- 2 days ago
Violet Grohl is ready to reveal her debut album to the world, with 'Be Sweet To Me' set to be released on May 29, followed by her first set of headlining shows and dates opening for The Breeders. It’s the next step in the journey that is starting to feel “really real pretty recently” for the 20 year old, who just stopped by the KROQ studios in Los Angeles to talk with Miles The DJ about it all.
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00:00Hey, what's happening? It's the world-famous KROQ at KROQ.
00:03Miles the DJ here, KROQ Music Director.
00:06A privilege to be joined today by Viola Grohl.
00:09Hi.
00:09Welcome.
00:10Thanks for having me.
00:11It's great to have you.
00:11Yeah, it's great to be here.
00:13You've been putting some songs out, some music out from time to time here, playing shows.
00:19You just announced your first headline run.
00:21You have a new album coming out soon, next month.
00:24Yeah.
00:25When did this all kind of start to feel like real for you?
00:30Ooh.
00:31I mean, like, really real pretty recently.
00:37Yeah.
00:37Like, doing interviews and press stuff has definitely made it feel a lot more real and being, like, booked and
00:45busy.
00:46But, I mean, all of it started to, like, really fall into place.
00:52I think once we started, like, mixing the record, I started to feel like, okay, we're, like, the songs are,
00:58like, done.
00:59And now we're moving on to the next stage.
01:02But, yeah.
01:04It's all really exciting.
01:06The songs you've released so far are incredible.
01:09And they have this, like, this essence that doesn't feel like a first record.
01:14It doesn't feel like a debut album.
01:17Where does that come from?
01:18Well, thank you.
01:19I appreciate that.
01:20I don't know.
01:23I think, I mean, I've spent a lot of time making music on my own.
01:27It's not my first time going into the studio.
01:29It's my first time going into the studio with, you know, a bunch of people and working on my own
01:34thing.
01:34But, yeah, I think, you know, it just, like, I knew what I wanted to do when we got into
01:43the studio.
01:43And I had a really great team of really, really talented musicians that helped, you know, like, glue it all
01:52together.
01:54It's interesting because to that point, there are so many, like, sonically so many different sounds that you're pulling from,
02:01yet it sounds incredibly cohesive.
02:04At the same time, what's the thread that kind of puts all that together?
02:10I think it's a lot of stuff I really like.
02:13Like, like, it's a lot of, you know, the references that I had going into the studio and things that
02:21I wanted to, you know, kind of pull from or take inspiration from.
02:27I think it kind of, like, tied it all together because there were a lot of different things that I
02:32was listening to or that I was bringing into the studio with me when we were recording.
02:38Like, lots of, lots of alternative kind of as, like, a broad umbrella, but, you know, shoegaze and then, like,
02:48stoner rock sludgy stuff and just a bunch of things.
02:52And I think that, like, I just, I really, I really truly love all of it.
02:58And I wanted to incorporate it into my own stuff.
03:01And I think that that's kind of maybe what tied it together.
03:03Any particular artists or bands specifically that you were listening to a lot going into the studio?
03:09Oh, yeah.
03:11Soundgarden, Clocktoed Twins, The Breeders, PJ Harvey.
03:17Who else?
03:20God, there's a lot.
03:22X from Los Angeles.
03:27Man, Alice in Chains.
03:29Just, yeah, a lot of, a lot of things.
03:32The Sundays.
03:34Yeah, lots of stuff.
03:36You mentioned shoegaze earlier.
03:37It's so interesting how that sound is kind of having a resurgence right now and influencing a lot of artists
03:44like yourself, which is really cool to see.
03:47Be Sweet to Me is the name of the record, which has, like, a very, like, soft, like, inviting kind
03:53of title to it.
03:54But, you know, some of the songs that have been released are very, like, you know, kind of chaotic and
03:59in your face at the same time.
04:02Be Sweet to Me, what does that phrase mean to you?
04:05It comes from kind of a saying that me and my best friend have used for a couple years now.
04:12It's just kind of, like, we say it to each other when we're, you know, like, play fighting or bickering
04:19at each other, just kind of poking fun at each other.
04:21And, you know, if the other person's over it, it's like, oh, be sweet to me, oh, be sweet, be
04:26sweet.
04:27And it was just, like, this thing that we just, I mean, we beat that phrase into the ground and
04:34still do.
04:35But I didn't really, I didn't have a name for the album for, like, the longest time.
04:42And I just, I had no idea what, like, how to name an album or what to call this album.
04:48And I was in Scotland with her and my friend Persia.
04:53And I looked in my notes app and that was written in my notes app.
04:57And I was like, oh, I think it's been in front of my face, like, the whole time.
05:03Like, this feels right.
05:05Right. And it really, at first, was, you know, it's kind of an homage to Persia and to our relationship.
05:11But at the same time, it is, I guess, kind of a plea or an introduction, like, this is my
05:18first time doing this.
05:20Right, right.
05:20You know.
05:21Again, still so impressive how it doesn't feel like your first record.
05:24It's so mature and just an amazing piece of work, at least the songs that we've heard so far.
05:30You made this record with Justin Raisin, right?
05:34Produced the record.
05:35He's worked with Kim Gordon.
05:36He's worked with Charlie XCX, who allegedly is putting out a rock album soon.
05:40I guess so, yeah.
05:41Which is awesome.
05:42What did he pull from you that maybe you didn't realize was there yet?
05:46I think there's an element of, like, spontaneity with Justin that I wasn't used to in my own, like, experiences
05:56in the studio.
05:57And, you know, he's just, he's constantly got ideas and he's constantly looking for ways to improve what we're doing
06:07or ways to add to it or to build it up.
06:10And I think with him, like, I was able to let go of a lot of things that stifled me
06:20in my own recording before.
06:22Like, I would sit for, like, a couple of hours and try and do vocal takes or get a synth
06:29line.
06:30And I just would frustrate myself to the point that I would give up on the track.
06:35And being able to go in the studio with him and have him say, like, let's just do, like, three
06:41vocal takes and then we can go from there.
06:43It was, like, really refreshing to be able to, like, let go of, like, negative attachment to things in the
06:52studio and just let the music do its thing, kind of.
06:56And also maybe, like, kind of helping compartmentalize a little bit.
06:59Like, I'm sure if you're on your own making music, you're thinking about the whole picture, right?
07:03Yeah.
07:03Whereas he can come in or a producer can come in, whatever, and just sort of, like, help you hyper
07:07-focus on one aspect.
07:09Some vocal takes right now.
07:10It's all we're going to worry about.
07:11Yeah, totally.
07:12That's awesome.
07:13Yeah.
07:14Thumb and 5.95.
07:165.95, 5.95.
07:18Either way, it doesn't matter.
07:19Let's go 5.95.
07:19Yeah.
07:20For the sake of this question.
07:22And Thumb, both sound incredible in the mix on K-Rock.
07:25Been loving how those songs sound.
07:27Would it be fair to say, like, they kind of have a little bit of a, like, Queens of the
07:31Stone Age vibe to it?
07:33Or am I reaching?
07:33Yeah, no, that's totally fair.
07:35It's funny because I didn't even really think about that until I heard someone say it.
07:40Sure.
07:40And then it made me think back to when we were recording and how much Queens of the Stone Age
07:45I was listening to when we were making the record.
07:48And it kind of, I think it just implanted into my, like, subconscious when we were writing.
07:53I just, I love songs for the deaf so much.
07:57Like, it's one of my favorite albums ever.
07:59And, yeah, I think it kind of, like, wiggled its way into our influences.
08:05Right.
08:05Without us even realizing.
08:06It's the Southern California vibe to it of it all.
08:09It's such an incredible album.
08:10Yeah.
08:10One of the all-time greats.
08:11As we record this, Cool Buzz, like, just came out, like, a few minutes ago.
08:16Yeah.
08:17Like, how does it feel to have that song out there in the world now?
08:19It's so exciting.
08:21It's, like, it's one of the tracks I've been really eager to, like, get out and for people to hear
08:26because it's something I don't think people would necessarily expect of me.
08:32And I like kind of, you know, having that little element of surprise and going in a direction that I
08:41didn't, myself didn't even think I was going to go in.
08:44But, like, yeah, it's just, it's so exciting.
08:48I'm so happy to have that song finally out.
08:50Was there a specific moment that inspired you to write it and kind of have it conceived?
08:55Yeah, there were, there's a handful of moments.
08:57But it was really just a lot of experiences I had had with male musicians or guys within, like, the
09:07scene in Los Angeles and just in the U.S. in general.
09:12I think that there's a lot of guys that are, you know, they're willing to go out and to say
09:20the thing.
09:20But to actually do the thing, to actually, like, let women have a space, like, at a hardcore show, like,
09:26to open up the pit and, like, let the girls do their thing for two, two to five minutes.
09:32Like, you know, it's not that hard, but nobody wants to do it.
09:36People don't do it as much as they should.
09:38And I think I just wanted to write about that kind of feeling excluded or not feeling like you belong
09:46in a space that you want to be in.
09:49But, yeah.
09:50Maybe, like, inspiring, like, actions over words, too, a little bit from people.
09:54I got to tell you, there was a beautiful moment at Coachella over the past few weekends during Turnstile.
10:00And, you know, there were several pits in the crowd, as you would imagine, for a Turnstile show.
10:04But, man, more than any that I've ever really seen at Coachella, there was such a community and love.
10:10And if anyone got injured, like, they'd pull them up real quick, everyone would stop.
10:14Like, there's just, I think there's just so much more awareness and just a sense of community at these shows.
10:18Yeah, that's what it's about.
10:20That's what it should be about.
10:21Yeah.
10:21Yeah.
10:22That's so special.
10:23It was so great.
10:24Yeah.
10:24It was so great.
10:26On the Coachella tip, actually, you've attended Coachella a few times over the years.
10:29Any standout performances that you've seen as a spectator at Coachella?
10:34Oh, man.
10:35Yeah, there's been a handful.
10:38I saw the Circle Jerks.
10:40That was just so much fun to see them play at Coachella and to see, like, this beautiful mix of,
10:47like, old-school L.A. SoCal punks and then, like, young kids and everyone was moshing together and, like, stage
10:55diving.
10:55It was so much fun.
10:56I saw Bjork a couple of years ago.
10:59That was, like, a truly, like, life-changing performance.
11:02It was her in a string, I think it was a sextet.
11:07But it was just, like, so, just, like, overwhelmingly beautiful.
11:14Like, I was, like, close to the front and I just had my jaw open the whole time.
11:19It was so amazing.
11:21I saw Horse Girl do a DJ set.
11:25That was incredible.
11:27There's been so many, really, like, awesome sets that I've seen there.
11:32It's so fun.
11:33It's a fun festival.
11:34It's definitely influencer overkill now.
11:38Yeah.
11:38Some of that.
11:39But, like, when you go and you just, like, let go of the, or you kind of block out what's
11:47going on around you.
11:48Sure.
11:48And you just appreciate the music and, like, the audience.
11:51It's so much fun.
11:53There's so much great music there.
11:54There is definitely an influencer culture that exists.
11:56But what I still love about it is you're going to have the turnstiles of the world, the Sniffers of
12:01the world.
12:02Yeah.
12:03Bjork, as you mentioned, like, she went on and played, like, a full-on, like, art show.
12:06Yeah.
12:07Like, she wasn't playing her hits.
12:08It was, like, this very, I don't know, this performance that really forced you to pay attention.
12:14And to have the bravery to play a show like that at Coachella was incredible.
12:17So there's so many little pockets of great moments like that at Coachella as well.
12:23I read that you're a big David Lynch fan.
12:26Is that right?
12:27Yeah.
12:28We recently lost him, one of the great icons and just artists of our time.
12:32And what does your appreciation for David Lynch and what he did kind of help, you know, inspire you musically,
12:39if at all?
12:40Yeah.
12:41Oh, totally.
12:42And there's so many ways.
12:44I mean, his, you know, his visual art is so, so stunning and beautiful.
12:50His paintings are really, really inspirational to me.
12:54And his movies are just on another level.
13:00And no one has and ever will be able to make something that deep.
13:08And it's just so stunning.
13:11His work is just so incredible.
13:13And I really connected with Justin about his art and on his art.
13:21I found him like David Lynch when I was, I think, 14 maybe.
13:25I watched Twin Peaks and Fire Walk with me for the first time.
13:29And it was like I found exactly what I'd been looking for forever.
13:34I didn't even really realize I was looking for it, but it was like just perfect cinema.
13:41And his philosophy on creation and on the imagination is so, so beautiful to me.
13:48And I used that a lot when I was writing, you know, to just kind of sit back and let
13:55myself be introspective and meditate and let things come through me.
13:59It's like, it's a really, a beautiful, beautiful process.
14:04In some ways, it's kind of like the Bjork performance we were just talking about.
14:08Like, it just kind of forces you in a little bit.
14:11And if you have the wherewithal to actually want to understand what they're trying to say, it really can be
14:17super rewarding.
14:19Yeah.
14:20Any favorite movie of his?
14:22Ooh.
14:24It's hard, but I think it might be Lost Highway.
14:27I love Lost Highway so much.
14:30That's like particularly special to me visually and the story and everything.
14:35It's just so, so brilliant.
14:37Great soundtrack.
14:38One of my favorite.
14:39Love that soundtrack.
14:40So good.
14:41All-timer for sure.
14:41Yeah.
14:42You recently performed a bunch of shows at, I don't know if it was a bunch of shows, at least
14:46one that I saw at Sunrose on Sunset with Mike Garson, who's David Bowie's keyboard player, which was amazing.
14:56What did playing with someone like that unlock for you, if anything?
15:01I mean, it was such a weird, kind of awesome full circle moment for me.
15:07I had like a gigantic David Bowie phase when I was...
15:11It lasted for a while, but I think it started around the time I was like 12 or 13.
15:16And I was always so fascinated by the piano parts on his records and to then like connect with Mike
15:28and then have him ask me to sing with him.
15:30It was just like such a trip and he came over to my parents' house and like sat down at
15:35the piano and started playing and it was just like, whoa.
15:40Like, this man holds so much talent and greatness and just like musical history.
15:46It was just incredible.
15:48And playing with him was so much fun.
15:50He was so kind and always made me feel so comfortable up on stage.
15:55And when we were rehearsing, like just such a lovely, lovely human and such a beautiful piano player.
16:03It's like unreal when you listen to him play.
16:06Just his style is so, so distinct and so unique.
16:10But yeah, those shows were, they were so much fun.
16:14And playing jazz in front of people for the first time, like in public.
16:20Right.
16:20Was so fun.
16:21I'm a, I love jazz music.
16:23I love vocal jazz so much.
16:24I grew up listening to it and it's always been really, really influential to me.
16:30And it was like my first time playing with like a jazz band and it, yeah, it was just such
16:38a, such a fun experience.
16:39It was really, really, really special.
16:42And your vocals and your performance vibe, like really complimented, like just seasoned player as well.
16:47Kind of going back to how incredible it is that like, this is your first record and it's like, you
16:52know, you're in the pocket.
16:53You got this.
16:54One of the most amazing moments I saw of you performing was back in 2022 at the Taylor Hawkins tribute
17:01at Kia Forum.
17:02And that was, you know, a very anticipated show, like just icons of music playing for five or six hours.
17:09And that show opens with you playing a Leonard Cohen song.
17:14Yeah.
17:14Like what, what a spotlight, what a insane moment for you.
17:18What was going through your head before when you went out on stage and how it went after?
17:23There was so much.
17:25I mean, I just, I really wanted to do, I wanted to do that song justice and I wanted to,
17:31you know, I just, I wanted to do the night justice.
17:35And it was, it was really intimidating going out there, especially cause it was just going to be me and
17:42Elaine.
17:43But it, it was so much fun and it, you know, it was like really so beautiful to see that
17:54many people connecting and like listening in silently.
18:00It was, it was, it's hard to put into words.
18:03It was a really, really special night and that was a really special moment.
18:07But.
18:07And you really set the tone.
18:09I mean, just what an incredible performance.
18:10And just, that's not, I can't imagine that that's an easy slot, right.
18:14To open that show.
18:15And it's, and it's a very, it's an iconic song and hallelujah.
18:18It's very stripped down and it's really, it's all about you in that moment.
18:21And you really came through.
18:23That was amazing.
18:23Yeah.
18:23Thanks.
18:24Well, it was, it wasn't about me.
18:25It was about the night, but.
18:26Of course.
18:27But I'm just saying like, just when you're performing in the spotlights on you, like everyone's focused on you, you
18:32know, of course.
18:33And just, just blew me away.
18:36Your first headline shows were just announced.
18:38Yeah.
18:38So you're going to be doing those very soon.
18:40And also opening some shows with, with Breeders.
18:42Yeah.
18:43Iconic K-Rock artists.
18:45Such a dream come true.
18:46Talk about that.
18:47That's amazing.
18:48It's so exciting.
18:49I, I can't really believe it still.
18:52I'm like so, so excited to play with them.
18:56I mean, I've, I've grown up listening to their records and, and Last Splash is like just one of my
19:03favorites of all time.
19:04I listen to it probably every day still, and I have for the last, I don't even know how long,
19:10but it's just so exciting.
19:12And you had to be sharing a stage with like Kim and, and the rest of them.
19:19It's like, they're like one of the reasons why I do this and why I want to do this.
19:25And it's just so, so exciting.
19:29I'm, I can't wait.
19:30And your headline shows too.
19:32I mean, you're going to be playing solo for first time ever, right?
19:35Doing some headline shows on your own.
19:36Yeah.
19:36Yeah, pretty much.
19:37Yeah.
19:37Talk about that.
19:38Yeah.
19:39It's same thing.
19:40It's like a dream come true.
19:42I mean, I've, I've, I've been waiting or I've been wanting to do this for as long as I can
19:48remember really.
19:50And to have it like actualized in front of me and about to happen is just like, it's a trip,
19:57but I'm really excited.
19:58And my band are fucking awesome.
20:02And, you know, we're, we're working really hard to make this as like, I don't, I don't even know.
20:10We're just like, we care about this a lot and we're really excited to be playing live.
20:16Who do you have in the band?
20:17Talk about the players that you're going to be bringing out with you on tour.
20:20Yeah.
20:20So I have Anthony Lopez.
20:23He's my drummer.
20:24He mixed the record as well.
20:25He's one of Justin Raisin's close friends and he's so beyond talented.
20:31Like he, he can like mess around with sonics and like write the most beautiful and perfect drum parts.
20:43Just, he's so talented and such a joy to be around.
20:46And then his wife, Angel, mixed my vocals on the record and she's playing bass with me.
20:52She's just such a sweetheart.
20:54Like everyone is so talented.
20:57And then Salar, who was one of the foos guitar techs.
21:01He's my guitarist.
21:03So it's like kind of a, like a little mini version of like a bigger kind of family that we're
21:11all a part of.
21:12It's really exciting.
21:13What do you hope people take away from these shows?
21:16Like kind of saying about you after they see you live?
21:19I don't really know.
21:20I mean, I'm, I'm more so just hoping that people can have a, an enjoyable live music experience.
21:27And I hope that they can, you know, get that, like that connection with the person next to them or,
21:34you know, hear a song that reminds them of a, a really significant time in their life.
21:40You know, something like that.
21:41Like I just, I want people to have a connection with the music and with the, with the moment that's
21:48happening.
21:49I don't, you know, I don't care as much what they take away from me.
21:55I mean, I hope that they dig it.
21:57But if they don't, it's okay.
22:00They'll be there for you.
22:01I'm sure they'll like it.
22:02And the record's amazing.
22:03You grew up a lot around a lot of music.
22:06Obviously there's a story about like a Beatles box set that was played for you early on.
22:11And, um, what was the moment like where you decided, like, I'm not just going to be a fan of
22:17music, but I'm really going to try and become a musician.
22:21Yeah.
22:21I mean, I don't, I don't know exactly the moment, but I, I played at a talent show at my
22:29elementary school when I was like six.
22:32It was like first grade, I think with my dad.
22:34And from like that moment going forward, the performance side of music became really intriguing and exciting to me.
22:45And I really wanted to like, to sing more and to, to watch live performances more.
22:51And like that kind of side of the world opened up for me.
22:55But, um, I think it, I've just always, it's always been something.
23:00I don't even know.
23:02I can't even think of the, like the moment that, that I've been singing my whole life.
23:06And like, I started playing guitar when I was 12, but before then I wanted to be a musician and
23:13I was into music.
23:14So I don't even really know.
23:17You mentioned your dad, like one question.
23:19He recently was in an interview, in an interview talking about how you signed to a label when you had
23:25all these, you know, the ball was rolling on your career and he didn't even realize that you signed to
23:29a label, right?
23:30Like you're kind of doing your own thing.
23:32How did that come together and how did, how was this kept from him getting signed?
23:39We were just busy.
23:40Just, you know, I mean, we, we talk and we text, but you know, I mean, it, it was something
23:45that I'd been working on behind the scenes for a little bit.
23:48And then, you know, it took time to get the actual paper together for me to sign.
23:53So it was really just waiting for that.
23:57And then once it happened, you know, I, I called him and I was like, Hey, I signed the record
24:02deal.
24:03And so I went over, we had a family dinner with a Baskin Robbins ice cream cake.
24:08That was kind of it, but I don't know.
24:11I mean, yeah, that's just kind of how it happened.
24:14We're both just busy, just doing things.
24:17Be sweet to me.
24:20Is the record.
24:21Yeah.
24:21Comes out on May 29th.
24:23Cool buzz was just released.
24:25Yeah.
24:26Really looking forward to the 2026.
24:29That is for Violet Grohl.
24:30The headline shows breeder shows.
24:32It's going to be a big year for you.
24:33And we're thrilled to have you here at K rock.
24:35Thanks for having me so much.
24:36It means a lot to be here.
24:37Thanks for having me so much.
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