Photo credit: Gabrielle Daylor

Indie-pop singer-songwriter HODJE discusses her new single, “An American Horror Story” | Exclusive Q&A

rj frometa Friday, April 3, 2026 Money Leave a comment

Chicago-based indie-pop singer-songwriter HODJE is back with a striking single, “An American Horror Story.” Frustrated and despondent with the headlines that bombard us all daily, she was able to channel her emotions into the song. Catchy, soaring, and cathartic in its driving momentum, HODJE’s glorious vocals rise above the pop-tastic music bed to voice her perspective. It’s infectious and affecting. We sat down with HODJE recently to find out the story behind this amazing song.

Hi, HODJE. Welcome to VENTS! How has 2026 been treating you so far?
Thank you for having me! 2026 has felt heavy, to be honest. With the ongoing injustices we’re seeing in America and beyond, it’s hard not to feel a sense of despondency. I feel lucky to have creative outlets to channel those emotions.

You’ve blown us away with your stellar new single called “An American Horror Story,” which is out March 27th. What can you tell us about this song? What inspired you to write and record it?
Thank you, that means a lot. “An American Horror Story” came from an overwhelming sense of sorrow while watching the news and realizing how numb we’ve become to things that should horrify us. I wrote it from a place of anxiety and frustration about systems failing people and how normalized violence has become. It felt important to put those feelings into a song rather than letting them eat at me.

How was the songwriting process for this song? Did it come easily and did you write it quickly, or was it a slower scenario?
I wrote this one pretty quickly, though refining the lyrics took a few weeks after the first pass. I wanted to get the tone right. I wanted it to feel like a scream into the void, not a political grievance list, even though the two can often go hand in hand.

What was it like working on this track in the studio? What was your favorite part about recording this song? What was the most challenging aspect of the recording process?
The most rewarding part of making the song was the catharsis of writing it. The biggest challenge was walking the line between making the song digestible and not watering it down. I didn’t want the content to feel so heavy that people shut down, but I also didn’t want to soften why it’s called “An American Horror Story.” These horrors exist whether I write about them or not, and whether we’re desensitized to them or not. The goal was to acknowledge that reality without alienating the listener.

This song is extremely topical, given recent news cycles and headlines. What do you think the message from this song is and what do you hope people take from hearing it?
I don’t want to tell people what to think with this song, but by expressing my desperation, I do want people to feel something. I also hope it encourages people to question what we’ve been conditioned to accept as “normal.”

What kind of a vibe did you have in mind for this one and how did you achieve that?
We leaned into driving guitars and urgency in the vocal rather than explosive production. I wanted it to feel pressing. The goal was tension that gradually releases as the song unfolds.

What else do you have on tap for 2026?
There’s more music coming that continues this conversation, songs that are deeply personal but still engage with bigger themes. I’m also excited to keep experimenting visually and conceptually.