Punk Princess Bailey Spinn Goes on The Road

Bailey wears Meadows

Words by Blythe Tokar

Images by Ethan Jones

Bailey Spinn knows you might not like her, and honestly, she’s ok with that. Bailey ‘killed the girl she used to be’ (in loving memory), stepping out from behind the phone screen and embracing the vulnerable parts of life in the spotlight (IRL). Chicago MERDE Editor, Blythe Tokar, went to the second show on her tour and spent the night happily lost in a sea of Happy Ending tees and hoodies that belonged to the tweens manifesting the songs they hoped she would play. She would’ve cried at the universal experience of going to your first show with your friends if it weren’t for those familiar emo riffs that make even the most “recovered” scene kid scream-sing along. After a cheer-induced encore, she caught up with Bailey to talk about her first time being on tour, discovering her personal style, and why she’s finally ready to share her music. 

MERDE Agency is excited to dress Bailey in emerging designer pieces from Matadora Paris, KKCO, Vihanga, and Meadows Los Angeles throughout her tour. 

Blythe Tokar: Your music journey has started semi recently and this is your first headlining tour, which is so exciting! Today is only your second show, right?

Bailey Spinn: Yeah I started in Denver a couple days ago and now Chicago today!

BT: How's it been going? Have you been liking it so far?

BS: I love it! It was honestly a little hard to sing in Denver because of the altitude, it was like a weight on my chest, but it was still so much fun. It's so fun to connect with fans in real time like that and get to put faces to the subscribers and followers. I get to actually interact with them and see that they're real people, not just usernames on the screen - I love them. 

Bailey wears KkCo

BT: How do you see your online presence and your music working together? Did one aspect of your life lead to the other?

BS: I always really loved music, and it wasn't involved in my social [media] personality at all because I was just too anxious, which also plays back into the music, because I talk about it a lot. It took me a lot of time to build up the courage to show my followers that I love music and to express myself online like that and reveal that part of myself because it's so vulnerable. Especially when you're creating your own music because you're just sharing your thoughts; it was hard for me to do that, but music was a good outlet, so I just started slowly integrating it. It's always been a part of my life. I played a lot of instruments when I was a kid.

BT: What did you play?

BS: The trombone, the viola, the flute, and now the electric guitar. I'm not very good but I just ended up wanting to do only music after a while, because I felt like what I was doing before didn't serve me and I wasn't getting to express myself how I really wanted to. So I was like, 'Okay, I think we need to stop'. I kind of jumped ship and just started slowly doing music and it's been so amazing. 

Bailey wears KkCo

BT: You talk about in your music the positive and negative responses you've gotten to the change in your social media content. What keeps you grounded and keeps you going throughout all of the change and everybody's reactions to it? 

BS: It was really hard, honestly, to face all of the reactions, because I didn't even think the transition was going to get that much attention. And it was really hard for me too - people thought it was just easy for me to stop making the videos that I made but I'd been doing them for years and years, so it just felt like it threw me off my routine. So it took me a couple months to even feel better about it myself and to feel secure, and I have to believe in myself and I have to know that other people believe in me too. Despite all the hate comments, there are people out there, like the people at my show, that love me and want to see me succeed and perform. So I just try to remind myself through all the negativity that it'll all be okay, and people are always going to be negative no matter what you do. Everybody is entitled to their opinion but that doesn't mean it has to be right in your eyes - you can just disagree. Like A lot of people say they don't like my music but that's okay, you know. Not every song is for you, and not everyone likes pop rock or rock music, and I think that's okay, not everyone's gonna like the same things.

BT: I love how you covered Evanescence and Avril Lavigne during your show. Are those some of your big musical inspirations? Who are some of the other inspirations behind your sound?

BS: Yeah, Avril Lavigne and Evanescence are some of my top ones. I love them so much, and I feel like they're both pretty different. So that's why a lot of my music will be kind of all over the place, because I love to venture into all the different kinds of rock: go a little heavier, go a little slower, really belt it out. I'm also very inspired by Pierce The Veil, I just saw them at the When We Were Young Festival. I love their intensity, they're so unique and it's just so different. I love all of their guitar riffs, it's my favorite thing ever. I love All Time Low and Flyleaf - Paramore was a huge one, they were the only concert I saw in LA, and it was on Halloween. It was amazing. 

Bailey wears Matadora Paris

BT: Who are you currently listening to now?

BS: I listen to so many artists now, being an artist, I'm always discovering new people. So I've been listening to Alexis Munroe and Cassyette, my friend Connor makes very great music - Connor Kauffman. I've been listening to a lot of friends' music. I love to support them and let them know that I'm listening and I love it. 

BT: What's your favorite song of yours?

BS: That's a hard question. My opinion is ever changing, but I always say 'Runner Up', because it was my first ever real session, and it was the first demo I ever got back that I was like, 'I love this. This is an amazing song.' I had the opportunity to write it with another artist I love, LØLØ . I listen to her a lot too. She had been a big inspiration to me at the time, and I had done a video with her song, so in exchange, we did a session together. She's an incredible writer and it was just such a fun session. It was a special moment because it started everything. I was like, 'This is the song and this is the moment.'

BT: Artists supporting artists, we love to see it. Are those artists you named your style inspos  also? Who else would you name as your style inspiration? 

BS: I take a lot of inspiration from Amy Lee, that's why I got my eyebrow piercing. I love how she's kind of whimsical and has big, flowy dresses - I love all of that. Definitely some Avril Lavigne too. I really just pull from alternative styles, like all of them. I like to go heavier some days, and then some days I'll be lighter, but I like to venture out and try new things too.

BT: Where else do you look outside of music for fashion inspiration and how did you develop your personal style?

Bailey wears Vihanga

BS: It took me a long time to find what style was really right for me. Even dyeing my hair from blonde to black was a big transition, just because it felt like there was a disconnect between what I was wearing and what I was listening to, and the music I made and my appearance. So I've discovering things myself and finding out what I like… and what I don't like *laughs*. 

BT: What’s a staple piece you always wear performing?

Bailey wears Vihanga

BS: I always wear my Doc Martens, which I love them so much. I got the spikes on them.

BT: What are you most looking forward to about the rest of the tour? I know you have a pretty big schedule and a lot of shows.

BS: Yeah we're doing 20! So we have 18 more. I love seeing the venues, I love seeing the cities, because I haven't been to so many of the cities that we're going to. I was even joking tonight like, 'I'm gonna try a deep dish pizza' *laughs* I'm excited to see more faces of people that listen to the music, because it just feels so special. It's hard sometimes when you just see a number on your phone and then put it into reality. I still can't even fathom a million people in front of me. So it's just crazy to see even, you know, 40 I'm like, 'Wow, you guys are real, and you know who I am'  and that's amazing. You can reach people everywhere with social media.

BT: I'm sure they feel the same way about you too. Actually being able to see one of their favorite people online, in person and performing, doing what they love.

BS: They were so cute. I've gotten very good at starting conversations with kids who are nervous. It's a special talent of mine. 

BT: What's your trick? 

BS: I just keep asking questions, or I'll tell them that I like something that they're wearing just to make them more comfortable and able to open up to me a little bit more. 

BT: What else do you have coming up that fans can get excited for? I'm sure everyone else is excited for their city coming up on the tour, but anything else people can look out for?

BS: Definitely! One of the songs that was on the set list today is the next single, and we're also going to be doing a music video for it. I don't think I can say the exact date, but it will be coming soon. I'm also doing a kind of reinvented version of a song that's already out. I'm gonna make it even heavier, because I love heavy music and I wanna make this even more rock than it already is. Also I'm releasing an album to come early next year!

Keep up with Bailey and her second leg of tour on Instagram @baileyspinn and stream her music on Spotify and Apple Music.