Singer Grimes isn’t famous enough to annoy her fans.
The Canadian star has been releasing music since 2010, but it was her latest album Art Angels that really got people talking. British music magazine NME voted it their top record of 2015 while it landed number two and number three spots in lists by Rolling Stone and The New York Times respectively.
While she may be gaining more and more recognition, Grimes hasn’t yet reached the dizzying heights of super stardom.
“That’s definitely true. You’re successful but not successful enough that you can afford to totally p**s off the fans,” she reasoned to Rolling Stone. “Most of the time, when I was making Art Angels, I was thinking, ‘If people hate this, I have to go work in Starbucks.' People recognise you pretty much every time you’re out of your house, but you also can’t afford to have full-time security. It’s a weird situation.”
On Art Angel, Grimes collaborated with Janelle Monae and she has also toured with Lana Del Rey. As one of Jay Z’s signings, Grimes is used to be being around the A-list, and says her mentor is always here to help her along the way.
“He told me to stop apologising so much,” she said of Jay’s top advice. “It was very difficult. Canadians have to say sorry all the time. That’s actually really good advice.”
As well as her music, Grimes is also dedicated to her burgeoning collection of tattoos. The 28-year-old has inkings all over, but isn’t that keen on some of them anymore.
“Yeah I don’t give a f**k. I’ll get a tattoo anywhere, anytime, pretty much,” she said before adding, “There’s one of an alien on my hand that seems so dated. It was just so hip to be into, like alien iconography and The X-Files in the early 2010s. It seems corny now, but I thought I was a fun idea at the time.”
