20 Questions with 070 Shake: On Her New Album, The Butterfly Effect & Making Music to Feel ‘Infinite’

Stephen Daw
·4 min read

Danielle Balbuena isn’t afraid of big ideas; in fact, she thrives on them.

Coming into the R&B/hip-hop arena as a fast-rising up-and-comer back in 2016 and slowly building her career, Balbuena — better known by her stage name 070 Shake — has already seen massive gains in her career. In her short time within the music industry, the singer has already collaborated with superstars like Madonna, Lil Yachty, Tame Impala and more. But when it came time for her to put out new music, Shake was ready to go deeper.

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That was the modus operandi when it came time to put together You Can’t Kill Me, the star’s long-awaited sophomore studio album, released earlier this month (June 3). Evolving her sound to a fusion of vibe-fueled production and emotionally complex lyricism, Shake grapples with heady concepts like free will, dissociation and painful loss, all while sounding better than she ever has in her storied career.

“With each album, it’s like you’re being revealed more and more. You Can’t Kill Me shows how dedicated I am to being free within music,” she said in a statement at the time of the album’s release. “Feeling is the biggest ingredient of my music.”

So, Billboard decided to go a bit deeper with 070 Shake as well. Below, the R&B star talks about what went into the making of her brand new album, the importance of evolution, and why getting fired from a job helped her find her place in the music business.

1. What’s the first piece of music that you bought for yourself, and what was the medium?

The first piece of music that I bought for myself was “The Black Album” by Jay-Z.

2. What was the first concert you saw?

The first concert I ever went to was The Weeknd’s Beauty Behind the Madness tour!!

3. What did your parents do for a living when you were a kid?

My Mom was a security guard in New Jersey growing up.

4. Who made you realize you could be an artist full-time?

My old boss fired me because he felt I should be doing music full time, so that was definitely a sign.

5. What’s at the top of your professional bucket list?

Directing a feature film.

6. How did your hometown/city shape who you are?

Just like it does for anybody else. I believe your environment becomes part of your DNA.

7. What’s the last song you listened to?

“Bitter Sweet Symphony” by The Verve.

8. If you could see any artist in concert, dead or alive, who would it be?

Michael Jackson, of course.

9. What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen happen in the crowd of one of your sets?

Fights, girls kissing, and nude humans.

10. How has the pandemic affected your creative process?

The pandemic gave me more of a reason to stay inside and focus on my craft.

11. When it came to You Can’t Kill Me, what was the message you wanted to communicate?

That regardless of what happens on Earth we are infinite!!

12. This album has had a lot of incredible visuals. Which of the videos you’ve shot for this project is your favorite?

It’s not out yet.

13. It took two and a half years to put this album together. What was the most difficult part of this writing process?

The most difficult part was just trying to figure out how I could translate an emotion into words in a way where it could be received graciously – not being too poetic, but not being too straightforward and finding that balance.

14. You Can’t Kill Me features a lot of new sounds for you as an artist. Why do you feel evolving your sound is an important part of your artistry?

I think evolving is an important part of life in general and that falls into art. Evolving as a human being in all aspects I think is what we’re here to do.

15. What’s your astrological sign? Do you care about astrology?

I’m a Gemini. I definitely think there’s truth to astrology and science to it for sure.

16.You’re trapped on a desert island — what three albums did you bring with you?

The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd, Channel Orange by Frank Ocean and Watch the Throne by Jay-Z & Kanye West.

17. What’s your karaoke go-to?

I don’t do karaoke that often, so don’t really have a go-to song.

18. What movie, or song, always makes you cry?

Interstellar.

19. Which TV show do you recommend binge-watching?

The Office.

20. What’s one piece of advice you would give to your younger self?

I don’t think I’d want to tell myself anything, because it’d be like the butterfly effect, and everything would change.

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