- 4 days ago
Audacy 'LAUNCH' artist Audrey Hobert has had a whirlwind 2026, and is finally home between her own year-long tour and heading overseas to open for Charli XCX. Bru caught up with the “Sue Me” singer to talk about her exhaustive trek, working with her brother, Malcolm Todd, and why she wants to pretend “this never happened” to make new music.
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00:00I can't help but be myself 100% of the time and also one of the things I've learned in
00:04being on the road all year is like I think sometimes people in my position might think that they need
00:10to be quote unquote on in a lot of situations and I just realized very quickly that that was going
00:20to be more exhausting for me than to just be myself wherever I was.
00:30So good to see you. I love catching up with you. How are things? Where are you at in the
00:34world right now?
00:35I'm at home, thankfully. I mean, last time I talked to you, I had never played, I think, a show
00:41ever.
00:42Oh my gosh.
00:43And now I've been touring for almost a year, so I'm a bit different. If I seem gated, it's because
00:48I am.
00:49Oh no. Gated on what? Just like life as a whole?
00:53Yeah, I'm just fucking tired, but I'm grateful, but I'm tired.
00:57You know, there's worse places to be.
01:00Yeah, totally.
01:01Congrats on everything. It's been so cool to see. I know I love getting to be like, I don't know,
01:04one of the first stops and then getting to watch you in concert and then seeing you go everywhere else.
01:08And now you're touring with Charlie. That's amazing.
01:10I know. Isn't that wild?
01:12In the UK, Europe. Yeah. I mean, gosh. How does that, you know Charlie for a little bit?
01:18I've met her twice. I feel like she was really nice to me, you know? I was very starstruck when
01:27I met her. I know her friends, Imogene and Aiden, who they all work together a lot.
01:33It just feels like I've been silently manifesting this. Like, I just was really obsessed with her album that she
01:38put out this year. And Von Dutch is the song that plays right before I go on stage every night.
01:44And I just have been like, really silently loving her all year. And so it feels like, I don't know,
01:50I manifested. It's awesome.
01:52She's such a great person to like, I don't know, I don't know if role models, right? You know what
01:56I mean? Like to model things off of where it's like, she's had such a long career and also such
02:01a resurgence in a sense that like is relevant. And yeah, that last album was so good. And I love
02:05Von Dutch as your opening song.
02:07Yeah.
02:08So it's going to be a blast. Does your show change at all? Or do you just get to do
02:12you and you're going to, you know, basically fit into the show as it goes?
02:16Yeah, I don't know. I mean, it's I have some time to think about it. And I'll have like a
02:21break after I have one leg left of tour. And then I'll have a few months to think about it.
02:27But it's interesting. I feel like I've never opened for somebody I've never opened in arenas. No, like, I just
02:34am sort of assuming that it's gonna feel somewhat like playing a brunch of what you know, in the sense
02:40that maybe 20% of the people will be paying close attention.
02:44But, you know, it's not going to be like, it's gonna be interesting. I'm excited to see what it feels
02:49like.
02:49It is interesting to go to a show or like you'd be performing where like, you probably know they're not
02:54like there specifically to see you. But I mean, if you know Charlie XCX, I feel like they'll know you
02:58and love your music. But is that freaky at all to think about going into? It's almost like stand up
03:03comedy, right?
03:04Totally. I think I'm, I'm, I'm very lucky. I've only ever known people screaming their faces off for me. Like,
03:11it's been sort of, yeah, just what I've known, very lucky. And so I feel like to cap, there'll never
03:19be another time in my life where I'm only playing this album. So to cap off my experience playing this
03:24one album in a giant room where not everyone cares, I think is going to be like, cool.
03:31No, absolutely. For sure. And you get to win them over too, you know, like, as you see, like the
03:35show start and everything. I feel like that's the best part about being an opener is what I hear is
03:39like you convert Charlie fans into Audrey Hober fans.
03:42Yeah, I'm ready to try. I'm ready to try.
03:45We talked about, you know, I'm sorry, you're tired and ready for a break, hopefully. But what kind of, what
03:50kind of like season of life would you say you're in right now as we're catching up?
03:53Just realizing things as Kylie Jenner once said, um, she said 2016 is the year of realizing things. And I
04:00feel the same about, you know, 10 years later, it's my realizing things. It's just, you know, being on the
04:06road is such a, you exist in a, in a state of super high highs and super low lows. And
04:11I've been home for almost two weeks. And it's very important to me that I don't feel like I need
04:18that to feel alive.
04:19I think real life is being able to be happy in a routine. Um, at least that's, that's how I
04:27feel. And so I'm just going to be working towards that because it's such a, it's such a crazy experience
04:33to be on the road.
04:34Were you able to find routine on the road at all?
04:37Yeah, but it's not a routine I'd want to be my entire life. It's like, wake up, go get coffee,
04:43sit in the venue all day. Um, you know, I luckily had my cousin Savannah with me.
04:49So she's like the funniest person I know. So we would just crack each other up all day, but it
04:54became sort of like an inside joke of an inside joke of an inside joke.
04:58And then all of a sudden you're speaking in tongue and I then don't remember what it's like to just
05:02talk to other people. Anyway. Yeah.
05:05I know. Yeah. It's just like starting to separating more and more from earth these times. Um, well, it's good.
05:10It's going to be back. And yeah, like you said, a little bit into the, the normality of life and
05:14everything.
05:14And how much does like your current experiences of life? Like, would you say affect your job? Whatever that kind
05:21of, you know, compiles to you, whether it's writing or being on the road.
05:25Yeah. Um, I think like my current experience of life is just doing the job a little bit. And that's
05:31why I'm so excited to take a break in a way, you know, however that looks like just sort of
05:38get back.
05:39I don't know. I, maybe you find this too with what you do, but I just sometimes feel like when
05:45I start to have a thought about something that's not this job or myself in this job, I like am
05:51all of a sudden filled with such happiness.
05:52And then I realized how most of the time I'm, I'm just thinking about myself on this job and I,
05:58I'd like to think about other something else.
06:01That is so true. No, you get on like a good vacation or whatever. You're just like, it's like something
06:04that locks in you. Cause the pressure's finally off. And then you're like, Oh, I do love doing all this,
06:08but it's just, it's a love, hate thing, I guess.
06:11Yeah.
06:12Gosh. How does it feel right now to be like, I don't know if you've seen this, but like dudes
06:16guilty pleasure song right now, like Sue me.
06:18Oh yeah. Oh my gosh. There's this one guy who I met last night at an event and he was
06:23like, he's, his name's Casey. He does like the really sassy, like voiceover of Sue me.
06:29And I love that just like straight dudes are like embracing the song as their guilty pleasure.
06:34No, I mean, listen, if I would be lying, if I didn't say that was like a small fantasy, like
06:41it's cool. Cause I'm obviously this Sue me was like one of the first songs I wrote.
06:47I had no sort of target demographic, but, um, I don't know. Come one, come all. That's what I said.
06:54Get the straight dudes on the Charlie XCX tour front row for Audrey. That's what I want to see.
06:59Oh fuck. Yeah, please.
07:00Please. And thank you.
07:02Is, um, is tiny desk as like fun or stressful as it looks?
07:07It is so fun. I mean, I love NPR. Um, I was thinking about it this morning.
07:12Like I get asked quite a bit, like what's, what was your biggest pinch me moment? And I, I've always
07:18been like, I ain't pinching myself, but honestly, NPR did a little feature on me.
07:23And that, that is just like, I still sometimes go back and listen to it. Cause it just is, I'm
07:29a big fan.
07:29And the environment there is like, it's a lot of women running that, um, production, which is cool.
07:36And, um, but it also, that was the most nervous I've ever been for anything.
07:41Like the five minutes before I had to like chug a Coke and, um, not speak to anyone.
07:46And I'm not usually that way before performing.
07:48Wow. Is there a lot of people watching that? Or is it literally just staff? I'm always curious about what
07:52you see when you're performing.
07:54It's, it was a lot of people to me. It's like the staff is obviously invited. And then any, if
07:59they have friends or family that like the artist, they can come to. So it was, it was, it was
08:04big.
08:05Yeah. I mean, the, the backdrop, everything is so iconic that like, you know, it right away when you see
08:09it, but like, I'm always curious, like, you know, Oh wow. This is, this, this is where it's at.
08:13I feel like it's like a lot of things where like, you know, it looks so good up front. I'm
08:17curious what you would see on that end. So that's so cool though. What a bucket list thing.
08:21Oh my God. Um, and then you were talking about, I don't know, I'm thinking of all the things that
08:24Audrey lately, but, um, I didn't know you had such a affinity and inspo for Steve Martin.
08:29Yeah. That's your boy.
08:31Well, yeah, my dad was just such a huge fan. So like I grew up with him and my house
08:35a lot.
08:36And that's where like the humor kind of gets shaped.
08:39I just admire, I like the origin story of the Steve Martin things. I watched, uh, his like Apple TV
08:44documentary. Um, I don't know if you've seen it. It's awesome.
08:48But, uh, I just sort of found it interesting in his story that he had like tried out kind of
08:53a bunch of different personas, um, on stage.
08:57And when he decided to just like truly let his freak flag fly is when it really clicked and he
09:03became like massive. Um, and I found that really cool.
09:07Yeah. Well, I mean, I feel like it, it relates to a lot of people when they find what they,
09:11what they're trying to do and then like accepting a certain level of it.
09:14And then it's just taken off, like you mentioned. Um, and I love to see that kind of for you
09:18in a sense with your music, how you've always been this way too, but you think like being so transparent
09:23about your writing about even like failure and embracing it.
09:26Like the thing that really connected you to a different level with fans.
09:30Yes. Yeah, totally. I think just, um, I just, I just am, I can't help it, but be myself a
09:37hundred percent of the time.
09:38And also one of the things I've learned in being on the road all year is like, I think sometimes
09:43people in my position might think that they need to be quote unquote on, um, in a lot of situations.
09:51And, um, I just realized very quickly that that was going to be more exhausting for me, um, than to
10:00just be myself wherever I was kind of, obviously if I'm in like a horrible mood, I'm not trying to
10:07put that on everyone else.
10:08But yeah, I don't, I don't really believe in like the on thing. Cause I do turn on, but it's
10:12always like natural and it's cause I'm excited.
10:15You're just down a Coke and sit in silence for five minutes. You're ready to rip ready to go.
10:20People have done much worse than drink Coke.
10:23I'll tell you a hundred percent. Um, maybe you don't think about this at all, but, um, I was just
10:29curious thinking about it today. Is there, is there something that you think you've taught your brother and vice versa
10:34that Malcolm has taught you?
10:35It can be about music and be out life, anything really totally. I mean, I was the big sister, so
10:40I'd like to think I taught him a lot. Um, but yeah, I just, I like, I remember I was
10:46in high school and he was in middle school and we like call me by your name had come out
10:51and lady bird, like 2017 that year where those movies.
10:54And I remember sitting like all of my siblings down and showing them those movies and, uh, kind of that
11:02year. I feel like we all as a sibling, like as siblings made a bunch of like short films for
11:08fun. And, um, but he's taught, I mean, he got into music before I did. So I often call him
11:15for advice.
11:16And also I just love his demeanor and think he's really funny. So I, we, I just like to chat
11:22about this industry with, with him a lot. Cause we just like laugh at the same things and are passionate
11:27about this similar things. And yeah.
11:30Yeah. I feel like the big sister is always responsible for the, the sense of humor in the, in the,
11:36in the, at least the children in the family. So it's a lot of credit goes to you.
11:39Yeah. But he's really funny. Like from a very young age, I just, I remember him being so funny.
11:46That's so good. I love that. Um, before we wrap, I don't want to take too much of your time,
11:51but I would love to know what, like you're working on and what this next era of music, if you
11:55have anything in mind, like what's next in terms of Audrey, uh, musically.
11:59Um, I, uh, I feel like I, I kind of, I know some things and I don't know a lot.
12:05Um, but I, I feel pretty certain that, um,
12:09removing myself from all the sort of like front facing parts of this will be very important.
12:17Uh, I kind of am planning on to, I'm, I'm sort of planning on pretending as much as I can
12:23that none of this ever happened, uh, so that I can just kind of slip into the shadows where I
12:29feel comfortable.
12:31Like I just feel more comfortable, most comfortable. I'm comfortable being front facing, but I, yeah, in terms of being
12:37creative, I think it helps to feel like I'm in the shadows.
12:40So I'm going to try to do that.
12:41That was incredible. If Batman was a musician, this is you flipping back into the shadows. How important do you
12:47think those breaks are? Because like, you see it more now with artists where like Noah Khan is like, I'm
12:50just disappearing to make music.
12:52And Harry does the same thing. Um, is that something you think you'll, you know, kind of adopt?
12:57I, I think so. I mean, it'll be, cause there's some, there's something so addicting about attention.
13:02Obviously it's like, we're all addicted to attention. Um, and I'm getting it at such a level that it means
13:09a lot to me because it's based on, um, like a body of work that I made, uh, and also
13:14my personality.
13:15And I'm curious to see how hard it is for me to fully step away from it. If I will
13:20feel like I need it, if it will, um, I don't know, but I'm, I am really wanting to do
13:26that because I think it's going to make me a better person.
13:29Yeah. And probably a better artist too, you know, to, you have to, you have to have things happen. I
13:33feel like to be inspired to make that art. So, um, and are you as someone who is like, can
13:39either write about stuff and then make it later?
13:43Or are you a person that likes to, when that inspiration strikes or you, you have lyrics ready to go,
13:47you want to make it?
13:48I think it's half and half. Like I'm finding mostly now that I jot stuff down every day, but I
13:56don't really pick up an instrument. And, um, I think sometimes for me, it's easy to, or, or I feel
14:03most proud of how I'm delivering something if I've had time to process it. Um, so that's like the hope
14:10we'll see though.
14:11Yeah, absolutely. I love that. I could, I could ask you a million questions. I love, I love hearing about
14:16your process and everything. And I'm so happy for all your success.
14:18And I love being like a midway point, whenever the next thing comes, I'm so excited. Like it'll be arenas
14:24next. And then we'll talk on the moon tour and all the different stuff.
14:27So yes, exactly. Yeah. Well, I hope you have an amazing like break and everything before you join Charlie and
14:33yeah, we'll see you. Bravo toast.
14:37Yeah. And you're doing great too, by the way. Good job.
14:39You're so sweet. Thank you for the time. Really appreciate it. And always good to catch up with you. And,
14:43uh, yeah, good luck with everything. We'll talk to you soon.
14:45Yes, you too.