So, have y'all been loving Post Malone without me?
A fomo induced interview with my friend, Victoria!
It started with J.Lo's cinematic odyssey, This is Me…Now. In it, Post Malone (actual name Austin Post), a Syracuse born rapper/singer, plays the astrological sign Leo. Despite Post having a minor role in the film, it was the longest amount of time I had ever spent with the artist. In a recap of the film, I wrote, “I’ve just never heard Post Malone speak, and to hear him speak this much, it’s just so jarring. Like, I can’t believe that that’s what his voice sounds like. Like, it’s just like a regular guy’s voice.”
In retrospect, that was not my best writing. But what I think I was trying to articulate was the fact that although Post Malone has been a fixture of the pop culture landscape, I somehow managed, or for some reason decided, to completely ignore him. Post Malone was a name and a face but not a voice, not an artist, and not someone to pay serious attention to. And although I was struck by his presence in the J.Lo movie, those feelings faded pretty quickly.
But I was surprised again a few weeks later when he was on the song “LEVII’S JEANS” off of Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter. Actually, if I’m being honest, I was shocked. It was incredible to me that Beyoncé knew who Post Malone was and liked him enough to work with him and give him the gift of her cosign. I wanted to write it off as a blip like his appearance in This is Me…Now, but we all know Beyoncé is too intentional and too smart to just let anyone who was available join her on a track and on this project specifically. Then he teamed up with Taylor Swift on the track “Fortnight” for her latest album, The Tortured Poet’s Department, and I got very upset, not at Post Malone, but at the situation.
How come everyone seems to love Post Malone, and I don’t know anything about him? As someone who has made loving pop culture the bulk of her personality, it’s really upsetting that I have no information, thoughts, or opinions about Post Malone and thus cannot participate in the discourse around him. I don’t like feeling left out, or in this case, left behind. And I’m big mad that I didn’t pay enough attention to him before and nobody told me I should.
To address this cultural blind spot, I reached out to my friend, Victoria, the biggest Post Malone fan I know, to help me learn about him.
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Aneliza: Thank you for agreeing to speak with me! Basically, I just feel like in the past few weeks, everyone is trying to get me – and by everyone I mean different artists – are trying to get me to pay attention to Post Malone. I know the song “Sunflower” from the Spider-Man movie, but I couldn't name another Post Malone song. Like, I’m sure if I heard a song, I might recognize it, but I really don’t know him like that. If I’m being honest, I know Post Malone because I know you love Post Malone.
Victoria: *giggles* yeaaaah
Aneliza: So my first question is, What's your earliest memory of Post Malone? Like, when were you first introduced to him?
Victoria: Actually, it was through my brother. He really liked his song, “Congratulations.” And to be honest, I remember when I first heard it, I was like, “Okay, skip. Next.” But my brother liked that song so because of him, we would listen to it over and over, and I started to like it. And then I decided to look up the music video and he (Post Malone) didn't look at all how I expected. I guess that grabbed my attention.
I don't know what I pictured, but he just had a very interesting(???) appearance. Actually, I guess what caught my attention even more was a meme or a picture of him going around of his mustache because it kind of looked like two dogs kissing. I remember looking at him [in the video] and being like, “Ohhhhh, yeah, okay, it’s the guy with the little mustache.” And then I don't know if I expected him to be a specific race, but I don’t know if I expected him to be white. But he just, he just had a very odd look to me. And that was even before when he had all the tattoos on his face.
Aneliza: This may be a little bit intimate, but I'm under the impression that you're attracted to Post Malone.
Victoria: I am. I swear, I think he’s so sexy!!!
Aneliza: What do you think is sexy about him?
Victoria: I've always been super attracted to someone who is humble. Someone who is so hard working but so humble and lets their work speak for itself. And truly, truly, truly, not just like me being biased. I've read so many different stories or just comments about how Post Malone is just super, super humble. I find that so, so sexy. Like, the way he treats people and has never let fame get to his head – Like, he's the type of person who will acknowledge everyone in the room. You could be the janitor, you know, and he will look at you directly and acknowledge your presence. He'll thank you. He's always thanking and complimenting people, and it's just so endearing.
He's the perfect example of “Don't judge a book by its cover.” When you look at him, at first, you're like, “Whoa,” with the tattoos on his face and the way he dresses, you know? I think it would automatically rub people the wrong way. But he has a very sweet personality. Initially, I did not find them cute at all. But then once I started, you know, hearing more stories about him and just seeing his personality in interviews, I just started to look at him differently. I was like, “You know, you're actually pretty cute. The way you carry yourself, and the way you speak about people. You're so polite to women.” And even though I'm not a big fan of the tattoos on the face,
I just find him so cute.
Aneliza: Yeah, it's funny that you say that because, I was trying to do research on him (this morning), and I listened to an episode of him on Call Her Daddy. And the second I heard him start talking and he was answering the host with, “Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am,” to everything. I guess it's exactly what you said, it's endearing. Like, I was just so charmed by how deferential he was. And even the host was like, “I've heard so many stories about you how you're the nicest guy. You're the nicest guy. You're the nicest guy,” so it really seems like that's the case.
Victoria: He is always saying that, “Yes, ma'am. Yes, sir. Thank you,” – super polite. He's just humble and very grateful for people's time, and he really does spread kindness, you know? I like to imagine, like when I hug Post Malone in my head, that I'm safe. Everything's gonna be okay. He’s just like a warm teddy bear. He really does have a warm, young heart.
Aneliza: I learned today that he has a baby girl. What do you think about him as a father? It seems like he's more private about his personal life, which makes sense, but I don't know, I’m curious what you think. Do you think he's a girl dad?
Victoria: I think him having a daughter was the best thing that happened to him. You know, as he got more successful, especially with his second album, Beerbongs and Bentleys (that one was amazing), I think that was a time where, like, his life was really starting to spiral down. He was always drinking, and I know in an interview, he talked about how he couldn't get up anymore. And then when the baby came along, I feel like that really helped him because now he seems to be not only mentally but physically in a lot better shape. And, like I see him perform, and he just looks happier. Like, I kind of see a sparkle in his eye when he talks about his daughter. I just feel like him having a daughter gives him a better sense of purpose.
Aneliza: Let's talk a little bit about his music. I think when I first heard of Post Malone ages ago, he was a rapper. But is he still a rapper? Because he’s also playing Stagecoach which is a country music festival. So, what genre of music would you say Post Malone belongs to?
Victoria: His most recent album (Austin), which came out a year ago, was more like strictly pop. Previous albums had more rap or hip-hop, kind of even R&B. His music just had a very soothing, mellow tone.
Aneliza: What are your favorite songs or albums, and what do you like about them?
Victoria: So, my all-time favorites—there's two. From the first album, it's “Go Flex.” It just has a nice beat. It’s a vibe. I could picture myself driving in the car and listening to it because it flows nicely. It's not doing too much. It's calm. And I think that's why I like Post Malone, especially his first album and even the second one or the third. They all have a very chill vibe.
And then, from his second album (Beerbongs and Bentleys), there's a song called “Stay.” That one’s about a very complicated relationship, but I think it has a very sweet tone. I like Posty more sad. I don’t love being sad, but I love a sad song. With his first album, I like that it’s one of those where you can, like, lay down in the dark, and you're just, like, really contemplating life and just getting in your feelings.
Aneliza: Is there a song that brings up a certain memory for you that you feel comfortable sharing?
Victoria: I guess “I Fall Apart,” which is a breakup song. If I really connect with a song, I'll just sit in my room and listen to it. And with “I Fall Apart,” I’ll just replay it and, like, every single feeling or everything leading to my specific breakup, and I’ll just blast the music. Because he literally screams, “I fall apart,” and, yeah, I mean, I think that’s one – everyone who’s a Posty fan – really really loves because we've all in some capacity or eventually experienced heartbreak, or we will one day.
Aneliza: Why do you think Taylor Swift and Beyoncé wanted to work with him?
Victoria: I think it's because Post Malone has a lot of catchy tunes. I think that's because of his songwriting style and because he's not afraid of trying different things. He's also so easy to work with. You know, your reputation precedes you, and everyone has always had good things to say about him. It's very unique.
With Taylor Swift, I wasn't sure at first how it would work. I love Taylor. I love Posty. And I think it was a risk. I think we just look at them just in general, like, don't think they would work. He has a very different appearance, you know, that may be odd for Taylor's audience, especially the younger newer fans. And then, you know, you still have people who were loyal to him from the very beginning and know his songs about getting high or partying and stuff like that. So, it’s interesting to see these artists and fan bases coming together. But I felt like their voices just blended so beautifully. He just kind of sat back a little bit and was soft, in a way that it makes you kind of want more.
With Beyoncé, I think it’s the same reason why a lot of people want to work with Post Malone: he's just so so different. It's his voice. Like, you hear it, and you just recognize that it’s Post. There’s personality in his voice. And you want to work with people that you know you'll get along with or at least who are willing to understand your vision and can respect it, and Post is like that from what I’ve seen. I think, you know, with Beyoncé heading to country and Post Malone also heading to country, maybe it was just a good start for both of them to get their feet into the genre.
If anything, just getting the chance to work with someone who probably has a completely different way of creating a song, I think, is beneficial for someone like Beyoncé who has been making music for so long. It’s possible that Post is the complete opposite of her and maybe she’s curious to see how he works. And it might not be anything extravagant necessarily, but it's still intriguing.
Aneliza: Yeah, I mean, it's funny because as you were talking, I realized I don't really know any men who have collaborated with Post Malone. Like, I'm sure men have, but I think it just says a lot that the biggest women in pop, like Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, J.Lo, and Doja Cat, are like, “I want to work with this man.” That's just such a green flag. I mean, I think anytime a man has a cosign from a woman, it's a green flag, but from those specific women, that's pretty impressive.
Victoria: Yeah, I think, if you listen to the way he talks about other people in the industry, especially with women, he's always saying positive things. I think that's why like, so far, and I don’t want to jinx it, but there haven't really been any issues with Posty because he’s so respectful. And when he talks about women artists he’s worked with, he says how they have “beautiful souls” and always says “thank you.” He’s just so kind and uplifting, and I think that’s why people, especially these women, want to work with him. I’ll say it over and over again, but he’s so kind and respectful.
Aneliza: What do you want to see from Post Malone? Like, what would you like to see him do next? Or, what do you hope for Post Malone?
Victoria: I'm all for people experimenting with music and all that. That's great. I'm actually looking forward to the country album, even though I'm not the biggest country girl. But for Posty, I will fly to the moon and back. So, if he wants to go country, we're gonna go country. I’ll grab my hat.
But if I'm being honest, I personally would love for Post Malone to go back to the Sadboy game. (I don't want him to be sad though!!) I don't know if he still feels this way, but I know he wasn't a big fan of his first album. But I really really loved how it was just very mellow, and I would love for him to go back to that sound or something like Beerbongs and Bentleys. I guess it's for him to go back to rap and hip-hop straight up. I'm happy for him and the direction he's going, but I do miss the old Posty a little bit.
Aneliza: Okay, this is my last question. In a world where you get to meet Post Malone, what would you want to say to him? What would you want to ask him? How would you use your time with Post Malone?
Victoria: I think I would just get so shy and probably be a bright red tomato. Oh. You know, naturally, I probably would just tell him like, “I love you so much.” I would tell him that “Stay” is my favorite song. And I have to I would be honest, I would say, “I'll be completely honest with you, Posty. I genuinely did not expect you to be this endearing, heartwarming person. And you know, you just proved to me that you shouldn’t judge someone off of appearance, and I'll be honest with you, I did. I didn't think much of you, but with time, I was proven completely wrong.”