Spoiled Love, the 2021 debut album by Buzzy Lee (the moniker of songwriter Sasha Spielberg), was a breakup album. But after finding love and even getting married last year, her latest effort Internal Affairs is anything but.
Imbued with healing, self-discovery, and lots of love, Internal Affairs offers diaristic insight into the past five years of the singer’s life. Songs like the indie pop numbers “When Can I” and “Cinderblock” show off the playful side of her songwriting, mixing buoyant synths with her arresting vocals. Others like “Can I Have Your Autograph” and “The Last Time” instead display her tender, confessional prose .
To celebrate the release of Internal Affairs, Buzzy Lee sat down with Uproxx to talk Steely Dan, regretting bangs, and sleeping in a sex toy room in our latest Q&A.
What are four words you would use to describe your music?
Reflective, ethereal, intimate, haunting
It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?
I want to be remembered for authenticity and in the same way my nostalgia eats away at me when I listen to songs from pivotal moments in my life, I want that same feeling in my music’s memory. Hopefully though in the year 2050, at 60 years old, I will be playing three hour long concerts and wearing detachable trains on stage.
What’s your favorite city in the world to perform?
Nashville, Oakland, and Sydney, Australia. Sorry I picked three!
Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?
Judee Sill, my relationships, Kate Bush, and Taryn Simon, the artist.
Where did you eat the best meal of your life?
Odeon in New York City because that was the night I met my husband.
What album do you know every word to?
Fun fact, I never actually know the lyrics to anything, or at least full songs. I definitely know beginning of song lyrics. Truly, the last time I knew every word to an entire album was when I looked up Nelly lyrics on AZLyrics.com in 2001.
What was the best concert you’ve ever attended?
Bruce Springsteen, Joanna Newsom, Haim, JPEGMAFIA.
What is the best outfit for performing and why?
This MAGICAL green suit with a train attached designed by Seth Pratt, Turner, and Abrielle Stedman. My favorite detail is that the bodysuit underneath has rhinestones that go all the way up to the fingertips.
Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter and/or Instagram?
Greta Morgan, she is incredibly inspiring.
What’s your most frequently played song in the van on tour?
Such a good question and it really depends on who I’m touring with. If I’m with just Ben my guitarist we listen to this podcast, Uhh Yeah Dude. If I’m with my full band, it’s the rule of whoever is driving gets to choose, so it’s a pretty eclectic mix. For me though, it’s always “Tusk” by Fleetwood Mac.
What’s the last thing you Googled?
“What to take before drinking alcohol.”
What album makes for the perfect gift?
1996 by Ryuichi Sakamoto.
Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?
I’m close with Zoe Ligon, aka Thongria, a brilliant sex educator who owns Spectrum Boutique, a sex toy shop. When playing Detroit, I crashed at her place in the sex toy room, so I fell asleep among dildos, and woke among butt plugs.
What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?
I have no tattoos!!
What artists keep you from flipping the channel on the radio?
TLC on 90’s on 9, Steely Dan on 70’s on 7, anything on Deep Tracks, and Alex G on SiriusXMU.
What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?
Married me.
What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?
Relax on the eyeliner and bangs, write a song from start to finish, this is what you want to do, so just DO IT!
What’s the last show you went to?
JPEGMAFIA in Australia.
What movie can you not resist watching when it’s on TV?
Something Borrowed, lol.
What’s one of your hidden talents?
I can speak with my mouth closed, like there’s a tiny person inside.
Internal Affairs is out now via Future Classic. Find more information here.