504icygrl Talks Coming Up in New Orleans, Self Care, & More in Exclusive Interview

modrNation: 504icygrl, how did that name come up? Is there a story behind it or did it just feel right?

504icygrl: I was really looking for a new username for social media and stuff. This was before I started rapping. I was really looking for a new username and I just put together some words that I like and it became my username. And I use it for my rap name because at first, my rap name was Angel but that was too plain. It [search engine results] had a bunch of "Angels". So I was like, "I'm gonna just use this because it's hella unique. It's like a username." And I like it. So, I just stuck with it. I changed it from Angel to 504icygrl and I'm not changing it again.

modrNation: So "504", of course a reference to New Orleans. Did you live there your whole life?

504icygrl: Yeah, I lived in New Orleans my whole life. Born and raised. And then I moved to LA when I was like 18-19.

modrNation: As everyone can see from your live performances and your recorded music, you have a very strong sense of self. You're really good with staying in tune with your most authentic self. So, with the advice that a lot of people hear as an artist, "be yourself," what advice do you have for artists who are struggling to find themselves?

504icygrl: Oh, that's a really good question. I would say take in a lot of media. A lot of different music, a lot of different movies. I would say to take in a bunch of different things. Different locations, food, because that's who you are: the stuff that you enjoy and want to keep doing. So, I would say just try to experience more things in general, a bunch of things. And they gon’ find out who they really are.

modrNation: What are three movies that says 504ICYGRL?

504icygrl: Probably From Dusk Till Dawn. That's one of my favorite movies. A lot of horror movies. That's a good question. I don't know about three but one movie that would describe me is From Dusk Till Dawn.

modrNation: Now I'm sure you had so much fun during your Princess Diaries Tour. Was that your first tour you've done or your second?

504icygrl: Yeah, it was my first one and it was really fun. I learned a lot. I met so many people. It was fire. I really loved it, I'm not gon' lie. I can't wait to do it again.

modrNation: What were your favorite cities?

504icygrl: Probably New York. I really really love New York. Mobile. Of course New Orleans, but yeah, New York was fire.

modrNation: What cities would you come back to?

504icygrl: I want to go back to New York ASAP. I definitely want to keep building with Mobile. And I didn't get to go to LA but I want to start performing a lot more in LA.

modrNation: Okay, I was just about to ask you too. What cities do you want to tour for your next tour but didn't get the chance to get to during Princess Diaries?

504icygrl: LA. I want to go to Detroit really bad. Maybe Chicago while I'm up there. But definitely LA and Detroit. I want to check Detroit out. Never been there.

modrNation: Is there anything you would do differently on your next tour that you didn't fully execute during the Princess Diaries tour how you wanted to?

504icygrl: I would try to vlog a little bit more. Those memories are so precious. I have a lot of footage, but I don't know, I should have made it more into a video diary.

modrNation: Well you obviously love performing live. What do you do when you have stage fright? Do you ever have stage fright?

504icygrl: Yeah, I have stage fright. A lot. I would say I get that feeling, you know, probably every performance. I learned this trick where you look above everyone's head, and that helps a lot. So, you're not really looking at them, but it looks like you're looking at them. And that helps. I don't know, I just try to get out of it for real because if I think about it too much, I just zone out. That's not good.

modrNation: The Nike Air Force One collaboration!

504icygrl: It was amazing. I was hyped up a lot. I'm still hyped up. I have it [authentic 504icygrl NIKE poster in my house. I got it hanging up. I'm hella hyped about that shit for sure. Probably my top career moment so far.

modrNation: Wow that's a big opportunity. How did it come up?

504icygrl: Honestly, they just hit me up. Somebody from the team DM'ed me and was like, "Can we have your number? Can we talk to you?" And they called me and they were just like, "Yeah, we want you to be the face of a project with Nike." And I was like, "Of course!" The project was 10 days away. It was pretty quick, you feel me? We did it and it was really fun. It was nerve racking though.

modrNation: It sounds nerve racking. It's a big company though. It's Nike!

504icygrl: Yeah, I was scared because they had gotten my nails a certain way to do a bunch of close ups. And I was like, "Damn, this so awkward. I hope I'm not posing weird as fuck," you know what I'm saying? Because I don't know what to do with my hands and they were like, "Yeah, we want pictures of your hands."

modrNation: Well speaking of collaborations, who do you look forward to working with?

504icygrl: I really want to work with Big Freedia. That's one of my collaborations I want to get off my list. I want to work with Big Freedia and I want to do a pop collaboration with someone. I really don't know who though. I want to get out of my comfort zone and work with people that's going to take me outside my comfort zone and I think Big Freedia will be a good person to do that with.

modrNation: If you could choose anybody, and I mean anybody, to be your opening acts for your next tour, who would it be?

504icygrl: That's hard because I wouldn't want nobody big to open for me, but that's everybody I'm thinking about. Let's make it more of who I will go on the tour with.

modrNation: Yeah for sure! Anyone you'd go on tour with?

504icygrl: I'm not gonna lie, probably somebody like Glorilla. I really like Glorilla. She's fire. I think that tour would go up.

modrNation: Yeah, that would be cool. Who're the artists who influenced you to start music?

504icygrl: To start? Probably my boyfriend. Then, also around that time, Rico Nasty was going up. And I was really inspired by her and Asian Doll and a bunch of other female artists that was going up at the time. They were just opening doors and I was like, "Damn. This is the perfect time. If I'ma do it, I should just do it right now." So, I was like, "Fuck it. I'ma do it." Definitely Poppy. Rico Nasty. Probably Asian Doll.

modrNation: Okay, with all these different rappers on the scene, what's the most accurate and far-off comparisons you've gotten? Has somebody ever told you you sound like anybody?

504icygrl: They probably have. I really don't know. That's a really good question, though. I feel like people don't really tell me that often. I don't think.

modrNation: That's good. The more comparisons you have kind of takes away from your own individual sound. So, the fact that you can't even think of one comparison people hit you with is a good thing. When people hear your voice, it's just you.

504icygrl: I think you're right. I can list so many artists that I like and influenced me along the way, but I can't think of nobody that I sound like.

modrNation: Are you backed by a small team, a collective? I know you're a part of a record label.

504icygrl: Yeah, the label is a label I found with Poppy and it's really just us two, working as a team. We don't have any big management or agents. It's really just us two. We do everything from the posters to the marketing to the actual making of the music.

modrNation: Do you ever get overwhelmed?

504icygrl: Yeah, every day. But it kind of comes along with it. You know what I'm saying? I think of it as a business. And every business owner gets overwhelmed.

modrNation: So, what's your self care for that?

504icygrl: I smoke a lot. I chill with my dogs a lot. I play a lot of video games. I cook a lot. I love to cook and eat. So that's a really big self care. I think the cooking and eating and feeding.

modrNation: What did it take for you to really believe in yourself to keep creating music? It's one thing to start rapping. How do you encourage yourself to keep going?

504icygrl: Definitely when I get small tweets or messages from people mentioning me or telling me how much I'm in their life and I don't even realize it. Somebody [mentioned] me literally this morning. You know how you'll see a tweet like "what's the song that you could rap word for word to save your life?" Somebody responded me "Rockin' Out" and I was like, "Damn, forreal?" I can't rap that song to save my life right now. I would die. But that was fire. So shit like that is motivating for sure.

modrNation: What are you looking forward to this year?

504icygrl: This year, I want to step outside my comfort zone a lot with music and I want to drop a lot more often, which I'm already doing bad at because I haven't dropped this year yet. But I'm gonna start dropping a lot. And that's my main goal: to drop as much music as possible and to try different beats you know? A new era, I guess.

modrNation: Any new projects coming up that you can talk about yet?

504icygrl: I'm working on a project. I thought I had a name for it but now I don't have a name for it. So, at this point, it's really just making music you know? I know I'm dropping a collaborative project with Krewe, which is my label, real soon and it's a bunch of people on it. It's gonna be fire. So I think we're dropping that first and then I'm gonna drop what I'm working on after.

modrNation: What advice do you have for New Orleans artists who're still trying to navigate through their music journey, but have a lot of stuff going on around them.

504icygrl: I would say to make as many lists and goals and notes as possible to keep things organized and to make sure you're not forgetting to do shit. I would say write stuff down or at least type them in your notes. Because that's what helps me keep everything together.

modrNation: Do you have any advice for female rappers close to giving up because they don't want to sound like other female rappers or feel like they don't really have a spot in the music industry?

504icygrl: I be feeling like there's lowkey a spot for everybody. I don't really believe in the whole "it's too many artists" thing. I believe good music is going to shine through. It's not that it's too many artists. It's just that it's not enough good music. You know what I'm saying? So, I will just say, continue working on your craft and get confident in it to where you're not feeling like that anymore.