Interview: Mollie Elizabeth Invites Listeners to Experience a Dreamlike World Through her Debut EP, ‘Dirty Blonde’

An ode to Hollywood glamor overlaid with a distinctly modern haze, Mollie Elizabeth’s debut EP, ‘Dirty Blonde,’ transcends eras with a timeless elegance and sweetness signature of her vintage-inspired sound.

by guest writer Kayleigh Schweiker

Stream: “One More Night” – Mollie Elizabeth

To me, every melody is a tiny world that invites you in.

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Surrounded by delicate lace and an ornately detailed bed frame, Mollie Elizabeth smiles as she joins me over Zoom.

She gently calls her dog into the frame, all while glowing with excitement about her latest single: “It’s a story about grieving a strong relationship you’ve had with someone, whether romantic or platonic… such a universal, devastatingly beautiful experience.” That sentiment – of love, loss, and lingering beauty – echoes not just through her music, but in the very way she curates her space. “I love old delicate lace and luxurious fabrics,” she says of her bedroom, a reflection of the romanticism that runs through her debut EP, Dirty Blonde.

Whether she’s referencing her favorite visual inspirations, musical muses, or passions for interior design and fashion, Elizabeth’s vision is cohesive and intentional. “It’s all just kind of part of that same little umbrella I made for myself to stay under and call my own,” she explains.

Dirty Blonde EP - Mollie Elizabeth — Dirty Blonde EP – Mollie Elizabeth

But while her music explores the complexities of love and longing, it also doubles as an anthem for selfhood and independence. From “Vegas Venetian,” the breakout track that propelled her to TikTok virality, to “One More Night,” her latest release, a bold celebration of womanhood pulses through every song in Elizabeth’s growing catalog. Her work doesn’t stop at the music – it stretches into a fully formed world: a dreamy, cinematic aesthetic that shapes her visuals, her style, and her mindset. “I like being in my own little world… a hazy, dreamlike state.”

At just 21-years old, the Pacific Northwest-based artist is preparing to release her most complete vision yet. Dirty Blonde, Mollie Elizabeth’s debut EP, is a carefully collaged invitation into her world – where vintage glamour meets modern emotion, and the tension between love and freedom is felt in every note.

Ahead of its release on June 27th, I sat down with Elizabeth to talk about the new record, the influence of nostalgia on her sound, and what it was like being a “dramatic” seven-year-old growing up in Washington State.

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:: stream/purchase Dirty Blonde here ::

:: connect with Mollie Elizabeth here ::

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A CONVERSATION WITH MOLLIE ELIZABETH

Atwood Magazine: How do you feel like growing up in Washington State has informed your artistic process?

Mollie Elizabeth: I grew up on – and am still living on – a mountain. It’s kind of isolated. Most of my childhood was spent by myself in the woods, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. But I was a very introspective child. When I was very young, I started having thoughts, like, ‘trees are people too!’

But I think being so surrounded by nature definitely influenced my life and my art a lot. In terms of high school, I really struggled making friends. I always wanted to live in a cul-de-sac when I was little – I didn’t really have neighbor kids to play with. I just didn’t really know how to befriend people, and I eventually realized that I kind of didn’t want to befriend people, or at least, I would rather go sit outside and sing to the birds and write my little stories – and I was always just in my own little world.

It definitely sounds a lot more glamorous spoken, but I grew up loving nature and animals. I would walk home from the bus stop in the spring, and all the caterpillars would be walking by, and I’d think, ‘oh, they must be going to my house.’ And so I’d put them all on my arms and be like, ‘Mom, look what I did!’

You describe your music as a refuge “a way to orient yourself in this cold world, to not just survive its cruelty, but to beautify it.” Do you feel like that stems from your upbringing? How has it translated as you've gotten older?

Mollie Elizabeth: I think pretty much all of it has come from the way I was raised and the way that I learned to cope with mental health or worldly events or familial stuff. I think it definitely started with my love for Disney princesses, and how my mom would play Rosemary Clooney and Doris Day on the radio. And I was like, “This is the prettiest music ever.” I never really understood why people didn’t continue to make music like that, so I always knew that that was the kind of music that I wanted to make.

What elements of the singers who you cite as inspiration do you feel like you've translated into your own music?

Mollie Elizabeth: I think it’s mainly my style of singing. I use a lot of vibrato and a lot of longer tones, and I like singing in a more melodic, sultry, oldie kind of way. I would love to lean more into my Julie London side. Julie London has such a sultriness to her voice. I think on this Dirty Blonde EP, I’ve leaned into my Connie Francis, and maybe a little Doris Day.

Mollie Elizabeth 'Dirty Blonde' © Sophia Schrank — Mollie Elizabeth ‘Dirty Blonde’ © Sophia Schrank

You’ve mentioned that songwriting became an experience equivalent to journaling for you. How do you feel connected to the idea of songwriting?

Mollie Elizabeth: My songwriting definitely started with an interest in literature. I always loved reading, growing up. I started writing poems at a really young age because I was a very emotional child – not big enough for this little body. I think that the powerful thing about music is that, not only can you write it poetically and let the lyrics carry so much meaning, but that you can then amplify that with the way that you’re singing it. And honestly, it kept my ADHD brain way more activated when I was singing, because I love to be loud. But I think it’s also so cathartic. It doesn’t matter if it stinks – even if you think that you are such a terrible singer or songwriter, just write a song and belt it, and I promise you, it will change your life.

Do you have any specific memories from a young age learning to channel those emotions through song? When did that start for you?

Mollie Elizabeth: Oh gosh. During my childhood, any time an emotional event happened, I’d always go up to my room and sing a whole dramatic song about it, as if I was part of a movie. Some of my earliest memories of music were writing a song about recycling or writing a song about tying my shoes. And little jingles – I loved little jingles that were on the radio or in advertisements. I was always like, oh, I’m going to make those.

I think the more dramatic part of my singing probably started when I was a little bit older, when I was seven or eight. When I really started leaning into my singing and songwriting was when I started to like boys, because it was so much drama. Out on the playground I was like, ‘he doesn’t know I’m here,’ like, ‘I’m no one to him.’ Just so dramatic.

“Vegas Venetian” and “Dinner for One” both seem to lean into the aspect of romance. But they do both seem to carry a more cynical – or realistic – outlook on love. Where do you think that stems from?

Mollie Elizabeth: “Vegas Venetian” was kind of similar to “Dinner for One,” in that it centers around womanhood – like, ‘I’m in this relationship that, honestly, I’m too good for, and I’m gonna go, because I don’t need this.’ And very similarly, “Dinner for One” is this kind of anthem to women of like: ‘I’m so awesome, I’m so cute.’ I wouldn’t even say that there’s a cynicism to it. I think that it’s something that’s not spoken about enough; and when it is spoken about, being happy with yourself as a woman by yourself and leaving a toxic relationship or taking yourself out, there’s always this undertone of ‘men suck’ or ‘life is so hard.’ But there is a beauty and a whimsy to those two songs.

You wrote the following on your Instagram about “Until We Meet Again”: “Crazy that everyone thinks this song is for a boy. Why does it always have to be about a boy?” Can you share some more insight into what that song is about?

Mollie Elizabeth: So the great thing about that song is that when we were writing it, we wanted it to have a lot of different avenues that it could take. For myself, I had just lost my best friend – we had just drifted apart. And so we wanted to write this story about grieving a strong relationship that you’ve had with someone, whether it be romantic or platonic or someone you lost in life, and the feeling of when you only get to see them in your dreams at night. I think that’s such a universal, devastatingly beautiful experience of how our brains will always bring us back to these people. I love it when I write songs and I’m like: ‘oh yeah, this is definitely about this one guy, or I’m like, no this is definitely about my grandma.’ I love that this song can relate to both the boy and the grandma.

I do think it’s interesting how people always assume it’s always about a boy – unfortunately, a lot of my songs are about boys, but they make such good content.

“Until We Meet Again” was released on May 15^th. In comparison to “Vegas Venetian” and “Dinner for One,” it feels a little bit more somber. How did you decide to release this song now, and how do you feel like it answers to both of the prior songs on the EP?

Mollie Elizabeth: Well, it’s definitely a left turn to the other songs that I have out. From an analytical standpoint, we wanted to show a little bit more variety. In more of a storytelling context, it’s just adding that extra piece of the story. Not everything is about empowerment and feeling great.

Part of me almost likes to imagine that “Dinner for One” happens, and then you go home, and “Until We Meet Again” plays, and you’re brought back to this older time. All of these things can exist in the same universe. It is very much a journey. I think it just adds a layer to the story and to the multifaceted experience.

Much of your music has this whimsy and almost dreamlike substance to it, which is translated through your music videos. What is your creative input like into those?

Mollie Elizabeth: I’ve always worked to curate a very specific space for myself – kind of a very specific mindset, not even in a sad, negative way. But I like being in my own little world. That’s just what I enjoy. Being in this hazy, dreamlike state has saved me from so much stuff that has happened in my life. I think that there’s a somber way of looking at it, and there’s a very powerful and fun way of just thinking: ‘wow, I made this little safe space for myself.’ It’s cool that I’m able to share that safe space with the world and people are able to see the beauty in it, and the fun, and not just label it as, “Oh, this girl is dissociating.”

You mentioned fashion as a place of solace for you during your early years. How does fashion inform and influence your art and vice versa?

Mollie Elizabeth: It’s all just kind of part of that same little umbrella I made for myself to stay under and call my own. It’s so interesting, trying to piece apart the different parts of my music and my fashion and my interior design, because it all just exists in the same little pocket. It’s all sort of a collage of the things that I’ve found that make me happy. I love old delicate lace and luxurious fabrics – I’ve really honed in on what I like, whether it’s what I’m wearing or what I’m around. It’s all just what makes me feel the best, and this is where we ended up.

Tell me more about your love for interior design.

Mollie Elizabeth: When I was pretty little, I thought I might want to be an interior designer. I think that it’s so impactful, the space that you’re in, just as much as what colors you choose to wear or what kind of music you choose to listen to. I struggled with really bad anxiety, and I equated visual clutter with feeling unsafe. So there was a while – and I still am – where I was really passionate about growing my knowledge on the intersection between mental health and interior design, and learning how to best design in order to make my life easier and myself happier. Now I’ve got, like, tablecloths on my ceiling.

Your Instagram handle and one of the songs on Dirty Blonde are named after doe eyes. What do doe eyes signify for you?

Mollie Elizabeth: I wish it were more poetic, but it really just came from this online trend where it was like, ‘do you have doe eyes or fox eyes?’ and I remember asking my friend who said I have doe eyes. I was like, “That’s my whole personality now.” And then everyone knows that I love fairies, so I was like, “Do I add fairy [to my handle]?” But I think, if we want to get poetic and deep…I think there’s a certain wide eyedness that I think all artists have – or just all people who are observant or people who love, or really anyone has a certain amount of wide eyedness to them – of just being perceptive and being open to things at the same time, which makes you vulnerable. There’s a beauty to it, and a little bit of a, like, ‘well I feel things really big and I notice a lot of things that other people don’t really notice.’

Speaking of your social media, “Vegas Venetian” blew up on TikTok. What was that experience like, and what was it like receiving so much praise on a social media platform?

Mollie Elizabeth: It was super weird, but also so cool. Interestingly enough, the first thing that I noticed was that no one was commenting on how I looked or how I was dressed. As a woman on social media, that’s always a thing that you think of. One of the first things I noticed after going, “holy crap, so many people listened to this clip,” was that no one was saying, like, ‘oh, you’re so pretty,’ or ‘oh, you’re so ugly.’ Everyone was just like, “I love this song.”

And I was like, ‘holy crap.’ It was like people were actually hearing me, and that was an earth-shattering feeling. I went upstairs and told my dad: “It’s happening.” It was so crazy, especially because I had been posting my music for years.

This was during the week that I had signed up to go to community college. I was going to study marine biology. I always knew I wanted to do music, but I was like, ‘I don’t think I’m good enough to do music,’ or ‘I don’t know the right people.’ I love nature and I love the ocean, so I was like, ‘I’ll do marine biology.’ I filmed the video without makeup, I was in bed about to go to sleep, and I was just like: “Listen to this fun demo.” I didn’t think anyone was going to see it. Then I woke up and I was like – “woah.” Two million people had seen it, and I was like, “Well, I guess I’m not going to community college!”

Out of all the songs on the EP, are there any that you feel most connected to or that you're most excited for listeners to hear?

Mollie Elizabeth: I mean, that’s like telling me to pick my favorite child. I think I would say, as a collective, I’m really excited for all of the songs to be out together. There’s a story arc that goes through the whole EP. I’m really excited to hear what people think when they can listen to the whole story.

For me listening, I felt like “Riptide Roller” thematically sits next to “Vegas Venetian,” in that it focuses on a relationship or romance. Can you talk more about that song?

Mollie Elizabeth: “Riptide Roller” was so fun. That was one of those songs I think I wrote on my deck with my phone. I think I actually wrote this after an experience at the lake during summertime last year. I was single, and I was like, ‘I’m happy to be single, and I don’t need any man.’ I’d gone to the lake with my friends and there was this cute boy, and I got that feeling where I was like, ‘I need to go look cute and do all this stuff.’

It’s just about this feeling of, “oh, I can’t do this again.” Getting sucked back into the riptide of some teenage boy – but also just the whimsy and the fun of that. There’s something so magical about summertime and being young and dating. That little feeling you get where you’re like, ‘Oh, I hope I look good in my swimsuit.’ But I think I also know myself pretty well, so I can clock when I’m like, ‘hmm, I don’t actually like this guy. I think I just like his board shorts.’`

After Dirty Blonde (EP), what are Mollie Elizabeth’s next steps, and how do they fit into the story that you're weaving?

Mollie Elizabeth: Oh gosh, it’s such a trip that I even have an EP coming out right now. It feels like everything is moving so fast. I do think I’m going to do a second EP before I go full blown album – the crazy thing is that it takes so long, from writing a song, to producing it, to mixing it, to mastering it, to getting out to people. So I’ve been living with these songs for a while and I’ve written probably like thirty, or forty more. I’m itching to get some more content out there.

I do want to lean more into the mental health realm, and some of the trickier stuff that I’ve encountered in relationships. I think Dirty Blonde is very centered around the rose-colored glasses. I think it’s important to share those kinds of things with other young women and young people out there to be like, “You should look out for these things.” I think EP number two is going to be a little bit deeper.

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