The city is quiet, cold, and altogether in rare form.
This unusual weather means LA traffic is much worse than it already is on a sunny day.
Her glam is low-key, withblush-dusted cheeksand eyelids winged with sleek blackliner.
Mugler top and skirt. Chopard ear cuff and necklace. Dinosaur Designs cuffs. To create a similar makeup look: MAC Lipliner in Chesnut Brown, MAC Lipglass in Dangerous Curves, and MAC Eye Palette in Bronze Influence.
I ask her how shes feeling.
Girl, she says, batting her long, silky eyelashes as she settles into the plush blue-velvet booth.
I hate being late.
Grace Ling dress.
Mugler top and skirt.
Chopard ear cuff and necklace.
The city may be moving at sloth speed, but Saweeties been working nonstop.
(Today shes wearing an all-black medium-length set, instead of her signaturegem-encrusted look.)
She instantly brightens at this explanation.
This morning, before knocking things off her to-do list, she dropped the explosive single, Immortal Freestyle.
Tory Burch dress. Paume LA bracelets. Jennifer Fisher earrings. To create a similar makeup look: Lancôme Eyeshadow Palette in French Nude and Lancôme L’Absolu Rouge Intimatte Lipstick in 450 Surprise.
Says Saweetie, This is probably the most positive feedback I’ve got in a while.
But Saweetie was done waiting for approval from others, so she pushed back.
Its the most recent time in her life when shes had to trust herself.
Givenchy dress. Saule earring. To create a similar makeup look: NYX Professional Makeup Vegan Lip Liner in Total Baller, NYX Professional Makeup Smooth Whip Matte Lip Cream in Cheeks, and NYX Professional Makeup Liquid Eyeshadow Trio in Glitzy Guava.
My stream of consciousness is in my freestyles.
It was just like, Im releasing it.
She continues, It all started with me rapping in my car.
I think that’s the biggest mistake labels make these days.
And I think it’s unfortunate that sometimes the art gets lost in that transition.
Shes enjoying the soft, high-life solo a woman who gets and has her own.
At this point in her career, though, its a method shes conflicted about.
Diamonte Quiava Valentin Harper has always been a dreamer.
As an only child, she made a home inside her imagination.
I’m a heavily left-brained individual, she says.
I’ve always been really creative.
I painted, I sculpted, I drew.
Relocating a lot meant that Saweetie was the new kid in at least nine different schools.
You know how little kids are.
They’re very cliquey, she recalls.
But trauma creates confidence, because either you fold or you get built up.
I’ve always been underestimated it’s like a recurring theme in my life.
That’s why the internet don’t really bother me, she says in an unbothered tone.
Because we know that you’re not this smart.
It was just constant doubt, all the time.
So I drove around Rodeo and found the most expensive, nice-looking street.
I sat there with the bikini top.
I hadstraightened my own hairand did my own makeup.
This energy still fuels the rich girl mantras Saweetie is known for.
That persistence paid off: In 2018, the Icy Grl video went viral and changed Saweeties life.
She was taking over.
Looking back, though, Saweetie says that, behind the scenes, the rapid ascent was difficult.
So I didn’t have time to develop.
I was told I should twerk more on my Instagram, Saweetie says.
I was told that my voice was very boring.
I was told that I rapped too monotone and needed more energy.
I was told that I needed to share more of my life on the internet.
To me, music is sacred.
It’s coming from your spirit.
you’re free to’t just go finish an album in a week.
Thats why its taking me so long.
She flutters hereyelashesbefore rolling her eyes, continuing, I’m going to twerk when I want to.
That’s not going to be my marketing.
And if that’s what you truly love to do, then empower yourself through that.
But that’s not innate to me.
If I get caught at a party or if I’m turning up, okay, cool.
But I’m not finna do that because you guys think I should.
That’s lazy marketing.
Sometimes she felt torn, Saweetie admits, and other times she politely dismissed the feedback.
Everything now just feels like, Make it go viral, go viral, go viral.
Okay, cool, go viral.
She started to feel like being hyper-visible was overshadowing her craft.
To me, music is sacred.
It’s coming from your spirit.
you’re able to’t just go finish an album in a week.
Thats why its taking me so long.
Thats why I havent dropped an album yet.
Saweeties debut album, previously titledPretty Bitch Music,has been delayed every year since 2021.
I don’t mean to dampen the mood, she says.
But this is, realistically, how my career has been.
We were constantly criticized for every drop.
I was just very insecure.
I’m a confident woman, but I was a very insecure artist.
I always bite off more than I can chew.
I had to push myself, Saweetie says, almost laughing as she thinks back on the show.
I was trying to dance, rap, and sing at the same time.
And I was like, Hold on, girl.
She was free and single for the first time in a long time, but still wading through negativity.
So she turned inward, started meditating, andshaved her head.
Saweetie read that hair holds energy, so she shed all of hers to get rid of the negativity.
After buzzing off her curls completely, she adds, things became even more trying.
I felt like I was in a whirlwind.
The shower is my safe space.
I think that’s how I cope.
But if life got harder, it was because things had become clearer.
Neither Saweetie nor the people who werent good for her could hide anymore.
The feedback was polarizing.
The next year, in 2022, Saweetie decided to go on a hiatus and continue her spiritual journey.
When Im in a vulnerable state, I dont want to fight back.
I don’t have the energy to be in that negative frequency.
Saweetie chose the high road.
As we talk, I sense there are deeper, more unfiltered feelings beneath her placid disposition.
Indeed, Saweetie was promised an amazing marketing plan for the rollout that never materialized.
I went to war with no soldiers, there was no ammo.
I felt like I was left out to dry by my label and everyone around me.
There was no public support.
Honestly, I internalized that situation, but I’m used to doing that.
Somebody paid for that story to run, she reveals and she knows who it was.
I went back and forth with myself a lot.
It’s not fair, but also, what do I gain from exposing the person?
Instead of going online, she finds solace in water.
The shower is my safe space, she says.
I think that’s how I cope.
I like to get roses and put them on the floor and stand on them.
That self-care ritual is a necessity, not a luxury.
It does upset me.
I ask Saweetie if she feels protected in the business.
No, I dont feel protected, she replies.
Theres a heaviness that hovers over us.
She needs time to reflect more on the idea of safety.
I’m not the only person, she continues.
I know that theres probably other people who feel the same way I feel.
Why is it that some people get protected and some people don’t?
Neither of us has the answer.
But as a woman, Saweetie knows that lack of protection is something she can unfortunately count on.
If a woman does speak out, shes reprimanded.
Itll have a new title that she doesnt know yet.
So really, its still a work in progress.
Some evolutions cant be rushed.
Says Saweetie, As an artist, the frequency changes.
This part of her career is all about consistency, according to Saweetie.
Its a concept she owned at the start of her career and wants to return to moving forward.
In addition to music, she has a guest-starring role in the Starz seriesBMF.
If I’m going to dedicate myself to another craft, she says, I want to be challenged.
I want to actually get into character.
Creatively, mentally, Saweetie aspires to operate on the highest level, especially in how she treats herself.