When Lorely Rodriguez and her mother stepped inside their new house for the first time since rebuilding in the aftermath of the Eaton fire, Rodriguez’s mom said something that took her by surprise.
“I finally built my dream house,” she said.
For months, Rodriguez, the artist better known by her stage name Empress Of, had been working on an album inspired by the traumatic experience of losing her home in the second most destructive wildfire in California history. The LP’s title? “Dream House.”
Out on Sept. 18, the record draws from house, electronic and soulful elements and invites listeners into a sonic sanctuary born from having to rebuild one’s life from ground up.
“I never had such an experience that I then transformed into art,” Rodriguez said. “I’ve written about heartbreak before. I’ve written about things that were challenges in my life, but this was a whole new challenge.”
The Altadena native joined hosts Suzy Exposito and Fidel Martinez for this week’s episode of “The De Los Podcast” to dive into the making of “Dream House” as she processed loss and grief, drawing strength from her mother.
“At the core, [I was inspired by] my mom’s life, coming to this country and building her dream life,” Rodriguez, who is Honduran American, said. “As an artist, what I think is such a gift, is that I was given this opportunity to even tell my mom’s story in some type of way.”
From immersing herself in L.A.’s jazz scene to catching Lady Gaga’s pre-“Just Dance” performance at the Avalon in 2008, Rodriguez’s Angeleno roots shaped her eclectic music influences. She first made her mark in indie music with the psychedelic, Cocteau Twins-inspired 2013 EP “Systems,” followed by her 2015 electronica album “Me.”
Rodriguez also spoke of befriending Devonte Hynes, the artist known as Blood Orange. After a chance encounter on the streets of New York, the two recorded “Best to You,” a standout track of Blood Orange’s critically acclaimed 2016 album, “Freetown Sound.” A decade later, Rodriguez came out onstage for Hynes’ set at this year’s Coachella music festival to perform the track.
“I love that song so much, it came about really organically,” Rodriguez said. “Us hanging out in his apartment and passing the mic back and forth to each other.”
Hynes is featured on “Dream House,” along with Canadian artist Cecile Believe, best known for her work with producer Sophie.
“It’s an interesting thing being an artist, and using your art to heal and evolve. I’ve done that but I’ve never done that to this [extent]. But if I’m not doing that, then what am I doing? If I’m not being real with myself, why am I making art? Why am I making music?” Rodriguez said. “I want someone to listen to this and think, she had the strength to write about this, so maybe I have the strength to do something that scares me.”
The core of “Dream House,” Rodriguez says, is not a physical place, but the people and sounds that ground her.
“Whenever I lose sight of what I’m doing, home brings me back … to the point of it all,” Rodriguez said. “My family and my story is who I am.”
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