Rising pop-rock artist PiPEllA has released her new single “Robot Overlord,” an empowering anthem that breaks down the countless stigmas and insults PiPEllA has personally faced as an asexual person.
Having been fed up by comments like “are you a robot?”, PiPEllA sought to turn those snide insults into a tongue-in-cheek metaphor that outlines her confidence in her asexuality. Lyrics like “you want what you can’t have / My Indifference drives you mad” poke fun at the people that pester asexual people in a way that seems needlessly obsessive and invasive. The chorus also responds directly to how taxing acephobic people are onto PiPEllA, where she sings “I’ll take what I need and nothing more,” pointing out that she does not inflict damage onto them as they inflict onto her.
My song “Robot Overlord” is all about fighting back against Ace erasure and the stigmas and stereotypes we face on a daily basis. As an AroAce artist, I wrote “Robot Overlord” as an anthem to help empower our community and fight for the representation we deserve. The specific scenario that inspired “Robot Overlord” took place on a very popular dating app. I explained that I identify as a part of the asexual community, after which they asked “so are you a robot or are you a tease?” At this point, I had been called a robot more than once by people outside the Ace spectrum because they couldn’t fathom that a real person might not experience sexual attraction. This time, instead of trying to defend myself or my sexuality, I simply replied “yes”…In that moment, I felt like I had turned the conversation around, from feeling slightly ashamed for not fitting into their box to feeling empowered while watching this random man beg for my attention.
- PiPEllA
Produced by Morgan Clae and Tommy Sanker, “Robot Overlord” has a lot of anthem-like traits: the choir effect in the chorus, the minimalist verses, and the reverb on the percussion that gives the song its rawness. There’s no doubt that this song was intended to be inspirational, especially given its lyrical content. PiPEllA’s vocals also elevate the song to give it a sense of grandiosity, especially towards the end of the song when it reaches its climax. The layering of her vocals and the addition of the choral voices close out the song in such a beautiful manner, summarizing PiPEllA’s courageousness and resilience in writing this track. Follow PiPEllA on Instagram @pipellamusic and listen to “Robot Overlord” here.