IN CONVERSATION WITH DISCO SHRINE

interview by JANA LETONJA

Los Angeles-based dance-pop provocateur and DJ Disco Shrine is stepping into her next era with the release of her new single ‘Heart Eyez’, arriving on the 27th of February. The lovestruck, soft-glitched anthem captures the rush of that all-consuming crush that rewires your entire system. Blending Y2K mall-pop nostalgia with hardstyle edges and hyper-femme bravado, Disco Shrine is reminiscent of early Kesha chaos and PinkPantheress’ dreamy digital pulse. ‘Heart Eyez’ signals a bold new chapter for the Persian-American artist, whose alter ego Persian Barbie and queer-celebratory Barbie Rave parties have cemented her as an underground icon poised for a mainstream pop breakthrough. With a larger project slated for later this year, Disco Shrine is turning up the volume on a 2026 that promises to be her most explosive yet.

‘Heart Eyez’ captures that delirious feeling of having a crush take over your whole body. What inspired the track emotionally?

‘Heart Eyez’ is that irrational crush that you get, where logic is gone and you don’t even care. You stop trying to be cool. You’re just in it.

It’s a lot like the heart-eye emoji. It’s cheesy, it’s naive, it’s tunnel vision, but it’s also sweet. The older you get, the more complicated dating gets. I wanted to tap into that younger, simpler version of it. That first rush where everything feels dramatic and overwhelming in the best way.

The production feels both nostalgic and futuristic. How did you approach building that soft-glitched, Y2K-meets-hardstyle sound?

I love playing with duality. I don’t think music needs to be one thing. The songs I’m most drawn to are the ones built on juxtaposition. I’ll write something soft and emotional and then drop it into a harder, futuristic dance world. Or I’ll take a more emotional part and write some really unhinged lyrics over it. 

With ‘Heart Eyez’, the concept leans into early 2000s digital innocence. But the production feels modern, with subtle nods to that early Wii era sound. I like when something feels playful on the surface but hits hard underneath.

You’ve described your music as a collision of hardstyle and mall-pop. What draws you to blending those seemingly opposite worlds?

It’s literally how I grew up. I’m a Valley girl from LA, so the Sherman Oaks Galleria and Topanga Mall were my stomping grounds. But the second my friends and I could drive, we were sneaking into raves downtown every weekend.

Hardstyle and rave culture feel second nature to me because that was one of the first ways I experienced music. But I’ll always have that suburban, mall-rat Valley girl in me influencing my sound.

There’s a playful chaos in ‘Heart Eyez’, but also vulnerability. How do you balance those two energies in your songwriting?

Playful chaos should honestly be my legal name. To be honest, being vulnerable in lyrics doesn’t always come naturally to me, so I hide inside symbolism a lot. And what symbol is more culturally iconic than the heart eye emoji?

Your alter ego Persian Barbie marked a creative rebirth. How has that persona evolved since the release of ‘xoxo, disco’?

I used to love going through my mom’s closet and dressing up when I was younger. I’ve always felt like different looks unlock different sides of me.

When I bleached my hair blonde during my last EP, Persian Barbie was born. That era let me exaggerate parts of myself I’d never fully leaned into. It was hyper feminine and emotional, and a lot of that music explored different forms of empowerment. I was figuring it out in real time.

With this new project, I’m still blonde, but the energy has shifted. I’m not in discovery mode anymore. I know exactly who I am. And honestly, life’s too short not to enjoy it. So when I wrote ‘Disco Daddy’, it didn’t feel ironic. It felt obvious. First name Disco. Last name Daddy.

How does your Persian-American identity continue to shape your music and visual world?

My first release, ‘Up in the Air’, was inspired by my family immigrating to the United States after the Iranian revolution. Growing up, I watched what my parents sacrificed so my sisters and I could have freedom and opportunity, especially as women.

That perspective is always with me. I don’t take my freedom lightly and I don’t take being a woman in the music industry lightly. So if I’m expressive, loud, or unapologetic, it’s because I know what it took for me to be able to be that way.

Barbie Rave became a celebration of queer empowerment and community. What has hosting those spaces taught you about connection and performance?

While I was on tour with Barbie Rave, people would come up to me after the show and say, “I’ve never had this much fun and felt this safe at a club before.” 

Barbie Rave naturally attracted girly pops and the queer community, and that response made me realize how rare it is to still have spaces that feel both high energy and genuinely safe. That tour helped me define the kind of community I want my music to create. If someone can dance, feel hot, feel safe, and forget their stress for a night, that’s everything to me.

LA’s nightlife and underground scene seem embedded in your sound. How has the city influenced your artistic evolution?

When I was growing up in LA, the music scene was very DIY. It was the era of secret warehouse shows and guerrilla flyers on lamp posts. I’d run into Skrillex at a coffee shop in Los Feliz and then see him DJ a DIY party at an abandoned gas station that same night.

That raw, chaotic, creative energy definitely shaped me. I even threw a secret release party in a laundromat once where Dorian Electra, Phem, Wes Period, and I all performed on top of laundry machines. Growing up in LA taught me that art doesn’t need permission. You just build it.

‘Heart Eyez’ feels like a taste of something bigger. How does this single set the tone for your upcoming project?

‘Heart Eyez’ is emotional, but also a little unserious. Danceable but at the same time heartfelt. I want my music to feel cathartic and be a release. Life is already intense. If I can be someone’s three minute escape that means I did my job. 

Your aesthetic leans into hyper-femininity with a rebellious twist. What does femininity mean to you in 2026?

I had a big tomboy phase after college. Then I bleached my hair after a breakup and did a full 180. But even now, I’m baggy jeans during the week and full glam pop star at night. I think that’s the point.

In 2026, femininity isn’t one thing. It’s fluid. It’s chameleon energy. It’s yoga pants during the day and full on Hannah Montana drag at night. It’s softness and power coexisting. 

With a packed year ahead, what can fans expect from Disco Shrine beyond ‘Heart Eyez’?

More music. More shows. More c*ntiness and even more chaos.

TEAM CREDITS:

talent DISCO SHRINE
photography ANDREW BUTTE