GRRRL Music: The song flips the typical older-man/younger-woman narrative in a really powerful way. What was the most important thing you wanted to convey through the lyrics?

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Kylie Rothfield: I know so many women feel powerless in these types of relationships, even when they’re completely consensual, so I wanted to write something that flipped the narrative into something that created a sense of empowerment instead. Like yes, maybe for these men, it feels really good to be with a much younger woman that loves them…maybe it can even make them forget for a moment that they're insecure about getting older. But at the end of the day, aging is inevitable. They can temporarily use someone to feel better about themselves but they will never be able to steal their youth and they can’t stop time. 

 

If I could speak to my younger self, I would tell her to recognize her own power rather than giving it all away. I want her to know that loving someone else shouldn't ever come at the expense of your own self-worth and self-love. 

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GM: You co-wrote and produced this track with Mothé. What was the collaborative process like, and how did their influence shape the final sound of Old Man?

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KR: Mothé is incredible. We are part of the same label family, DVG Records, and I’ve been a huge fan of their music ever since I heard it. I’m so grateful that we met because working with them has had a massive direct influence on the sound of this album. I think in the past I’ve been afraid to take risks and push into a more indie rock direction but Mothé created a really safe space for me to do that. And almost everything was recorded live, in the room - analog synths, cabinet style guitars, a real vintage piano…which was such an inspiring and authentic production experience. 

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GM: The 'Old Man' music video was created by Juice Box Films, an award-winning, women-owned production company. How did that collaboration come about, and what was it like working with them?

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KR: Amber and I have known each other literally since MIDDLE SCHOOL. She’s like family to me at this point and we’ve been absolutely huge, delusional dreamers together for most of our lives. She heard the song when it was in its demo stages earlier last year and sent me a text that she needed to do the music video or she would block me . So that is how it all began. 

 

She and Sailor are total geniuses in my eyes and an absolute dream team. They brought such a beautiful energy into the shoot, and the most amazing team of people. The shoot day was one of the single best creative days of my life. And I am so blown away by what they were able to create. I owe so much to both of them and can’t wait to watch them continue to reach new heights as filmmakers, as they’re already making much deserved huge waves in the industry now. 

 

Also - cannot answer this question without giving a special shoutout to our friend and creative partner Stephanie Saias, who helped us massively as an editor and put in crazy hours to make this project happen. I’m just beyond grateful for every single person who worked on this video. 

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GM: The video seems to have a strong cinematic feel, what was the visual concept, and how does it complement the song’s message?

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KR: Basically, we open the video with a man who is dating a much younger woman. And she’s clearly innocently in love with him and admires him and thinks the best of their relationship. But it turns out, he’s actually secretly trying to force her into this “trial”/operation where he tries to “steal her youth” and transfer it to himself. I play a nurse working at the hospital who clearly sees myself in this young woman and tries to stop the operation from happening so that this girl doesn’t have to go through what I went through in my own past - essentially attempting to stop the cycle before it's too late. The concept is basically a super over-the-top dystopian cinematic metaphor for what these relationships can do to young women with just a little bit of a revenge fantasy thrown in there at the end. 

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GM: If 'Old Man' had a place on a dream playlist, what other songs or artists would you want it alongside?

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KR: I’d be so honored to be amongst some of my favorite badass indie pop/rock women right now - like Brittany Howard, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, Lola Young or Remi Wolf. I am also the world’s biggest Stevie Nicks fan and I like to dream about sharing a stage or playlist with her one day - she’s just so real and raw and honest all the time and I really admire her in so many ways.

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