Interview: Halston Dare Talks About Her New Single ‘Girls’

By Markos Papadatos | Published July 4, 2021

Rising artist Halston Dare chatted with Digital Journal’s Markos Papadatos about her new single “Girls.”

Tell me about your new single “Girls.”

My song “Girls” is one of the most fun songs I have ever created. It was my first time working with Jesse in person and we had so much fun together. I have never laughed that much in the studio. He and I are a good match together. I wanted to write a song about girls across all body types, and how beautiful they are.

Aside from how beautiful all girls are, I also wanted to make the comment about how it doesn’t matter what other people think and what’s going on in our relationships with guys and girls! We can choose to live our best lives and not let other people’s opinions affect us. My dad once told me your attitude determines your altitude, so like the lyric in my song “Girls” goes “not a worry in the world“ that’s how I’m going to continue living my life!

The audio premiere may be seen below.

You worked with Jesse Barrera, the producer behind acts like Tori Kelly and US the Duo, on this new release. How did that connection develop and grow in the studio?

Jessie and I started working together when I did an E.L.F. cosmetics campaign, and it was so exciting working with him. He and I automatically clicked and were on the same brainwave. He is so funny, has the cutest dogs, and has one of the coolest studios I have ever been to in LA.

How did you land the location and look for this new song and the artwork?

Keegan is one of my favorite photographers that I’ve ever worked with. He knew exactly what vibe I wanted to go for and knew exactly where to go. I knew I wanted to be in Beverly Hills with the typical palm tree look. I had this perfect exact image in my head and what is so cool about it is that the artwork is exactly what I saw in my head.

Keegan and I brainstormed together, and he picked out Carmelita Drive, and I worked on getting the outfits, shoes, and makeup together. I actually did a lot of the girls’ makeup and styled them before we left for the shoot. It was a really fun day and I am so proud of myself, and my team, and my photographer for getting it all done so well. Other than the shoot for my previous single “Pinnacle”, “Girls” cover art is my favorite image that I’ve ever done.

From Billboard-charting releases to several of your songs amassing millions of streams across Spotify and Triller, how do you continue to connect and interact with your fans to build such a supportive fan base?

Of course, social media is the easiest way to connect with fans. I’m not much of a fan of live streams, but sometimes I will go live. The way that I connect with my fans the best is by answering DMs and comments.

With a song like “Girls”, tell us about the women in your life who have influenced who you are and the sound that you have developed in the pop arena?

Some of the most beautiful and influential women in my life are my mom, my godmother Lise and some of my best girlfriends. Women are so incredibly powerful and beautiful human creatures. Some of the things that women are capable of are absolutely extraordinary, and that’s beyond being beautiful physically and emotionally. And, just for those reasons, I think women deserve a song like “Girls”.

Describe the ideal “girl’s night” with your circle of friends.

Oh my gosh, one of my favorite things to do is have a girl’s night. So, a typical girl’s night for me would be getting to-go dinner and getting to-go chocolate or Nutella strawberry crepes with chocolate-covered strawberries and white wine or my favorite drink that I make at my house which is called “the bittersweet.”

We’d talk and catch up for as long as we could or watch music videos or a movie and catch up on a series or go to the hot tub. I am a homebody and I love chill nights. I would rather stay in and hang out with my friends and talk rather than going out to a bar or club. If you see me out at a club, just know that I actually don’t want to be there. Ha.

If you could record a duet with any female, who would you choose and why?

Julia Michaels, Ava Max, or Dua Lipa. They are an iconic trio of artists. They are all beautiful. I love their writing styles. I love how fun their music is, and they are inspirational. I have been listening to all three of them for years. Another one could also be Sasha Sloan. She’s definitely one of my other biggest inspirations. I actually got to meet her on my 19th birthday which was so cool and that night I also got to go to a Julia Michaels concert. What a double whammy!

To learn more about Halston Dare, follow her on Facebook and Instagram.

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