JULAPINK writes about writing her raunchy track I’m A Hoe
IMAGE BY KIM WILLIAMS
You might not expect an asexual musician to write and produce a song titled I’m A Hoe, but that’s exactly what I did.
Picture this: I’m sitting in my home studio, in the middle of the biggest writer’s block I’d ever experienced, waiting for inspiration to strike for a new song. I had already come up with a seductive, trance-like drumbeat that I really liked, and was continuing to listen to it on repeat, hoping to land on a melody or lyric that would serve as a diving board into a full song concept.
There was one big problem: I kept coming up empty-handed.
As a romantic acespec songwriter, the songs I had released previously were either ace anthems or songs revolving around romance, with maybe a hint of sexual tension. I knew that I didn’t want to “play it safe” with my next song. I wanted to take some sort of lyrical risk. I wanted to do something shocking.
So, I began thinking about all of the times I had been sexualised because I was a woman and “didn’t dress modestly” or that people perceived me as “promiscuous” on social media. How even as an asexual person, people believed I wasn’t telling the truth because I didn’t “look asexual to them”. How I dress, how confident I am, or what I choose to make music about has nothing to do with asexuality.
I remember feeling intense frustration and thinking, “well, if they’re going to think this way about me anyway, might as well have fun with it”. So, I decided to do something bold and unexpected. I sat down and wrote a song called I’m A Hoe. And I went wild on it. A song born from intense sarcasm and pure entertainment. I laughed the whole time writing it.
The verse went like this:
“I’ve got a bad reputation, I’ve done half the population / Little sleazy, over easy, cooking eggs right on rotation / Bad reputation, queen of toxic scintillation / Kinda greedy, never needy / Babe, it’s all a simulation.”
That final line was my way of hinting at my aceness. I could write the raunchiest thing and still be ace. The “simulation” is what others project onto me..
The writing process felt incredibly freeing and empowering, and completely broke my writer’s block. I then went on to write a collection of unhinged, provocative music, which I like to call The Hoe Era Project. And guess what? Only the people who knew me personally got the joke and understood where I was coming from. Everyone else thought I was being dead serious.
Some people listened to I’m A Hoe and were able to relate to it. And that’s part of why I love making provocative music, because even if I’m not able to fully relate to a song I’ve written, I know there will always be somebody out there who will.
I’m A Hoe is out on all streaming platforms and JULAPINK has a new song out called Fanfiction, an upbeat pop country song about escaping reality and embracing the fantasy.
TikTok and IG: @itsjulapink and @imjustjula
