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Photo: Danica Robinson

Indie pop sensation Raffaella celebrates the release of her highly anticipated EP LIVE, RAFF, LOVE (Act II) by dropping a video for her pop banger "Polly Pocket." Although the track is addictively upbeat and lush with layers of levity, the song was written in reaction to the reversal of Roe v. Wade. The artist's rage was sparked at the thought of being dismissed as biological property, a body surrounding an IUD under the threat of becoming pregnant, which made her wonder how best to address these necessary topics of conversation, resulting in the hyperaware, candy-coated tune.

Raffaella says of the song and the accompanying video, "'Polly Pocket' is a pop song about reproductive rights. It is also an ode to my IUD. I love when people laugh in horror movies - this is my version of that. It's still scary, but at least you can kind of dance and talk about it out loud without feeling weighed down."

We had the chance to talk further with Raffaella about the meaning of "Polly Pocket," the new EP, and their upcoming tour.

Ones To Watch: Can you share a bit more about the origins of "Polly Pocket?" Was it a song that poured out of you and came together quickly or was it more of a meticulous process?

Raffaella: We originally wrote "Polly Pocket" as a Peach Fuzz song in 2020 – our friend Caleb had the beat, and then Hank, Samia, Ryann, and I came up with the words and melody within a couple of hours. We ended up rewriting some of the lyrics, and then Jake finished the production a year and a half later.

What made you decide to put this out as Raffaella song as opposed to it being a potential future Peach Fuzz track?

Someone in the group said it sounded more like a Raff song and suggested I try it out as my own. I said, "ok, are you sure?" and she said yeah, and then everyone else said yeah, so I went for it.

What is your favorite lyric from this song?

"If you want me to keep it / maybe you should carry it."

This track is featured on your latest EP, LIVE, RAFF, LOVE (Act II), and you mentioned in press releases that you split up 'LRL' like a play to tell a more three-dimensional story. How does "Polly Pocket" fit into the overall project? 

I see it as a foil to my song "Grown Up. "… they both sound happy, but the subtext in Polly is heavier like the song itself grew up and got a bigger shadow.

How did you come up with the concept for the music video, and what was the most fun or challenging aspect of shooting it?

My friend Sarah directed and edited it – she steered me in all the right directions. Her vision was always super clear and fresh. We became close friends through working on this together, so that was probably the most fun part for me… I also loved to have my friends Ryann and Jessa with me in the video – we've been friends since we were kids, so it was sweet to have them accompany the Polly Pocket nostalgia. At one point during the shoot, the dude who rented out the studio space collapsed… just sorta… fainted, I think? He got to his feet and was fine, but yeah, that was a challenging moment… Other than that, we just had a fun time.

Do you have any advice or words of encouragement you want to share with anyone who might be feeling especially anxious or hopeless about the current state of women's healthcare rights in the US?

I want everyone to know that abortion is still an option in all 50 states. If you need a resource, I recommend checking out mayday.health for more information.

You are about to head out on a sick headlining tour nationwide! What song is your favorite to perform live right now?

Blonde!

I know you're no stranger to touring at this point, but what are the most fun and most challenging aspects of being on the road?

The people I tour with make the world sparkle. I love them, and I love to feel like I'm working towards something alongside them.

Fun parts include gas station visits, snagging an awesome new hat or some cool new sunglasses… Some of my favorite memories include the absolute worst food - once, my friend Danica ordered a Greek salad, and they gave her a bowl full of tomatoes, which made us laugh a lot. We laughed a lot because we were happy but also because we were exhausted, which somehow made it easier for us to be fully ourselves.

The hardest part is being away from my home, my dog, and my partner. Usually, I can disassociate enough to get past it until something pops that bubble… like last tour, I missed my dog's birthday and woke up crying like some sort of lunatic. I had to remind myself that she is a dog and she doesn't know what a birthday is.