Sky Ferreira on Babygirl, broken bones, and (maybe) being cloned

Taken from the winter 24 print issue of THE FACE. Get your copy here.

Hi Sky. How’s it going?

I’m okay. Sorry, my dog suddenly wants to bother me…

What’s your dog called?

Lula. She’s a pit bull. She won’t leave me alone. Go!

Where are you in the world and what did you have for breakfast this morning?

LA. Water.

What’s the most underrated spot in LA?

I tend to like the old places – like if someone imagined what LA would look like in a David Lynch movie. There’s a place called Hideaway [Country Bar & Grill], which is pretty amazing. There are bikers and horses everywhere. It’s like something from [Marlon Brando’s 1961 western] One-Eyed Jacks.

You’ve made a gorgeous song, Leash, for Babygirl. Tell us more about that…

Halina and A24 reached out to me. I spoke to her on the phone a few times and watched the film about three times. Then, I wrote to the film; to certain scenes. I wanted the song to reflect the hidden chaos in Babygirl. It’s about self-destruction and power dynamics. I’m so happy they went for it because it’s a bit… I’m not sure if ​“sinister” is the right word, but it’s definitely ​“darker”. It’s definitely based on Nicole Kidman’s performance.

What’s your favourite song of all time?

Lyrically, one of my favourite pop songs is Kiss Them for Me by Siouxsie and the Banshees. It’s about the death of Jayne Mansfield [in] the car crash, and about her in general.

Your career started on MySpace. Would you describe yourself as chronically online?

Not really. I’m aware of things but I’m not very social online. I used to be more outgoing online, I guess. The pressure of putting out music – which I obviously wanted to but couldn’t do – accelerated that. But I don’t live under a rock. I think I have a healthy relationship with social media, weirdly.

Your grandmother was a hairstylist who worked for Michael Jackson, right?

Yes. She makes extensions. She doesn’t have fingerprints because of it; she helped [invent] a special wax, a type of bond for extensions, but didn’t patent it. That didn’t go down well. She got screwed. She made hairpieces, too. I’ve never had extensions, so she’s never done my hair.

What’s the worst haircut you’ve ever had?

My hair is so thick to the point of ridiculousness. I can’t really get haircuts like bangs or anything like that. My hair doesn’t suit many haircuts, unfortunately. Only one person knows how to cut my hair properly.

Have you ever broken a bone?

I’ve broken several bones at once while I was on stage. You know that video of Olivia Rodrigo, recently? [Rodrigo fell through a hole in the stage at a Melbourne gig, but was fine.] That happened to me, but worse. I went down 11 or 12 feet. Luckily I caught myself in time, but I broke my leg and didn’t even realise. My ribs, too. I continued playing because of the pure adrenaline. I was opening for someone [Miley Cyrus]. I was in total shock. My leg didn’t even feel like it was part of my body – it looked like a shark bit into it! I got 60 stitches. They looked like rope out of a Tim Burton film.

If you only had $10 in your pocket, what would you spend it on?

I don’t know! I’d give it to someone?

Can you even buy anything for 10 bucks in LA?

I don’t drink coffee. I don’t smoke cigarettes. Tea? Gum?

Do you have a favourite conspiracy theory?

People will take this very seriously, but it’s fine if they get mad. I liked the Britney Spears clone thing, that there’s another Britney running around.

They said that about Avril Lavigne, too.

Oh, did they? That’s what happened to me. That’s why I haven’t put anything out in 10 years. I was cloned.

You’ve previously said that you write visually and often think of music videos when you’re writing lyrics. What’s your favourite?

I love all of Chris Cunningham’s videos [for Aphex Twin, Björk, etc]. Fiona Apple’s Criminal video. I love Britney Spears’s Everytime video, where she dies in the bathtub, the David LaChapelle one. That might be my favourite ever. David Fincher’s Madonna videos [Express Yourself and Vogue, among others] are great, too. There are too many.

Can you leave us with some words to live by?

Oh, no. Please, no! That’s how I go through life: ​“I do not have the answers to anything.”

Babygirl, featuring the song Leash by Sky Ferreira, is out in the UK in January, would you believe.