Her rise to fame hasn’t been an easy one, but Coi Leray is enjoying her time at the top. Her breakout hit arrived with Lil Durk after he jumped on the remix to her “No More Parties” single. From there, Coi has climbed the charts and even landed a Nicki Minaj feature, taking over the charts with “Blick Blick.” She released her debut studio album Trendsetter to wide praise, and according to the rapper, she’s carefully crafting her sophomore effort.
Today (April 27), Coi Leray dropped her latest single, “Bops.” The track finds Leray in her beast-mode-bag, and to celebrate its delivery, she caught up with Eddie Francis on Apple Music 1. There, Leray spoke about her new release, tackling body shamers, what fans can expect from her next album, and hoping to inspire others through her work. Here are five takeaways from the noteworthy conversation.
All About “Bops”
Come on. East Coast all day. It just has big energy, period. I got to talk my sh*t, I like to talk my sh*t. I like to say what I got to say. And yeah, I’m just blessed and grateful to be here. I just been recording. I’ve been working on my debut, not my debut album, my second studio album. And I just, I’m always so versatile. One minute I want to sing, next minute I want to turn up. So, in that case, once I heard the beat from Johnny Goldstein, once I heard the beat, I’m like, “Oh my God, this sh*t is going to be insane.” And I automatically gotta hop right on it, and I just got to talk my sh*t. Like, summertime’s coming, and yeah, I feel like I got a lot to say.
Sophomore Record Will Be “One of the Biggest Projects Ever”
I’m so excited about this second album because it’s really mostly myself. I told myself—like, I have a couple features, which I’m going to keep it discreet. Because it’s only literally a little bit, not even a handful, but I’ve been working on this project constantly. I stay in the studio. As you can see, I’m in my home. It’s my home studio here. I’m constantly in the studio 24/7. I’m amazing when it comes to that mic. And at the end of the day, I know this project is going to be one of the biggest projects ever. Nobody’s f*cking with me on it. When it comes to my melodies, my versatility, whether if I’m rapping, singing, doing the baby voice, if I’m dancing or whatever it is, I’m just that girl.
And I say that in the most humble way. I feel like a lot of the headlines kind of overshadow my true talent and what God really brought me here to do. So, I just can’t wait because this album’s going to show that and make people really put them in they face. And also, the second album’s going to make people go back to Trendsetter and make them actually appreciate it for the music instead of the bullsh*t and the negative headlines and Coi Leray always being the topic. This album is all about me. This is another thing. So, I’ll be 26. I feel like I look so young, and people forget that I am actually a young adult developing into a very grown woman, and this is just Coi on a whole nother level. That’s a little hint for you.
The Road To Becoming An Icon
I want to become the next icon, the next “it” girl for my generation. I feel like I am the best of my generation, I’m not even going to lie to you. And I feel like I hold that down. I was the first to break on TikTok, whether if it was “No More Parties,” “BIG PURR,” “Blick Blick!,” “Anxiety.” Just every year upping my next move. Trendsetter, my album, to now having the Top 10 record in the f*cking world. I just feel like it’s go time. It’s time for people to wake up and understand I’m here forever, and there’s a lot that I brought to this industry. I just want to continue to motivate, continue to inspire, continue to set trends, and just be the best I could be for real.
Dealing With Body Shaming
I’m prepared for whatever, honestly. I’ve dealt with the body shaming situation, honestly, my whole entire career. Shout out to all the slim women out there. I feel like I actually paved that way in the music industry for a slim woman to just finally be accepted, honestly, after a very long time. I’m talking since Mya and Left Eye days. And it’s something important you talk about. It’s very something important you talk about. I wake up every day and say, “I love my body.” I don’t give a f**k. When I put my clothes on, I’m not saying, “Yo, I’m going to put this on troll.” I’m putting it on because I love to look good, I love to feel good. And that’s what I personally, genuinely love to wear and like. When they make it about the body, it’s just ongoing. This gets old after a while. It really does.
First Coachella For Coi Leray
That was so dope. Shout out Shenseea, shout out Tokischa. She brought us up. It was dope. The energy was super fire. It was hot as hell out there. And then, the next day we end up, we performed at Revolve. That was my first time at Coachella ever. Had one of the most amazing times of my life. I got super lit. And yeah, what happens at Coachella stays at Coachella. And yeah, that’s just period, we outside.
[via]