ABOUT A YEAR AGO, Karen O was scrolling through Instagram when she came across a photo of Japanese Breakfast frontwoman Michelle Zauner that left her a little concerned. It was from a stop on Zauner's relentless tour over the past couple of years, which has included more than 100 concerts and promotional appearances on the heels of her Grammy-nominated third album, Jubilee, and her bestselling memoir, Crying in H Mart. "She had the million-mile stare," says Karen O.
It's late August in Los Angeles, and Karen O and Zauner are sitting in a studio in the Arts District, meeting in person for the first time and looking back on their text exchanges from around the period of that million-mile stare.
"She sent me some really nice messages," says Zauner, 33. "It felt very K.O. She was like, 'If you ever want to break a table with me..."" Karen 0 erupts with laughter. As the frontwoman of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the indie-rock band she formed in 2000, she can relate. "[The road] can wear you down," she says. "The best thing to do in that situation is smash some glass. For me, it was a poster of us. I put my foot through it. It takes the edge off."
Zauner grew up idolising Karen O, a fellow Korean American who became famous for her magnetic stage presence - spitting beer into the crowd was not an infrequent occurrence - and New York swagger. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs recently released Cool It Down, their first album in nine years. Karen 0, 44, is more than happy to pass down some advice: "Michelle, if you ever wanted to bitch to me about the pains of anything, I'm your woman."
KAREN O: I feel very familiar with you, in some funny way. Do you feel that way with me at all? ZAUNER: I also have that feeling. I mean, I guess we've lived somewhat similar lives.
KAREN O: There's a lot of parallels. But the parallels don't really explain... It's just chemistry, a natural connection that you feel with somebody.
This story is from the February/March 2023 edition of Rolling Stone UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the February/March 2023 edition of Rolling Stone UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
'It's like I'm dancing with death'
Colombia's corralejas bull fights area bloody free-for-all where only the humans die
the CONTINUING EDUCATION of FRA FEE
With roles in queer dramas, West End shows and Zack Snyder's Rebel Moon sequel, Fra Fee is an actor in his prime who wants to experience it all. Here, he talks to Rolling Stone UK about his childhood in musical theatre, the pressure of working in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and being guided by a zest for learning
Anitta's Funk Revolution
After a major health scare, the Brazilian star learnt to let go and got back to her roots
WARPED REALITY
With 2022's spine-tingling debut Unlearning, Glasgow glam-pop collective Walt Disco marked themselves out as one of the most intriguing outfits on the UK's alternative scene. On brilliant follow-up The Warping, however, they're shapeshifting boldly into the band they were always meant to be...
Kristen Stewart
After more than two decades in the spotlight, Stewart knows who she is - and what she wants
Too much Too young
Peaky Blinders writer Steven Knight's latest creation This Town takes viewers back to the Midlands of the 80s, telling the story of a group of disenfranchised young people for whom music is the only way out
" MY PASSION IN LIFE IS CHILLING "
In the five years since the release of Father of the Bride, Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig has lived across the world with his family, shed a cynicism that had followed him around since his teens, and made new album Only God Was Above Us, the band's most interconnected statement yet - all while discovering a new laidback philosophy
"I don't feel like I need a future drawn out for me"
From Kick-Ass to Kraven the Hunter via his next big role opposite Ryan Gosling in The Fall Guy, Aaron Taylor Johnson is Britain's next big film star
25 faces of the future
Rachel Chinouriri reflects on her struggle to overcome stereotypes and establish herself as a Black indie artist, as well as the heartbreak that informs her forthcoming debut album
big specia
Big Special's Joe Hicklin and Callum Moloney are finally ready to unleash their state-of-the-nation debut album
