Arrow De Wilde is the most unpredictable and most fascinating woman in the entire rock game: As the singer of the US band Starcrawler she gives the often dead-beat music genre a real energy kick with her mix of furious punk rock and catchy glam pop. Thomas Clausen met the 23-year-old musician and style icon exclusively for L'Officiel Austria for an interview.

<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starcrawler">Arrow De Wilde</a> was practically born with the rock&#39;n&#39;roll gene: From an early age, she accompanied her mother, the renowned photographer, and director Autumn De Wilde, on shoots for acts such as the White Stripes, Death Cab For Cutie, and Beck. She also learned a thing or two from her famous father, drummer Aaron Sperske, at concerts and in the studio. Growing up in the northeast of downtown Los Angeles, the now 23-year-old has always felt drawn to the legendary <a href="https://lofficiel.at/en/tags/hollywood">Hollywood</a> Boulevard - to the world-famous sights as well as to the dark corners of the brightly lit glittering mile.

A childhood between the sparkling radiance of the Walk of Fame or the Grauman&#39;s Chinese Theatre on the one hand, and the morbid attraction of the creepy Museum of Death with exhibits of serial killer Ted Bundy or the Hollywood Forever Cemetery just a few blocks away, where numerous film and music icons such as actress Judy Garland or Beatles guitarist George Harrison were laid to rest. A light-dark contrast that is also reflected today in the sound of their band Starcrawler, founded in 2015. After the quintet earned a worldwide fan base with their first two albums, the U.S. rockers are now releasing their third long player, &quot;She Said&quot;. &nbsp;

At concerts, you&#39;re often characterized as an intersection of Courtney Love and Iggy Pop, who sometimes kicks the smartphone out of the hands of intrusive cell phone filmers. Asked directly: Has rock music become too boring in 2022? 
Arrow de Wilde: &quot;Maybe. I want to move people and give them a show they&#39;ll never forget. Many bands today just stand around and reel off their program; that&#39;s not our idea of good entertainment. On stage, I become a different person that sometimes I can&#39;t control. It&#39;s like a rush where I let myself go and afterward I don&#39;t remember anything. But it&#39;s been a while now since the last cell phone broke ...&quot;&nbsp;

Which idols did you grow up with? 
Arrow de Wilde: &quot;With bands like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the Runaways or L7. Fearless chicks who took their space and embodied a very confident form of femininity. A big influence was also my mother, who always let me have my own experiences. And my own mistakes.&quot;

&nbsp;

With two parents in the entertainment business, I&#39;m sure your path was set very early ... 
Arrow de Wilde: &quot;I always knew I wanted to express myself artistically. But I didn&#39;t really discover my passion for music until I got to high school. As a little girl, I had absolutely no interest in music. My mother tried desperately to get me interested in piano lessons - and I hated it with all my heart, preferring instead to draw or paint. Then, when I heard a song by Ozzy Osbourne for the first time, I was immediately infected and knew that I wanted to become a singer.&quot;

"When I heard Ozzy Osbourne for the first time, I knew that I wanted to become a singer."

You founded Starcrawler at the age of only 15 and were already in the spotlight at a young age. This is a time you deal with in the song &quot;Toy Teenager&quot;. 
Arrow de Wilde: &quot;I spent half my life with agents trying to convince me to be in advertising campaigns. At a certain point, it really took on scary traits. I want to make music and not be reduced to a clothing rack. I have nothing against fashion, but I find modeling kind of weird and a little oppressive. I want people to accept me for my songs and not just for my body or the fact that certain clothes fit me well.&quot;

&nbsp;

Your new album is titled &quot;She Said.&quot; What was the recording process like? 
Arrow de Wilde: &quot;The first songs were written during the lockdown. When it seemed reasonably safe to meet again, our guitarist Henri and I composed the tracks through an open window. He stood outside my house with his guitar, I sat on the window sill. Almost like Romeo and Juliet. I&#39;m sure my neighbors thought we had gone completely crazy.&quot;

hollywood.jpg

Were there any new talents or bad habits you developed during the pandemic? 
Arrow de Wilde: &quot;I had a real writer&#39;s block. I tried to write new songs, but nothing happened. Then I started cooking and baking by myself and taking care of the strip of sand in front of our house, which I slowly turned into a small garden. This helped me. As soon as the first plants sprouted, my creative juices started flowing again, too. This narrow piece of land saved me from going completely crazy.&quot;

&nbsp;

So what&#39;s growing in Garden De Wilde? 
Arrow de Wilde: &quot;Various vegetables and flowers. At least I hope so. Since we&#39;ve been touring constantly again, I haven&#39;t gotten to see it ...&quot;&nbsp;

&nbsp;

How do you create your songs? 
Arrow de Wilde: &quot;There is no set recipe. Sometimes Henri shows up with a stack of lyrics or a guitar melody, in other cases I get inspired by old books. I collect interesting words or phrases that I get stuck on while reading. We then look together at how everything can be combined into a coherent story.&quot;

image-Teilstück-2.3.jpg

What kind of books do you have on your shelf? 
Arrow de Wilde: &quot;Although I own a ton, I have to admit that I&#39;m not a big reader. I am, however, a big fan of Edgar Allen Poe. I love his particular linguistic aesthetic and the strange terms he uses. On one of our recent tours, we visited his house in Philadelphia, which was only a few blocks from where we were performing. It&#39;s a typical East Coast Victorian-style building that has since been converted into a museum. I also have a few books on witchcraft and things like that. But I also like regular authors like <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Twain">Mark Twain</a>.&quot;

&nbsp;

Is this fascination for everything morbid also found outside of your music? 
&nbsp;Arrow De Wilde: &quot;Definitely. Even as a little girl, I had a soft spot for the spooky. I collect creepy stuff like old dolls and tarot cards. There are weird things in every corner like voodoo dolls, antique Chinese opium pipes, or the newest addition to my collection: a super scary wooden Jesus from the 17th century. He originally hung in a church in South America. He has real hair and lots of bleeding wounds. Unfortunately, I can&#39;t hang him because he&#39;s so fragile. Right now he&#39;s on a soft cushion next to the couch, disturbing my guests.&quot;

Arrow De Wilde about Hollywood: "You experience so much sick stuff in this city; there's plenty of fodder for new tunes on every corner." 

Starcrawler - Stranded

An important influence is also your hometown <a href="https://lofficiel.at/en/tags/losangeles">Los Angeles</a> and especially Hollywood... 
Arrow De Wilde: &quot;I&#39;m fascinated by the contrast of glam and tragedy. My dad lived in the area near Hollywood Boulevard at the time. At first glance, you only see the glitzy side and the luxury. If you look closer, you also see the unattractive facets. Drugs, violence, the dirt, the shattered dreams of those who came here and failed. This mixture of glamour and trash can also be found in our music. Life in L.A. is the main motif of our songs. You experience so much sick stuff in this city; there&#39;s plenty of fodder for new tunes on every corner. Also, I grew up with all these morbid tales from Hollywood in the 1920s and -30s. With stories of suicides throwing themselves off the Hollywood sign or the bloody &quot;Black Dahlia&quot; murder. We&#39;ve also played at the famous <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_Forever_Cemetery">Hollywood Forever Cemetery</a>, where my hero <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dee_Dee_Ramone">Dee Dee Ramone</a> is buried. My plan is to one day rest among those cool people myself - and in one of those old-fashioned coffins, you always see in old vampire movies!&quot;

Arrow De Wilde, the most exciting woman in rock music right now in interview

Tags

Recommended posts for you

Lifestyle

How to Navigate Secrets 'in Love'

Business & Tech

Tezman Holding turns 76 & launches Nutrafine Health! Pioneering a new path in wellness

Fashion

Fashion Editorial: Eclectic Elegance

Beauty

Unlock the Secret to Silky Skin: 7 Tips for Your Skin Glow-Up

Health

SCULPT, SWEAT & STRETCH: Vienna's 8 Best Workout Studios

Astrology

April Horoscope: Heart vs Brain - Which Will Guide Your Path?

Travel & Gourmet

Parisian Charm: A Culinary and Luxurious Getaway

Fashion

Summer Linen: The Latest Collection From C&A Combines Comfort And Style