Tierra Whack Opens Up About Her Gripping Film ‘Cypher,’ And Why She’s Releasing New Music

To what degree do you believe in things such as the ritualistic practices to become famous or things like industry plants?
Well, I’ve never personally experienced anything like that, but of course, we’ve all been down a rabbit hole of conspiracies and secret societies. That’s what really intrigued me when Chris brought the script to me. I was like, this is crazy. This is like the Blair Witch Project, so I was like we got to do it. 

 What is the overall message you want people to take away from this film?
I just want people to know that fame is whack.

Fame and privacy is another trend that came up in the film. How do you find a balance between sharing your life with the world and maintaining some level of privacy?
Everything isn’t for everybody. And for my own sanity, I’m not going live or posting every single thing or every single step of my day, because, my family, my mom still want privacy. I just like being with my people. I read something the other day, it said something like, “the best moments are not filmed.” I’m not filming if I’m helping somebody. It doesn’t feel authentic to me. If I didn’t have this career, I would not have social media. My team have to constantly remind me. When TikTok first came out, when Vine came out, they’re like, “yo, these are your platforms.” Eventually I got on them, but I gotta do things on my own when I’m ready, on my terms. But it’s still not natural for me to just pull out my phone or post every single thing I’m doing. So if you see me posting, I’m doing it because I want to do it and I’m in a really good mood. If I ain’t posting, I’m just chilling. 

You released the music video for “Chanel Pit” at the end of the film. What inspired the record?
I remember being in the studio with the producer, Nick Verruto, and I was like, “I need something that slaps and it’s clean and it’s just fun and upbeat.” And that’s exactly what he made. And I always have notes that I take randomly throughout the day. I remember my friend, years ago, was at an event or a show… I don’t know if I feel like it was an Earl Sweatshirt show. But I was in the mosh pit going crazy with everybody. And then I went backstage and my friend came a little while after and he’s like, “yo, I knew you were here. I smelled your Chanel.” He’s like, “you had the mosh pit smelling like Chanel.” I just wrote that down in my notes. So when I was scrolling in my notes, while the beat’s playing, I’m wrote the “mosh pit smell like Chanel, hm/ Yes, Microsoft, I’ma excel, hm,” and I was like, “oh yeah, I like that.” And, yeah, it just flowed and it felt fun and free. I didn’t have to think about it. That record happened so fluidly, so quick and easy. That’s how art should be.