What comes to mind when you hear the word “bimbo” in 2023? Forget the derogatory connotations of the past as Gen Z is redefining what the term means to them, all thanks to #BimboTok. Instead, a “bimbo” is someone who is “actually a radical leftist who’s pro sex work, pro Black Lives Matter, pro-LGBTQ+, pro-choice, and will always be there for her girls, gays and theys." Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter At least that's what it means to 23-year-old Chrissy Chlapecka whose video definition went viral with 11.1m views. She alongside fellow TikTok pal Griffin Maxwell Brooks, is one of the founders of #BimboTok. Chlapecka has amassed over 5.2m followers on the social media platform with their witty relationship advice to their pro LGBTQ+, anti-capitalist and anti-Trump views. @chrissychlapecka who is the gen-z bimbo? here’s ur answer ? luv y’all xoxo #bimbo #ihatecapitalism #ily These themes are evident in their music, tying a neat bow in their artistry that includes their latest single, Alpha. With their bright hair, bold makeup, breathy voice and daring fashion sense (also not forgetting a love for all things pink) Chlapecka is unapologetic with their hyper-femininity online because it’s for themself – not the male gaze. The social media personality, musician and activist – who uses she/they pronouns - told Indy100 the term “bimbo” is something they “definitely resonated with” since their youth. “I think growing up I was always seen as like this ditzy, dumb blonde type stereotype like I was never I never excelled in school,” Chlapecka said. Rather, music was their best subject as well as other important character qualities that did not fit into the academic mold. “I myself knew my intelligence comes from very many things like street smarts, music and emotional intelligence.” For them, bimbo doesn’t have to mean the stereotypical scene of a man shaming a woman, instead Chlapecka embraces an alternative meaning that she lives by – “it could just be like, ‘yeah I’m a bimbo and maybe the intelligence that you see, in me isn't what you want in society, but it's how I roll.’” “Emotional intelligence is just as important to me,” she added. “Reclaiming your body and being body and sex positive and claiming your sexuality in those ways are extremely important things - especially to people like me who have been through a lot and have experienced very difficult things and needed a way to reclaim themselves.” This journey for Chlapecka began, like most popular TikTok creators, back in 2020 at the height of the Covid pandemic and quickly saw that their videos of “the super silly, fun version” of themseld were going viral. “It totally took me by surprise,” the social media star admitted. “I mean I was really posting for like the 10 friends from high school that were following me on there,” she added and was “very shocked” at the algorithm’s ability to share their videos to such a large audience. This came at a transformational point of Chlapecka’s life, as their growing online presence improved their self-confidence. “I was definitely in the midst of a lot of like changing myself at the time to like I had just gotten out of a really, you know, abusive relationship at that time. “So I started posting online and being confident in myself and so it was a very validating thing for me to get a lot of love, and learning to love myself because that's a very important thing.” Part of Chlapecka’s audience appeal is the humorously unhinged advice she gives to their followers on how to deal with men. She most recently went viral with the soundbite: “He is not the love of your life, he’s literally just a guy. Hit him with your car,” which gained 10.3m views, and for the TikToker, the attention from the clip was unexpected. @chrissychlapecka LISTEN. “So I filmed that in [the] three seconds it took to say and I was like ‘oh, this will not do numbers’, but I need something to put out. I really didn't think it would go viral and it did which was incredible. “I love seeing what people are doing with the sound and now I'm doing my own little spin on it. You know, we brought a train into the mix, I'm telling them to steal their ex’s money.” “It's like don't tell anyone I told you to do that. And I'm not condoning it,” they added as a disclaimer that it's all a bit of “fun.” While Chlapecka entertains their audience with their humour and silliness, as a queer creator who is outspoken on political issues, she “always wants to be an advocate and to be a safe place for people to land.” She believes “a world of difference” can be made by sharing a single post that you are an ally or to say you care about certain matters – “I think it's important and to do as much as you can.” @chrissychlapecka #greenscreenvideo important talk. we need to protect trans people. The current political climate in the US has seen the ban of most abortions in 14 states since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, along with a wave of anti-trans bills this year which no doubt affects a number of their 5.2m followers. “I think like that is the most important reason why I post is to be like a safe space for people for anybody - especially with everything going on in the world right now,” Chlapecka said. “I'm very honoured to be like, a space for people to go to and just to feel like they get to smile for a second even if I'm being silly or if I'm being serious, maybe resonate with some of the things I'm saying or listen to my music.” “I do think it's very important for anybody with the big platform to speak up about these things.” Music is another way Chlapecka is getting this message across, effortlessly making the transition from content creator to pop artist with their “exciting, campy but meaningful” hyperpop sound, and this singing career has always been the dream. “Since I was a little, that [music] was really my form of therapy as a kid,” she said, being a member of musical choirs, bands, orchestras, musical theatre, you name it, at school and so sharing this side of herself online has been a “fun, vulnerable experience.” With their first single “I’m So Hot,” released back in February, the singer makes a punchy statement of self-love, as the lyrics declare “I’m so hot I’d f*** myself.” This tune gives serious early noughties club night nostalgia, comparable to the style of Lady Gaga and Britney Spears who are two of Chlapecka’s biggest musical inspirations. “Gaga is a major icon of expressing herself in ways that you know others may think are strange and weird, but she does anyway and I really resonate with that.” @chrissychlapecka i’m so hot by chrissy chlapecka ? “I’m So Hot” also earned a viral moment with the track being used in over 15,000 TikTok videos. “Yeah, I mean, it's been crazy,” Chlapecka said, recalling how “anxious” they were of sharing the new music that they had been working on since last year to their followers – so much so after posting a video with the song, they couldn’t look at the reaction until the next day. “I was astounded the next day looking and seeing like a flood of comments and people just being excited, loving the message of the song for ‘I'm So Hot,’ and doing their own videos.” Now that she has hit the ground running, Chlapecka is back with a second single 'Alpha' where she does not shy away from addressing their haters. “Alpha is kind of like turning toxic masculinity on its head,” they said of their latest single released back in April. “To me, a lot of my biggest haters online have been men who probably call themselves an alpha male or maybe a self-proclaimed incel or someone who calls himself an alpha male who was really an incel.” “Men of that type are not big fans of me. So I figured, ‘hey, why not write about my experience I've had’ especially online and also experiences I've had with men in my personal life that brought me to the lyrics I've written.” In January this year, Chlapecka put this idea to their producer David Burris and cowriter Evangeline Miele believing it could be a “powerful message,” given the rise of Andrew Tate, a self-proclaimed “misogynist” who went viral with his controversial views. “Especially with the whole like Andrew Tate stuff being all over the internet and the horrible abusive messages that men like him just spew to everybody,” she noted, and emphasised the harm this is doing to young boys who look up to him and inflict this onto young women in a “toxic cycle.” The trio then noted all of the things they know about alpha males and did some background research on social media. “We pulled up a Google Doc and were just writing down funny little things about alpha males like I've learned the term ‘soy boy’.” (Soy boy is “slang used to describe males who completely and utterly lack all necessary masculine,” according to Urban Dictionary). “We would go on Twitter and search some of these guys’ names, read their tweets and put them in the doc just for inspiration to go back to and it was really one of the funniest sessions I think I've ever had because the song, it's so ironic.” Chlapecka’s personal experience with online trolls is clear to hear in the lyrics: “It’s just a little ironic you say ‘f*** you’ in my comments/But in my DMs you keep begging to f*** me (that’s embarrassing).” Experiencing online hate was certainly a “learning curve” for the singer and social media personality. “I think I got to a point where if men like what I sing about in my songs, they comment on my posts and say something. I'm gonna read that and most likely laugh like it doesn't bother me the way I think they think it does.” “I know who my haters are; they already know that my account isn't for them. The content I make isn't for them and it's for people that I care about.” Chlapecka was recently named one of "The Brightest Pop Stars to Watch in 2023" by Rolling Stone Magazine, as well as one of TikTok’s LGBTQ+ “Trailblazers." The singer believes now is the “most pivotal moment” in their career and is excited that people see their future as a “pop girly” and “full-time pop star,” and has recently made the big move from Chicago to LA. “I'm gonna like keep releasing music, keep feeding my audience and just keep growing like, like I said, like music is my number one thing that I have wanted to do forever and I am just so excited to continue that journey,” they explained. Chlapecka’s latest single Alpha is out now on music streaming platforms. Have your say in our news democracy. 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Kamille has established herself as one of the most successful women in the music industry. As an Ivor Novello, BRIT and Grammy Award winner, she is behind some of the biggest hits of the last decade, working with the likes of Little Mix, Dua Lipa, Stormzy, RAYE and Kylie Minogue and in 2017, released her own debut EP – ‘1. my head’s a mess’. But now 2023 has been a year of metamorphosis for the 35-year-old - otherwise known as Camille Angelina Purcell – who is spreading her wings as a solo artist with her new mini album ‘K1,’ a personal process especially since she was pregnant with her first child while working on the project. “I'm still juggling right now between making music and being a mom and everything but it's just a beautiful, crazy time. I'm loving it,” she told Indy100 about her simultaneous solo music and motherhood journey. Upon chatting to Kamille on the phone last month, it was clear to hear her excitement about the approaching September 8 release – an eight-track mini album that includes notable features from Chic legend Nile Rogers and R&B belles Tamera and Bellah. When she asked for my thoughts on the album (which is a bop), I mentioned the second track and second single “Options ft. Tamera and Bellah” as one of my favourites. The empowering R&B tune is the ultimate girl's anthem, created entirely by women to empower those currently in a relationship who are being treated like an ‘option’ – a predicament that’s “probably happened to all of us in some contexts.” “I'm happy with my husband. I'm happy in my friendships, but I think I've learned to walk through life like I am the main option. I'm the lead character in my life and so should everyone else be and that's what this song is all about,” Kamille said. “[It’s] Just a reminder, like don't let anyone treat you like an option. Never ever, ever. You're always the first choice to have a first pick.” The R&B influences, synth-pop production, and catchy chorus all contribute to the song’s memorability, as Kamille discussed the sound she created. “Oh my gosh, I don't feel like I found it [the sound], I think it found me,” she said, with a laugh. “I've loved 80’s music all my life. It's what I've grown up on and been inspired by and I don't know it just made me feel so throwback when I was playing around with some of those sounds,” with the song reflecting the Motown Classics and funk hits she listened to with her parents growing up as her artistic influences such as ABBA and Pharrell. “It was giving me like Gloria Estefan when I was playing synths that are on ‘Options,’ and added it gave her the “nostalgia that [she] wanted across the whole album. The musician also described how a lot of the songs she made for the album, “felt quite collaborative,” and explained the creative process for this particular track. “I'd written a chorus verse which was ‘Options’ but I was very early on in the stages and I was like, I feel like this is giving me like girl anthem, like girl empowerment but and I was like, I need to reach out to R&B Queens for this because only they can make it right.” All it took was a slide in the DM’s for both Tamera and Bellah to be on board. “And then next thing you know, we were all in the studio and it happened really fast. Just finished it off together and it is what it is; it's just become this crazy thing.” Since ‘Options’ was released back in June, it became BBC Radio 1’s Track of the Week which Kamille called “incredible,” as well as the “lovely feeling” to receive messages from fans saying they’ve heard the song on the radio. “I have a Telegram account specifically just to speak to [fans], I can go in and we talk every day we're like besties.” Another highlight from the album is ‘The Sun,’ a touching tribute from the singer to her son whom she was pregnant with when making the album last year she described both experiences as a “labour of love.” “‘The Sun’ is actually about my son, which is really cute. I love that he's got a place on the album because he definitely inspired the whole thing for sure,” Kamille said. “For me, it’s a standout song just because I remember writing it or thinking about him and I didn't even know I was having a boy at that time I wrote the song about feeling like shining like the sun but now it's tending to like the sun so and in my mind. She added: “It's so weird how that worked out. But yeah, hopefully this is back and remembers how much I loved him in that process even though he was giving me all kinds of help.” If you’re wondering whether there are any similarities between recording an album and having a baby, Kamille would say so. She explained how making music is “very similar to when you have a baby - you don't remember the pain.” “You remember the fact you now have a baby - it's a weird thing, music and babies are very similar.” Becoming a mother has also reinforced the artist’s passion and “hunger” for success in her music career. “It definitely kind of switches things up a gear for you as a human being you want to provide for your child and I think in any aspect you'll just want to work even harder for them so I definitely noticed that when I'm in the studio.” Going into her solo mini album, Kamille had quite the C.V. working with Little Mix – described as their unofficial ‘fifth member’ – as well as Dua Lipa, Stormzy, RAYE, and Kylie Minogue and more, all artists she has been “inspired by” and that contributed to discovering her own sound. “Being that close to [those artists] has only been a benefit to me because we set the bar so high,” she said describing this influence. “I think it's just made me feel even more that I can achieve it for myself. So yeah, it's been a beautiful thing to be so close to such successful artists as those and only just want to try and get there myself as well.” When it came to her own album, Kamille had a hands-on approach, using her experience to write and produce the album herself and working with “prolific” mixing and mastering engineer Manon Grandjean who is “mixing probably every pop record you can think of at the moment.” The collaboration on K1 was a “full circle moment” for them after meeting years back when they worked on Stormzy’s music and then continued to work together with other artists. “It's been beautiful having just women across the production side of my projects,” Kamille said and she hopes to “inspire other women as well.” There is no denying the disproportionate gap when it comes to women’s representation in music. Only 18 per cent of headliners at the UK's biggest festivals this year are women a Sky News study found, while behind the scenes, less than 5 per cent of audio engineers are women too. Kamille believes there is “so much more that can be done,” to address this issue. “I make it so people know that I've produced my music. I love that when people, for example, go on Spotify, and look at the credits. They just see my name there,” and she hopes it can “point to other girls that you can do it as well.” Last year, she alongside producer, singer and DJ Fred Again– otherwise known as Fred Gibson – ran a workshop called ‘Next Up,” from the nonprofit organisation She Is The Music where only female producers for a whole year went to their music studio every month, attended workshops, and got their songs heard by the two musicians. “Me and Fred love doing that so much because we've seen how much they developed just from having that help and advice from us and it was incredible,” she said and is keen to do another program with Fred this year. All in all, listeners can expect K1 to be a moment of fun with the tracks bringing “good vibes and positive energy,” something that an “empowered” Kamille is radiating at present. But the hard work doesn’t stop there as she admitted new music is always on the horizon. “There's so much more to come. I mean, I'm making music all the time,” she said. Kamille has also announced her first-ever headline show at London’s Omeara on Thursday, 12 October where you can hear K1 live. “It's been a really long journey and I think people are just now probably starting to find out more about me and my music and that it's so incredible for me, and I'm just very grateful for anyone who has been touched by anything I've written for others or for myself,” she concluded. “I just want to say thank you so much and there's so much more to come as well.” 'K1' TRACKLIST Muscle Memory featuring Nile Rodgers Options featuring Bellah and Tamera Don't Waste My Time The Sun Time To Kill Fancy Wine All My Love Manifesting - Part 1 Kamille’s debut mini album ‘K1’ is out now, get tickets to her headline London show here. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

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