Like many of today’s up-and-comers, Slayyyter’s career really began with her Twitter and Instagram.

The 22-year-old DIY pop diva has been putting out music for less than a year, but in that time has managed to attract a cult following for her experimental brand of sugar rush electro-pop. Her unabashed online persona is a mood board of salacious hot takes, early aughts tabloid culture, and drug-riddled anecdotes. In a recent tweet, Slayyyter said: ” [sic] i am the byproduct of 2005 britney spears, cherry emoji twitter, and myfreecams dot com.” She’s not wrong.

Slayyyter started off making lo-fi ’80s pop but quickly pivoted to dancier tracks in the summer of 2018. Through a DM, she discovered producer Ayesha Erotica, who has become a consistent collaborator, and things snowballed from there. Her first single “BFF” featured Erotica and came out in 2018. It’s an irreverent ode to being hot and drinking a lot with your equally hot friends: “All the boys love to flirt with us In our mini skirts / drinking champagne till it hurts, oh yeah.” It’s a bop.

From the comfort of her closet, Slayyyter crafts glossy, energetic songs that make you want to pour glitter all over yourself and go to a neon rave, lollipop in hand. It’s pure dance-floor ecstasy rolled into sticky pop hooks. Thanks to Ayesha Erotica’s slick production, Slayyyter’s music sounds ultra polished and shiny––luxury pop on a DIY budget.

It’s a sound that falls in line with those of fellow hype queens Charli XCX and Kim Petras, and sometimes their fan bases overlap. Charli XCX featured two of Slayyyter’s songs on her monthly playlist “The Motherfucking Future,” which further launched the 22-year-old into the throws of stardom (and standom). But Slayyyter’s lyrics explore deviance more explicitly, which sets her apart from the others. From “Candy,” where she sings in an almost uncanny Britney affectation, “my pussy tastes sweet like candy,” to “Dial Tone” with the not-so-subtle flirtation “Call 1-800-SLAYYYTER for a good time/I could say some things that would blow your mind,” Slayyyter’s sex-posi attitude is both refreshing and disarming.

Her songs tap into the nostalgia machine, not only sonically, but visually too, savvily banking on our constant craving for the past. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, Slayyyter mentions that she draws influence from the late 2000s failed pop endeavors of Heidi Montag and Paris Hilton. Scrolling through her feed is like looking through a supercut of the best scandals of 2007 on the cover of People that would line grocery store checkout aisles.

In today’s media hellscape, aesthetic reigns supreme and Slayyyter has secured her status as a queen. Her images are simple, but highly identifiable, and create a coherent vibe that immediately screams SLAYYYTER. Take the cover art for ” Mine,” a dance-y deep house track and her most streamed single, that features sparkly candy hearts against a Bratz doll purple backdrop.

The paradigm is shifting, and we’ve seen this through major acts like Brockhampton, Clairo, and Charli XCX. While labels and record deals certainly don’t hurt an artist’s music career, it’s clear that internet success is officially the most important component in gaining exposure. This isn’t the only recipe for viral appeal, but Slayyyter’s popularity goes to show that any artist can infiltrate the mainstream if they understand the internet and the value of a well-placed lo-fi, photo booth selfie.

Sara is a music and culture writer who lives in Brooklyn. Her work has previously appeared in PAPER magazine and Stereogum.

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