An exclusive conversation with Christian Cicilia and Nick Crawford about their beginnings, musical evolution, creative independence, and ambitions beyond music.
THE VUZE | EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
poptropicaslutz! is a Long Island-born electronic music duo consisting of childhood friends Christian Cicilia and Nick Crawford. Emerging from the early-2020s hyperpop scene, the duo gained recognition for their distinctive blend of pop-punk, alternative rock, and experimental electronic music. Over the years, they’ve continued to evolve their sound, most notably with the new 925, which marked a shift toward dance-driven alternative pop inspired by early-2010s electronic music. Beyond music, poptropicaslutz! have established a growing presence in fashion and visual art, building a creative identity that extends far beyond their original sound.
Tell me a little about yourselves. What are some things you like to do? What are your hobbies, favorite places to eat, or places you enjoy visiting?
Nick: Favorite things to do let’s see… I’ll get the obvious one out of the way anything that involves consuming, learning or making music is my go-to pastime but other than that watching old sitcoms and YouTube videos I used to like as a kid and looking for clothes online have never failed. I used to skate and play video games a lot but don’t find the time as much anymore, but I can still kickflip so that’s all that really matters. Also designing clothes… Morrow Race Jacket coming soon. I eat at the local taco stands a few times a week. Malibu is my favorite place.
Christian: I really like spending money in any way possible. A lot on sushi and a myriad of other foods… Going to the movies… Taking Ubers to bars at happy hour. I’ve been really into training MMA recently (me and my friends beating the fuck out of each other in my backyard). I also run a lot and more recently got into cycling. Most of all I stew in my thoughts for hours on end each day and overthink every turn my life has ever taken and might take in the future.
Where did the name poptropicaslutz! come from, and what is its significance?
Nick: CC just blurted it out during a brainstorm sesh in my Lexus like 6 years ago, I thought we’d get sued… We didn’t… And thank god… Nobody would’ve liked the other name we were gonna use. Poptropicaslutz! For life
Christian: Some people would have liked the other name but we definitely aren’t trying to appeal to them.
How did poptropicaslutz! start, and what did your music originally sound like?
Nick: I wanted to start a band or “rap group” as I called it when I was 16 but didn’t know anyone that fit the bill. One day we went to the beach and CC started freestyling and no lie I was in awe of how good it was so I asked him to join… And then… Well you know what they say about history.
Christian: I always wanted to be a musician as a kid. I played guitar and drums and wrote a lot of music in elementary school and middle school. Thankfully I persevered enough to make it through the early stage of putting stuff on SoundCloud and getting clowned behind my back by my peers. Funny enough I think you can hear in our earliest music where we’d end up going. We wrote our first song 1-800-luvme together the day after meeting Lil Tecca at our friend’s house party and taking it as a sign we could do it too.
“I always knew my life would be awesome.”
— Nick Crawford
As a duo who grew up as childhood friends, did you ever imagine yourselves becoming this successful in music when you were younger?
Nick: The right answer is probably “no it all came as a shock” but honestly yes… I always knew my life would be awesome.
Christian: Yes, and much much more. I’d be lying if I said there were never any low points where I questioned myself and the trajectory of things, but overall I’ve always known how far we could go. Spoiler alert it’s a lot farther than we are right now so brace yourself if you don’t like us haha
You’ve spoken previously about turning down an education at Cornell University to pursue music. What made you want to take that leap, and were there any consequences that came with that decision?
Christian: I fully credit COVID for that decision. I don’t think I had the courage to do that otherwise, nor the heart to tell my parents if I did. It was more so that everything being remote made it feel pointless to ship myself off to the worst place on earth (upstate NY) and end up locked away in a dorm. A faux record deal that saw us get our single signed for a grand total of $0 made us think we had made it, so my confidence in music working out in the immediate future was a bit higher than it would have otherwise been.
Nick: I went to art school.
How was it initially going from Long Island to Los Angeles? Was there any culture shock that came with such a big move?
Nick: Yea I mean LA is a crazy place (where no one can drive properly)… Everyone on Long Island is happy there… The American dream I guess… It’s the “everything you could ever want”. Suburbia. So as someone wanting more than that or anything Manhattan could offer it was scary but worth it. We moved with our 2 hometown friends Mat and Danny so it was easy to feel at home. We still live together. It’s basically Entourage.
Christian: I would have a very different answer to this question if I had moved out here on my own. In a weird way our whole time out here so far has just felt like watching a show, seeing all the weird stuff that happens and the politics and the social climbing, but we don’t really feel like we have to partake… It’s more like a really long vacation with our friends. It’s good to not have to fit in to a scene or make any friends. We’re very antisocial
You guys were an important part of the 2020 hyperpop wave. How do you feel about your progression since then, and what have you carried from that era into your current artistry?
Nick: Progression wise I feel like the growth is clear… Especially in the songwriting… 10,000 hours. And one thing I always hold onto from the beginning is the passion and freedom… To me that’s the most important part of being an artist.
Christian: I feel proud. Proud of the old stuff and the new. A lot of artists that have been out since then have wiped all their old stuff from existence but I think it’s cool to give fans a chance to experience that progression. There’s songs I don’t like or would have done differently if not for being naive with a lot of voices in my ear, but at the end of the day I’m grateful for everything I’ve learned up until this point and it took some missteps to steer us where we need to go. Most importantly we’re always getting better so prepare for us to completely blow the new 925 out of the water with the next stuff.
Your earlier music was heavily driven by pop-punk and alternative rock, but on the new 925, you took a complete turn toward electronic alt-pop. What inspired that sudden change?
Nick: Not wanting to be boxed in, it’ll always be a fundamental part of our sound but we needed to be something that only we could be.
Christian: In a lot of ways I don’t think this was a sharp departure from what we did before it. Listen to grandma got run over by a lawnmower, falling apart in halftime, watercolor puddles, comingup4air, bedroom, the whole gossip team project… There’s tons of the same influences and ideas on those songs in an earlier form. But ultimately, the music we make at any given time has to reflect how we feel when we’re writing it. We weren’t as sad/young/cutesy-feeling when we made the new 925 and it felt wrong to fake it.
“We needed to be something that only we could be.”
— Nick Crawford
A lot of listeners connect your sound to early-2010s “recession pop.” How intentional is that influence for you, and why do you think people are craving that sound again now?
Nick: Pretty intentional. That was the popular music of our childhoods so in some way I’m sure it shaped our tastes… And I mean the economy is kinda fucked again so no better time for a rehash.
Christian: We’re definitely fans of all that stuff. Things come in waves and the world kinda just got over the whole Y2K rehash so it only makes sense 2010s indie electronic stuff would be next
There has been a massive resurgence in EDM, hyperpop, and electronic duos, and poptropicaslutz! definitely has a unique presence within that scene. What do you think makes you stand out, and why should people believe in poptropicaslutz!?
Nick: We’re honest.
Christian: And handsome.
Nick actually wanted me to say that and I agree. But more importantly I just think we’ve never pretended or “larped” as people say now. We’ve always been pretty unapologetic about stuff we do and people cling to that authenticity. Not to boast but we’ve definitely been ahead of the curve on things since we started, and you can’t get that by trying to be part of a scene or rehashing someone else’s sound.
You’re a strong example of nostalgia done right, blending elements of 2000s pop with internet-driven music culture. What helps you maintain that balance without overdoing the nostalgia?
Nick: Knowing what to take and remembering to make something that only we can.
Christian: The range of influences is too vast to sound like any one thing. We like a lot of stuff and we have a wide arsenal when it comes to songwriting.
What are your thoughts on nostalgia bait and artists using nostalgic elements to gain attention instead of creating something new?
Nick: Ummm not sure… If it works that’s cool but if you want to be remembered you gotta make something fresh for sure.
Christian: I think it’s a good idea for someone who doesn’t have enough of a bag to do something different. Everybody wants to make it as a musician but not everybody has the tools. Can’t knock the hustle
The new 925 feels very refreshing and thought-provoking sonically. What are some places you draw inspiration from that people might not expect?
Nick: People I’ve met along the way. That’s all I really talk about on that album.
Christian: A lot of that album is inspired by things people have said to us, both positive and negative. If you listen back there’s a good amount of quotes in there. Feeling like we were lazy and not taking enough initiative before that album also gave us a much-needed boost of inspiration to get to work, hence the album name (wink wink)
“Superbad” is currently your most popular song, and it shares its name with the iconic 2007 comedy film. Do films play a role in your creative process? If so, what are some of your favorite films, and which ones have inspired you the most?
Nick: Yea film is honestly one of my biggest inspirations when making music. The prequel Star Wars trilogy, Closer, Almost Famous, Lost in Translation and The Dark Knight are a few of my favorites. Closer probably inspires me the most. I have a poster of it in my bedroom. Also every Pixar movie is amazing I watched Toy Story 1 with my mom recently.
Christian: White Chicks inspires me a lot.
A lot of the music on the new 925 revolves around clubbing and partying. What inspired that theme within the album and what’s the craziest story you’ve experienced at an LA party?
Nick: I don’t know…. A lot of things probably youth, Brat Summer, underlying loneliness lol. Honestly it was probably not wanting to be labeled as emo anymore. I could share a story but it’s not something I’d want in print.
Christian: Living with friends definitely played a big part. Having a pool and a hot tub to invite strangers to… Being able to do pretty much whatever we want and not having real jobs creates a lot of stories.
Who is the most famous person you’ve met during your time in LA, and did you learn anything from meeting them?
Nick: I met Tobey Maguire in the bathroom of the Chateau Marmont… He was nice… I said I was a fan… He said “oh, thank you!” I learned one thing from that experience… I am both taller and in better shape than Spider-Man.
Christian: Met Al Pacino the other day. That kinda overshadowed the rest.
Who are some other artists you’d like to collaborate with within the underground rap and EDM scenes?
Nick: I like Pz’ I think that’d be cool
Christian: This is the one question I never know the answer to. We haven’t really done any collaborations with other artists but definitely open to it in the future
What are your thoughts on the current state of the underground?
Nick: It’s cool and they’ve ruined the Hedi Slimane resell market.
Christian: I’m kinda tapped out. I like Nettspend
What is one thing you would change about the current scene and the music industry as a whole?
Nick: I wouldn’t change anything about any scenes but it’d take down streaming and revert back to physical albums.
Christian: I would bring back the album. Echoing what Nick said, before streaming there was a much bigger emphasis on building complete bodies of work with distinct visual worlds and stories around them. It was a lot easier to do that when people had to buy a $10 album to listen to it, allowing artists a bigger budget to fund that level of creativity and vision. Now it’s like nobody cares.
“I would bring back the album.”
— Christian Cicilia
What is the worst trend in music right now, and why?
Nick: Pursuing music to be cool or make money.
Christian: I don’t wanna rain on anyone’s parade by answering this.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced as artists?
Nick: Outside noise.
Christian: I second what Nick said. It’s interesting to look back at the beginning of our career and realize we were doing everything right. We had the songs, the aesthetic, the ideas all down to a T. Once people started taking notice, we had too many voices in our ears telling us what we needed to do and why we weren’t bigger, even though I fully believe if we had carried on without changing we would have gotten where we wanted to be much faster. But all the lessons we learned from that detour have been some of the most valuable of our lives.
What are the origins of the eye-glitter look? What made you want to incorporate it into your brand, and who inspired it?
Nick: My sister had an old James Charles makeup palette in our bathroom and I stole it before our first show cuz I wanted a signature look. It felt like war paint or armour for the stage. It was inspired by Panic! At the Disco and Ke$ha.
Christian: We were and are big Panic! At the Disco fanboys. It just felt right. There’s a really iconic photo of Nick doing the makeup on me before our first show when I was on vocal rest. He did it on himself first and I came up to him using sign language to ask him to do it for me. It was awesome.
“It felt like war paint or armour for the stage.”
— Nick Crawford
Recently, the poptropicaslutz! aesthetic and identity have become much more solidified through both fashion and music. Where do you see the branding surrounding your music going over the next year, and how do you plan to get there?
Nick: I always say if it wasn’t music it was going to be fashion, I was a womenswear major for a semester before the music really started happening. I’m designing clothes for a brand we’re starting called Spontaneous Living, Unbound by Theory so expect that in the coming months. I plan to keep dressing well and letting Pablo take my photos… Only good things will come from that I’m sure.
Christian: We had to take a big step back before we made the new 925 and think “how do we want people to see us?”… At the time it was apparent the answer to that question was not aligned with reality. I think that’s the nature of making the type of music we were making, which inherently “uncool” people flock to. And that’s no shade to our fans, we love them very much. That’s a big reason we started our brand Spontaneous Living, revamped our online presence, and started sharing more of who we are. The people who like us need us to be their leaders, put them in cool clothes, put them onto cool music, get them coming to the shows looking like us.
Jarod John Leonard has become a major part of your recent fashion direction and even styled your outfits for this shoot. What is your relationship with JJL like, and what do you think about their recent impact on the underground through incorporating artists like poptropicaslutz!, Bleood, and Fakemink into the brand’s vision?
Nick: Clark Reeve 4 President. Clark actually sold me a Dior Homme blazer like 4 years ago before we even met. Him and Jarod are killing it, this is a moment people will be talking about for a long time. Quality.
Christian: Genuinely some of my favorite people I’ve met through making music. Clark meshes with our group of friends so well it’s like we’ve known him forever. Super funny dude. The way we met was super kismet too, with Pablo being our go-to visual guy and JJL’s as well, and Clark recognizing us on NYE from a TikTok. Big fan of everything they’re doing and I’ve yet to not be impressed by a JJL piece I put on.
Do you see yourselves expanding beyond music into other industries such as fashion, film, or art in the future?
Nick: Yea I’ll definitely be designing clothes in the future, I hope to write a screenplay and maybe make a candle if you consider that an art form. I’d also be down to act only as a canonical Star Wars character.
Christian: I’ve always seen myself getting into acting. Definitely the next frontier for me once I’ve chipped away at my musical ambitions a bit more.
Where do you see poptropicaslutz! going from here, both musically and creatively?
Nick: It remains to be seen.
Christian: Doing what we’ve always done but at a higher level and with more eyes on us… I’ve always believed all it takes for somebody to love us is to find out we exist
“I’ve always believed all it takes for somebody to love us is to find out we exist.”
— Christian Cicilia
To close it out, what’s a message or quote you’d like to leave with anyone chasing their dreams?
Nick: Tomorrow’s almost today.
Nick signing off #swag
Christian: He whose mind is made does not account for the heart that is not… Sometimes what you feel supersedes logic and any amount of thinking you could do. Make sure to follow that feeling.