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Pop princess Zoe Ko is here to remind you that she’s not ur girlfriend. Today marks the announcement of her upcoming sophomore EP, along with the release of one its gems; the epic, confidence-building smash that is “furr”. A departure from her debut EP released in 2023, these new songs push the limits of pop, focus on having fun, and function as a vehicle for Ko’s unbridled self-expression. We chatted with Ko about the focus track “furr,” what to expect from the upcoming project out on March 21st, and how tapping into her fun, party girl persona has been her most creatively fulfilling endeavor yet. 

OnesToWatch: Hi Zoe! I’m so excited to chat about “furr” and to get fans excited about the not ur girlfriend EP! I’m absolutely obsessed with it and know they will be, too. The timing could not be more perfect, I don't know if this is just me and my circle, but so many people have been talking about “recession pop,” which you’re definitely channeling here. So, tell me a little bit about the timeline of releasing this EP and why now? 

Zoe Ko: I got so precious with this EP, because it just started meaning so much to me. I know I released “DIRT” a while ago, but I just felt like it needed to be on this project. It's still so me and part of this world. We really started working on it last year, around the ending of the first EP and I just wanted to have fun! I was so sad in life and I'd been through so much change. I want people to have fun when they listen to my music and feel confident. I was trying to discover myself in the world and in a new city and in a new relationship, feeling free in my sexuality for the first time, away from my family. And now that it’s all resolved, there are a lot of songs about wanting to be messy, young, and hot. But also feeling super feminine and powerful in my sexuality. “Manic Pixie Dream Girl” at the end really ties it all together for me. That was when I realized in a few situationships that I had, just how powerful my femininity was and not settling down with someone just because they wanted to, which is also “not ur girlfriend”. I’ve always been obsessed with 2000s pop. I live my life like I’m in a club, so I wanted this music to embody what I’d want to hear at a club.

OnesToWatch: So, was “DIRT” the first song? 

Zoe Ko: I can barely remember because we wrote all of them in the span of multiple days, randomly put together. But “DIRT” was technically the first one. It was when I first moved to LA and I was not really enjoying it. 

Which is so funny that it manifested into such a banger. 

Right? I just came in ranting and then “DIRT” happened. That song helped me find the little club inside of me and my music. 

So your previous, and first, EP was very different sonically and tonally. How does it feel going from one sound to another and exploring different types of music? 

It’s hard because in the music industry, you're told to stick with one thing and be committed to one sound. I just feel like my music is such a reflection of my vibe at the time, what my interests are, and the energy that I feel guides my life. It's very difficult for me to stick with one thing, I'm drawn to so many different genres and sounds. Even within a session, I'll be referencing 10 different songs in different genres, and the producer is like, “Wtf is happening?” and I promise them it'll come together. I wanted to have more fun and explore more upbeat, dance music, so it naturally went that way. It takes forever to “find your sound” and keep developing it. For my first EP, that was very much baby me and I was really sad, so I needed to get that out. I’m still so proud of it. Now I feel like I'm really getting somewhere, to a place where I feel like this can be my mark, you know? I want to keep expanding on this now instead of pivoting again.

You've already not limited yourself, which is so exciting because you could literally go anywhere. I love that you're doing from the jump. How has the reception from your fans been? 

I feel like they're also growing into little baddies alongside me! At the beginning we were all kind of sad and we would DM, like, about our sad stories. I'd be like, “Oh my God, I feel you!” And now we're just like, “Hey, c*nt what's going on?” So I feel like we're all growing up. We're all becoming more confident together. And then “DIRT” found so many new people who wanted to get dirty. We're slowly building a good community.

So, why “furr”? I think it’s obvious when you listen to it because this track is so epic, but what made it the right one to pair with the EP announcement? 

It has kind of the same energy of “DIRT”, which is one of my favorite songs ever. “furr” feels the most completely unapologetic and fun version of who I am, just hella committed to the bit. In this track I'm like, I will die on the hill of fur. 

And I wanted to say this for those who are reading, every time I see you, you're in fur. It's so you. This track was so much fun to listen to because I can tell that your clothes mean so much to who you are as a person. And to hear that personified in a song is everything. Tell me about how much fashion has clearly played a role in this project.

My whole life I've always been playing dress up, in my mom's closet and thrift stores. That was where I felt super free and rejected everyone's judgment. New York inspired me so much. I would see little grannies wearing head to toe fur in the deli. I always wanted to be them, their power was so influential to me. Thrift stores completely changed my life. I did not have enough money to buy fancy things, so thrifting old fur pieces specifically was inspiring to me. When I was getting really bullied, my one best friend and I would always go to the L train vintage store and everything was like $5, they had such a large fur collection. I had a massive collection in high school. I would wear these long fur coats to school, sitting in history class at 7:00 AM.

We have to talk about the intro to “furr”, I’m in love with it. Tell us about how it came about. 

I wanted the most extra intro. I was like, “How can we make this song have an emotional impact?” Because my relationship with fur actually means so much and goes really deep. I was so sad and insecure in high school and even now, whatever hardships I go through, I feel like my fur coats have my back. I can become the person I wanted to be with the extra clothing. So I wanted representation of that feeling and that transition. I imagine myself on the subway going home from high school and this is like my motivational speech myself. No one can penetrate through this. It's my armor. You can hear some subway noises over me talking to myself. And then it switches up. I'm in my fur, this is my energy, and this is where I'm gonna be.

How does your process come about with the production? Do you pull references? What is the process for you?

My God, I don't even know. I was just kind of playing “My Humps” and we were honestly just kind of having a dance party. Then I started talking about fur. I had no idea what to write about that day so, honestly, props to Johnny. We wrote it mainly over three stupid splice loops, it was really trash but we made it into something. 

That’s kinda like your thing, elevating the “trash”. How does it feel making fun music, or music that might not be perceived as having depth, in a culture that only places value on “deep” art? Especially as a woman. How has that experience been with this project?

It’s a little bit tricky balancing it, especially with social media. Knowing how to present the song and it not just come off silly or something.

Which is completely fine, too! Why can't something play silly? 

I know, right? I feel like the right people will find it eventually. And I think the world is ready for more fun from the rise of the different pop artists that we’re seeing and the performance aspect of it. I feel like the world's been ready. I made these songs because that's just what I want to hear more of. So there's nothing I can do, I like it and hopefully people will too.

It's definitely coming at such a perfect time. Obviously I just can't stop talking about Addison Rae and how she’s at the top of her game, and still gets comments saying “This means nothing, this is trash” or whatever. Honestly, I feel like that’s a marker that you're doing something right. 

I feel like the most influential people in music…they're not super deep half the time! Who's coming after Britney for that?

Even fun music, it does carry a message. It carries meaning for the artist and it sucks that you would never see people say that about a male pop star. I'm just so excited for this energy, because it's everything. Fans are gonna obviously love “Manic Pixie Dream Girl.” Tease that track and tell us why you chose it to be the EP closer. 

In my various situationships, even in my current relationship, I've been told that I'm a manic pixie dream girl. In the movies that I've grown up with, like Perks Of Being A Wallflower, even though she’s so iconic and we love her, the character is always serving the main male lead. They come in and out of this person's life, but we don't really know how it affects them. We don't really know anything about them except that they were amazingly beautiful and tortured. They rarely get a moment to shine outside of the male gaze. But it's such a power, how these characters completely change the trajectory of the male lead’s life. And I felt like, maybe I'm doing that. So I decided to use it as an actual superpower. It felt like that was kind of happening anyway in my real life and I loved playing that character, but doing it for me and not them. We have a lot of sparkly little effects and sounds in there, and then the slowed down outro, I wanted it to feel magical, sensual and cinematic.

It’s always been one of my hyper fixation topics, because it's so ironic that, yeah, the characters are always serving men. But every woman I know always gravitated towards those characters and saw themselves in them. So it's really cool to hear a fleshed out version of that. What kind of visuals are you making / would you like to make for this?

We weren't working with a huge budget, but I'm currently putting finishing touches on a little zine that I'm making that breaks down the EP and provides a visual world for us. I always loved the zines that I got at school book fairs and little art fleas that I would go to in Brooklyn growing up. I always wanted to make one of these eventually and it felt right for this project. The visual world is a recreation of the EP and the making of it, it’s set in one big photo studio with different looks. You jump into it and then come out of it at the end, I can’t wait for people to see it come to life.

How did that process happen? Is it you, hands on, creating it?

Yes! I got really attached to this editorial world and everything in it. In this simple way, it's kind of like playing dress up with dolls. For the “DIRT” one, it comes right after “drop the man” and this girl comes in and she drops a trash bag wearing a little trash dress. It’s so fun fully recreating these worlds with a really quick transition so it all looks seamless. It's seven moments cut up from, like, a short film.

It’s clear how passionate you are about the visuals, down the line and budget willing do you see yourself creating more visuals for your music?

Yes! I push myself on that side of it too, because I style everything myself. With more time and more budget, I can go even more all out.

Which pop divas inspired you the most for this whole project? Or who inspires you the most in general?

I’ve always been looking to Gwen as the beacon. She was also kind of all over the place sonically and watching her do it, I knew I cannot be just one sound because I felt like she couldn't either. I just loved the fun energy, she was super empowered. I love her edgy, rock influence too. I think that’s what draws me to her the most. But I’m always referencing Gaga, Britney, Kesha and Rihanna.

How do you feel right now in your creative process? What are you up to next? 

I’m super proud of the full EP and I know people can find themselves in it. You can create a club anywhere with this project. What’s coming up is potentially a little bonus track, we just sent it off to master.

Love a bonus track when the project is finished and you're reflecting on it.

Exactly! It feels like the correct ending. I’m so excited for people to hear it.

Listen to “furr” now and make sure to pre-save Zoe’s upcoming sophomore EP not ur girlfriend, out on March 21st!