now, I feel very solid in my art, and I’m honored to have fans that are here for the change.”
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