Slayyyter Speaks Out: Why She’s Dubbed America’s Worst Girl

Throughout the harsh winter months in New York, I found solace in “Crank,” a wildly energetic track by electropop sensation Slayyyter. This song is a sensory overload, featuring the artist energetically maneuvering through a chorus that, and I say this with the utmost praise, resembles the tumult of an airplane disaster. Amidst global turmoil, I’ve surprisingly found this track to be quite calming.

Slayyyter’s latest album “Worst Girl in America” taps into this same chaotic energy. It’s immediate, dizzying, and devilishly playful. The album, mostly created during the night, showcases her raw and untamed artistic flair, which seems to be a rarity in today’s sterilized pop culture. This includes tracks like the rock-infused “Cannibalism,” which has stirred considerable excitement among those who follow her closely. Each of the five singles released so far from this album bursts forth with the explosive energy of someone who has spent years analyzing pop icons and is eager to break away from being labeled as an ’emerging’ artist for nearly a decade.

From Club Outskirts to Center Stage

Over the years, 29-year old Catherine Grace Garner, known professionally as Slayyyter, has hovered on the fringes of the pop scene, producing boldly sexual and brash music that resonates with a predominantly online, queer audience. Since her emergence with glitch-infused, Y2K-themed tracks in the late 2010s, she has experienced several cycles of near-hits and frustrations. In a recent conversation in late March, she shared her contemplation of leaving the industry altogether before deciding to give it one last shot with music that resonates deeply with her, devoid of any concern for commercial success or viral appeal. Her aim was straightforward yet daring: to create something genuinely cool, disregarding the lure of mainstream appeal or TikTok trends.

Her recent singles like “Beat Up Chanel$”, “Dance …” and “Old Technology” present a sharper, cleaner, and more provocative sound, capturing a raw Midwestern vibe that is both nostalgic and forward-looking. If in 2024 Chappell Roan brought to life the concept of a glittery, glam Midwestern princess, Slayyyter introduces a grittier, tougher, yet equally campy version with her Midwestern trash aesthetic, filled with motel parties, unfinished basements, trucker hats, and taxidermy. Her new track “$t Loser,” a clever nod to her hometown, features her in a metaphorical car chase, mocking a pretentious man disdainful of her “St Loser misery.” This new musical era has seen her Spotify monthly streams skyrocket to over 2.3 million. Despite her initial doubts, the response has been overwhelmingly positive, pushing her towards the mainstream spotlight, aiming to break free from niche confinement.

Pop Culture Enthusiast and Musical Innovator

Despite her rough exterior, Slayyyter’s personality is warm and friendly. She’s talkative and easily dives into discussions about early 2000s pop culture, which heavily influences her current album’s style. These influences range from paparazzi snapshots of Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton to Kate Moss’s muddy boots at Glastonbury—a tribute reflected in the vinyl design of her album, which appears dirt-stained. During our casual FaceTime chat from what seemed to be her bed in Los Angeles, she fondly recalled her teenage obsessions with an era when celebrities were both glamorous and wildly untamed, a stark contrast to her suburban Midwestern upbringing. Like many of her fans, Slayyyter’s understanding of pop culture has been shaped by years on Twitter and Tumblr.

Her initial foray into music, shared on Soundcloud while working as a receptionist at a hair salon, turned nostalgic Y2K obsessions into vibrant, garish pop music. Her early work was a tongue-in-cheek take on the era’s paparazzi-focused, trashy tabloid culture, complete with catchy, kitschy tracks about Juicy Couture and rhinestone jeans. After a significant breakup, she focused on aligning her social media presence, which led to the stylized spelling of her stage name. Her collaboration with underground producer Ayesha Erotica resulted in the moderately viral hit “BFF,” which gained traction on stan Twitter while she was still working at the salon.

At the time, terms like “hyperpop” were not yet commonplace, and the Y2K aesthetic had not fully saturated the fashion industry. Slayyyter reminisces about those early days, acknowledging that she and Ayesha were pioneers before these trends took off. Her internet-based fame eventually led to a mixtape, an independent record deal, and tours with pop icons like Charli XCX, Tove Lo, and Kesha. Her music journey includes her polished debut album “Troubled Paradise” and the raw, compelling “Starfucker,” which explores the allure and destructiveness of Hollywood.

As she approached her thirties, the reality of being a mid-tier pop artist became increasingly clear. Despite significant endorsements, she felt stuck in a limbo of being “famous but not quite.” Her experiences with “Starfucker” led to a realization about the unpredictability of music hits and the fickle nature of popular tastes. Feeling burnt out and discouraged, she contemplated making “Worst Girl in America” as a potential final project, aiming to create something she could be proud of, regardless of its commercial success. This bold, unapologetic approach eventually caught the attention of Columbia, marking her first major label release.

With the release of “Worst Girl in America,” Slayyyter navigates a music landscape where the lines between mainstream pop and underground club scenes are increasingly blurred. While she draws parallels to Charli XCX’s career trajectory, she is hesitant to draw direct comparisons, emphasizing her unique musical path. Her recent experiences on tour with Kesha, a vocal critic of the industry’s exploitative practices, have also shaped her approach to her career, encouraging her to embrace her authentic self without reservations.

Despite the chaotic, boundary-pushing nature of her latest album, Slayyyter remains grounded, focused on further developing her music rather than chasing mainstream success. However, she remains open to the possibility, ready to embrace it should it come her way.