ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: What made you want to write a song about consent?
ALUNA FRANCIS:It was certainly a real-life situation.
That really hit me hard.
Credit: Lloyd Pursall
I didnt have confidence about this situation.
And to get out, get away if it’s possible for you to.
The song is about bringing a positivity to that idea.
To bring consent into the bedroom, its not the opposite of sexy.
Do you think making a four-minute club jam about consent underscores that idea?
I just wanted to feel good about it.
I was desperate to feel good again.
I was desperate to not be the victim.
I didnt want to get stuck in the kind of whining, angry emotions of the situation.
Im going to feel confident saying, These are my lines and youve crossed themthats it, bye!
For me, its much better time spent just saying the opposite, saying what I think is right.
But Ive noticed that that brainwashing goes both ways.
Its one thing telling women that what theyre saying is not what they mean.
But youre also telling other men that women dont know what they mean, which is even more damaging.
Its a lie that gets fed to young men.
In the situation I was in, I dont think this guy really believed what he was saying.
Im not taking away the blame from him or anything, but all this sh-t comes from somewhere.
The song is a collaboration with rappers Dreezy and Leikeli47.
Did you always know you wanted to have rappers on the song?
I really felt like it was sitting on a cheesy place because it was so honest.
I was a little bit embarrassed by it.
But I knew it was a really important thing to say.
What got me through the situation is my friends, so this song needed friends on it.
It needs that vibe.
The only way I got through this situation was my friends going, Girl, that was sexual harassment!
I was like, Yeah, it is, isnt it?
I didnt even realize it.
My self-esteem was so damaged that I didnt want to talk about it.
As soon as I got the verses from Dreezy and 47 I was like, Thats it!
Theres a validation in having other women decide that thats an important thing to talk about as well.
Theyre willing to stand out there with you and go, Yeah, Ill talk about consent!
Ive been through it myself!
You realize youre not alonethats the whole point of writing the song.
With Leikeli47 and Dreezy, it became the perfect balance of different voices and different women.
We all come from totally different backgrounds, and were coming from entirely different perspectives on the same subjects.
I dont think it could have been the same song without them.
What was it like shooting the video?
It looks like it was a lot of fun.
Oh my God, it was hideous.
Its in the middle of the Mojave Desert with strong sand-filled winds that just get stronger throughout the day.
If you watch the video again, theres absolutely no point at which my hair is not my face.
Not a single shot!
Im constantly flipping my hair out of my mouth.
I had contact lenses and had to change them like three times.
