Wolftyla Reflects on Her Debut EP ‘Wolf in Color’ and Talks About Her Next Project “If You’re Not Happy, Then Leave”.
Photographer: Moody
The rise of Manhattan-based singer-songwriter Wolftyla stems back to the days of Vine. She soon started to gain attraction because of her comedic videos and bubbly personality and effortlessly became a star on the platform in 2014.
After going viral on Vine, her love for music saw her release her first single on Soundcloud in 2017 with the release of “Feels”. Since then she hasn’t looked back and has successfully built a platform for herself where she amassed a loyal following. Many of her fans have seen her transition from vine to becoming a successful independent artist.
Wolftyla was born in Manhasset, New York, and raised in Queens and Long Island. As a child, she was interested in art, poetry, and dance. During her high school days, she played as a point guard and in 2014 enrolled herself at New York University where she studied Sports Management. After gaining recognition on social media she decided to leave university to pursue music in Los Angeles.
Very much still in the early stages of her music career, Wolftyla has received praise from industry favorites like BLACKPINK’s Rosé and BTS’ V. Behind the scenes the New York native has worked on hit songs which include Megan Thee Stallion’s certified Gold, “Simon Says” and Ella Mai’s “How” featuring Roddy Ricch.
‘Wolf in color’ is Wolftyla’s debut project which includes features such as OVO’s Roy Wood$ and South Korea’s Jay Park. Her debut project performed very well and birthed a breakout single titled “All Tinted” which amassed over 9 million views on YouTube and more than 11 million streams on Spotify. After releasing ‘Wolf in color’ in 2020 she then returned to university to study towards her Bachelor’s degree in Music Business at NYU Steinhardt as a full-time student and musician.
Outside of music, Wolftyla has partnerships with entered partnerships with brands such as YSL Beauty and Ellesse. In 2021 she launched her brand called “Wolf Members Only” which focuses on blending minimalism and comfort.
Looking at the trajectory of her career this far Wolftyla is on track to reach even bigger heights with her next project “If You’re Not Happy, Then leave”. Her fans automatically gravitate toward her down-to-earth personality and character. Wolftyla always looks to encourage and motivate her followers whenever she can.
This interview has been lightly edited for the purpose of clarity and context.
Daniel: It’s been just over a year since the release of your Wolf in Color EP, having had time to reflect on the project and its impact. What have you learned since releasing this project?
Wolftyla: It’s insane to think it’s already been over a year because it feels as though I was working on that project just yesterday. Since the release of Wolf in Color, I’ve learned that there are a lot more people than I ever expected that hear and see me as an artist. I felt so good to release a project that was so colorful and close to home for me at the time and then receive flowers for it. Wolf in Color will always be my little baby so from the artwork, to the music videos and the features that were kind enough to just genuinely want to be a part of the project…that entire project was the epitome of me pouring good energy and receiving that back.
“All Tinted” is clearly a fan favorite – When creating it did you ever think that the song would gain the attention that it did?
I had absolutely no idea that it would be a fan favorite. I wanted the record to sound exactly like how my first summer moving to the Valley felt for me. It brings me a special, nostalgic kind of feeling to know that it resonated with a lot of people and is a feel good for them too. “All Tinted” was a record I had written out of a little studio in West Hollywood. It’s still shocking to me that it gained as much attention as it did because in the behind the scenes you can literally hear me say, “let's actually do the whole thing all over again”. Thank God I had some loved ones with me that day to bring me back to reality and remind me that “it’s in me, not on me”.
“Someone Like You” is a personal favorite of mine – Talk to me about the emotions that you went through in order to make this song?
That one is a favourite of mine too. “Someone Like You” was the first song I wrote in front of my fans on Instagram live. I think there were like 500 people that tuned in at like 2 in the morning. All of us were just bouncing ideas back and forth in the IG live while I was recording out of a studio in Glendale. I wanted the song to sound like how I feel when I’m stuck in traffic on the 101 with my favorite person. There’s like this safe feeling of time passing but a little bit of intimate tension.
What message would you like to leave with your fans with this body of work?
Go with your gut instinct and trust that whatever decision you make is the right one. I had a loved one tell me this in the middle of me making this project…not even specifically about the project but just about life in general and it’s always stuck with me. From start to finish this debut EP was purely based on feelings I was experiencing throughout the summer back and forth from the Valley to Los Angeles
Can you talk to me about your latest project that you are working on? Do you have a name for the project yet?
My next project focuses on the emotions I had between November 2021 and April of this year. I felt like I was reintroduced to my inner child, dealing with my current self and also trying to create a newer version…there were a lot of high peak vulnerable moments. It will be called, “If You’re Not Happy, Then Leave”.
“If You’re Not Happy, Then Leave” is such a bold statement – How did you come up with that title? What was the thought process or inspiration behind that?
I was going to name the project, “Fever Dream” because that’s exactly what it felt like I was going through for months…but then I was like it has to be If You’re Not Happy, Then Leave. It was inspired by a moment I made myself vulnerable and built the courage to speak about my feelings to the person I really cared for and that person told me, “if you’re not happy, then leave”...so I did and I guess made a project too.
With your music being so personal do you have any fears going into the next phase of your music career?
No real fears when it comes to going into the next phase. When working on this second project, I didn’t realize how raw it was for me until it was finished and I played it back for myself. I chipped away at a lot of hardened parts of myself during the 5 months I was working on IYNHTL. There’s always been a little fear surrounding vulnerability for me…it can be a spooky place but once I realized that my fans really will love any song or visual I put out as long as it’s true to me…it made it easier for me to want to stay open hearted and leap with the music.
Will this project be released independently like your debut EP?
Yes and with no expectations. There’s something I find really satisfying at least with this chapter in my career that I’m in, knowing that I don’t have weird machines and huge marketing pushes. I think all of that is fantastic if that’s what works for artists and clearly it has but I like when people want to listen or randomly stumble across my music. Constantly promoting and pushing things into people’s faces has always been a little cringey for me so I like when things are organic…I think people just listen with better ears.
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