With ‘Memoir of a Sparklemuffin,’ Suki Waterhouse sparkles and shines

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As I delve deeper into the world of Suki Waterhouse, a captivating artist who has navigated the treacherous waters of Hollywood with grace and resilience, I find myself utterly enchanted by her journey. Much like the ocean she references in her music, her dreams have been as vast and deep as the blue expanse itself.

When Suki Waterhouse stumbled upon the Sparklemuffin, it felt like she’d uncovered a scandalous secret. During her late-night web surfing spree, she chanced upon a vibrantly colored peacock spider performing an elaborate dance. “I was drawn to him,” explains the versatile Suki Waterhouse over the phone from London. “He’s quite flamboyant with his colors and in a way, he’s self-destructive because they consume their partners if they don’t appreciate their dance moves.

In that instant, Waterhouse was struck with wonder at the sight of this lively creature whose abdomen, tinted orange and blue, reminded her of a Pendleton blanket. Instinctively, she started sending messages and DMs to friends and filling up the family WhatsApp group with Sparklemuffin posts. Before long, her casual interest grew to become all-consuming.

Initially, “A Yellow Rose for Bobby Peru” was merely a personal fascination and not an intended album title for Waterhouse’s second LP. This title was inspired by her love for the movie “Wild at Heart” and the Victorian association of yellow roses with melancholic relationships. However, Waterhouse desired a title that conveyed joy, as opposed to the mood she felt during the creation of her debut album titled “I Can’t Let Go.” Despite this, Waterhouse couldn’t help but remain captivated by the whimsical sparklemuffin spider. Given its frivolous nature, it seemed fitting that she eventually chose the title “Memoir of a Sparklemuffin” for her sophomore album, as it felt more festive and celebratory according to her.

It’s clear that the 32-year-old musician has had quite a few reasons to rejoice recently. Last year, Waterhouse appeared in the widely acclaimed musical drama series “Daisy Jones & the Six,” based on Taylor Jenkins Reid’s bestselling novel, which sparked an unquenchable fan base. In April, she and her fiancé Robert Pattinson became parents for the first time, welcoming a daughter. Interestingly enough, not long before this discussion, she opened for Taylor Swift at London’s Wembley Stadium as part of Swift’s Eras Tour.

After her Coachella performance in April, Waterhouse got a call inviting her to perform on the Eras Tour. “I was thrilled beyond words when I found out,” she reminisces, but she hesitated to share the news with many because she didn’t want too many people asking for tickets. “I kept it close to my chest,” she chuckles. On the day of the show, Waterhouse felt anxious about walking the “daunting” catwalk, but Swift offered some reassurance. “She said, ‘You have to seize this opportunity and enjoy that special moment,'” Waterhouse recounts.

She had been trying to maintain a calm and relaxed demeanor before and during the event, so she could perform well and enjoy it thoroughly. Looking back now, she’s incredibly grateful that she fully experienced it all. Luckily, she managed to appreciate the performance since her family was there and friends from her hometown were watching online. She was overjoyed because the crowd was much larger than what she was used to – moving from playing for a few thousand people to performing in a stadium of such size was quite a leap. That particular night during Paramore’s Eras Tour, she and Pattinson received an unexpected shoutout from the band, which quickly went viral.

Prior to Paramore playing “Decode” (a track from the “Twilight” soundtrack), the band’s leader, Hayley Williams, amusingly dedicated the song to Robert Pattinson’s character, Edward, in the “Twilight” series. This joke left Pattinson unaware as he was busy filming, but it brought joy to Pattinson himself. However, his father was puzzled by the mention of “Mr. Waterhouse,” not fully comprehending the reference since he took pride in his daughter’s moment on stage. As for Robert Pattinson, he later learned about Williams’ shoutout and found it touching.

Waterhouse’s performance at the Eras Tour was undoubtedly a significant milestone, but her creative journey started more than two decades ago. Born and raised in London, she ventured into modeling at the tender age of 16 for renowned brands such as Burberry, Tommy Hilfiger, and Ferragamo. Her striking looks landed her on the covers of Vogue and Elle magazines before she shifted gears to acting in 2012 with roles in films like “The Divergent Series: Insurgent,” “Assassination Nation,” “Detective Pikachu,” and “Misbehaviour.” In 2016, Waterhouse made her debut as a singer with the heartfelt breakup ballad “Brutally,” and followed it up in 2017 with the enchanting retro-pop track “Good Looking.” This song gained popularity on TikTok in 2022.

Over the years, she occasionally released singles, but it wasn’t until 2022 that she put out her first album titled “I Can’t Let Go.” In the autumn of the same year, she also dropped an EP called “Milk Teeth,” which was a collection of her previous singles. In 2023, she broadened her musical skills by learning to play piano for her character as the determined keyboardist Karen Sirko in “Daisy Jones & the Six.” As she shared in a May vlog, this “band” had been scheduled to surprise at Lollapalooza the previous year, but those plans were disrupted due to a writers’ strike. They attempted to perform on various occasions, she mentioned, but each time some obstacle cropped up. Regarding a potential show now, she comments, “I think everyone’s too busy,” but leaves open the possibility: “Who knows?

Currently, Waterhouse is deeply engrossed in the realm of Sparklemuffin. To her, the finding of the arachnid wasn’t mere internet trivia; instead, it served as a metaphor for her personal memoir, titled “Memoir of a Sparklemuffin,” set to release on September 13 via Sub Pop. This personal exploration is a complex narrative of self-discovery, intertwined with destructive decisions and relationships, reminiscent of the arachnid’s life cycle. Waterhouse describes it as a tale of charm and constraint. The 18-track album provided her an opportunity to ponder over her identity and principles. She elaborates that the emergence from despair, similar to a spider leaving its cocoon, represents opening up to the prospects of genuine love.

Waterhouse expresses that she had limited collaboration opportunities on her first album, but “Memoir of a Sparklemuffin” enabled her to work alongside executive producer Eli Hirsch, along with musicians such as Foxygen’s Jonathan Rado (Weyes Blood, Father John Misty, Beyoncé), Cigarettes After Sex’s Greg Gonzalez, Rick Nowels (James Blake, Lana Del Rey), Natalie Findlay and Jules Apollinaire of the band Ttrruuces, as well as Brad Cook (Waxahatchee, Snail Mail) who produced her debut album. This team allowed her to explore various genres, including woozy doo-wop (“OMG”), ’90s mall-core (“Supersad”) and Americana (“Think Twice”), while maintaining cohesiveness in the project’s sound. The diverse musical range was also influenced by artists like Sharon Van Etten, Garbage, The Magnetic Fields and Sheryl Crow.

For example, Waterhouse aimed for a “head-banging car tune” on the album reminiscent of Paramore and Garbage. This became the opening track, “Gateway Drug,” which is surprising due to its soft vocals contrasted with intense guitar riffs. Waterhouse describes it as an unexpected twist, saying, “I wanted to create an illusion that this will be a gentle, romantic song, but then have something that suddenly bursts open and exhibits raw, unbridled energy.

In the film “Model, Actress, Whatever,” Waterhouse mirrors Lana Del Rey and grapples with the tension between ambition and the surface-level nature of stardom, which is rooted in her personal journey as a dismissed aspiring artist. She croons with her sweet voice, “All my dreams have come true, the deeper the sea, the bluer it turns / Label me a model, an actress, whatever.

She shares her experience of battling for a considerable period to get record labels to even consider her first album email. The response she usually got was, “No, we don’t listen to albums from models.” Additionally, she found herself relating to the journey of an ingenue as depicted in Jennifer Blowdryer’s book she picked up in Silver Lake. She admits that perhaps she identified with that character. “What will it be like when it’s all over? Does that sound a bit ominous?” she chuckles uneasily.

As a movie enthusiast, I find myself deeply immersed in the world of “Lawsuit,” a term Waterhouse claims was meant humorously and not as a direct reference. She playfully warns on her R&B-pop fusion track, “I could pen a whole novel about the ways you exploited me, yes / You think it’s bad, but it’s about to get worse.” Waterhouse captivates with the garage-style “Big Love,” a song inspired by tales I heard from author Violet Paley about her bouts of mania at a New York City bar. The book resonated with me deeply, especially the idea that “you’re just running towards self-destruction and there’s this massive void in your heart that you’re trying to fill with love, but nothing seems to work.

Although she’d been in a long-term relationship, Waterhouse drew inspiration for her melancholic breakup song “Everybody Breaks Up Anyway” from an eavesdropped conversation at a party. The phrase resonated with her, but it came to symbolize “sadder events that might occur.” In the song, she somberly sings, “Love never lasts, but I’ll remain in your thoughts forever / ‘Cause everyone eventually breaks up,” accompanied by rich strings. Regarding the track, Waterhouse explains that it leaves things ambiguous.

With the poignant final track, “To Love,” reminiscent of Mazzy Star’s “Fade Into You” slide guitar melody, Waterhouse reworked the core elements of her popular song “Good Looking.” She simplified it significantly. As she puts it, “It’s about two individuals recognizing their past and fully embracing the intensity of a fresh love.

Waterhouse expresses her aspiration that “Memoir of a Sparklemuffin” will pave the way for fresh prospects. She’s thrilled at the thought of teaming up with Rosalía, despite confessing she’d be quite apprehensive due to her belief that Rosalía has one of the finest voices on the planet. After witnessing her live performance last year, Waterhouse was left utterly spellbound by her energy and charisma. On her wishlist for collaborations are Aimee Mann, Cat Power, PJ Harvey, and Sophie B. Hawkins as well.

Currently, Waterhouse is simply thankful for the chance to produce the music she’s long aspired to. She acknowledges that it takes time to gain “respect,” especially when one has worn multiple hats as a model, actress, and more. As she puts it, “You can’t just step into a new role; you simply have to trust that you’ll continue to receive chances.

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2024-09-13 20:02