Mood Board is our column where artists share with us a few things that inspired their new record. This time, the LA-based experimental pop artist Gelli Haha gives us a peek behind the curtain of her debut, Switcheroo — out today on Innovative Leisure.
— Annie Fell, Editor-in-chief, Talkhouse Music
1. Red (and a little yellow + blue)
The Gelli Haha world, aka the Gelliverse, is primarily red, with a side of yellow and blue. Red is strong, intense, bold, mischievous, and yet quite classy, possibly sophisticated. When we were writing this album and creating this world, I saw red. Silly passion and non-serious revolution.
2. Roaring ‘20s
I got a bob haircut when we were writing Switcheroo. I wanted to feel like a quirky French flapper girl always getting into trouble. I’ve loved the Roaring ‘20s since I was a kid, the romanticized innocence and newfound freedom that came with urbanization. I love the vaudeville, the slapstick, the cabaret. Women cut their hair short in the ’20s as a statement of independence and liberation, and started showing their ankles, maybe even their thighs. I love how playful and expressive it all was.
3. Childhood nostalgia; a sense of play and curiosity
This record, to me, is all about reuniting with your inner child, inner joy, inner play. So much of this record has brought me and my collaborators back to our childhood inspirations. Teletubbies and Polly Pocket. On stage at our live performances, we have mini trampolines, bubble guns, inflatable bonk hammers, dolphin balloons, the list goes on! We love to party super naughty.
Gelli Haha's Switcheroo is out now.
