R&B’s new rebel Sailorr: “I never wanted my music to be too serious. I just want people to connect”

Sailorr didn’t just break onto the R&B scene – she broke through it, shattering expectations with the kind of raw, untamed energy that feels less like a debut and more like a seismic shift. Her breakout track ‘Pookie’s Requiem’ was a lightning-in-a-bottle moment, racking up millions of streams and going viral for its witty chorus: “Got you a mini-me / Bet she meets ya mom / Bet y’all get a dog and name it after me / Hey, Pookie.”

It’s clear that what began as a personal, almost cheeky in-studio experiment has evolved into a full-blown alt-pop anthem, propelling 26-year-old Kayla Le from Jacksonville, Florida into the kind of stardom most can only dream about. With only three singles out, Sailorr’s already proving that her sound – smoky, nostalgic R&B vibes blended with snarky, devil-may-care humour – is the next best thing.

Over Zoom, the singer-songwriter-producer-world-builder-rug-maker-3D-renderer was the perfect mix of sarcastic and candid. While recounting how she made ‘Pookie’, Sailorr knew she was being facetious but revealed her signature comedy was a “coping mechanism” she developed due to not knowing how to “own her femininity” or “identity”. But, she later realised, “sometimes you have to really toot toot your fucking boot because nobody else will.”

“The only way to cut through to people is by balancing honesty and vulnerability with humour and wit”

Sailorr takes an unorthodox approach to R&B, pulling from an eclectic mix of influences: the grandeur of Destiny’s Child, the wisdom of Erykah Badu and the rebelliousness of Odd Future. She’s proud of her cultural heritage, showcasing it most visibly by wearing her teeth ‘black’ – which nods to a historic beauty tradition in Vietnam – especially in her viral From The Block performance.

It’s this combination of emotional vulnerability, biting humour, and unapologetic self-assurance that has garnered her a rabid fanbase – even Summer Walker hopped on a remix of ‘Pookie’s Requiem’ to join the growing movement. With a “hefty vault” of music waiting to drop and her next single ‘Cut Up’ coming February 13, Sailorr’s gearing up to expand her already dynamic universe.

You dominated the world with ‘Pookie’s Requiem’ – did you think it was gonna be your breakthrough moment?

“No, not at all. Music has always been a very intimate thing for me. When I made that song, I was really talking shit in the studio. I was really on one. I didn’t think it was going to go anywhere. So when we put it out and it got the response that it did, I was literally in shock.”

How did you make such a hit?

“We started with that one stabby-ass synth and immediately I was like, ‘I know what we’re talking about today, guys.’

“Some of [the story] was true: I was talking to somebody and the reason I found out they were talking to other people was because one of them was reusing my memes on her meme page. I did this weird test where I sent him a super niche-ass meme only I’d know, and then three days later it went up on her page.

“It wasn’t a stab at the other girl – we didn’t know about each other. It was more so me poking fun at the people I’ve been romantically involved with because it’s like, ‘Haha, yeah, I know I’m cool, bitch. Y’all really don’t have a personality.’ Now, the joke’s on them.”

What was it like having Summer Walker on the remix?

“A dream come true. When I first made the song, I didn’t expect many people to connect with it. So, when someone like Summer – someone I’ve been a long-time fan of and truly respected and loved musically – decided to hop on the song, I was like: ‘Wow, this is crazy. This isn’t real life.’”

Your rollout for ‘Pookie’ was quite funny – was that intentional?

“That’s just me as a person. I never wanted my music to be too serious. I just want people to connect. I do use humour as a bit of a coping mechanism so, overall, me as a person bleeds through with the rollout.”

So, new music…

“Yes! I’m releasing another single called ‘Cut Up’ around Valentine’s Day and, after that, it’s full-on project mode. I’ve been sitting on a hefty vault for a while, but I really want to just focus on the music [so] I can pick the best and be proud of what I put out to the world.

“I want people to understand my humour more with this project. This next project will give a better window into what influences me.”

What inspires you?

“It can be anything: a feeling, a colour, or a scene out of a movie. Honestly, I pull a lot from memes. I’ll find a funny ass one and take a one-liner from it and build around that. That’s pretty much how I’ve been making all of my music for the past year. The only way for you to cut through to people is by balancing honesty and vulnerability with humour and wit.

“[When I was in sixth grade,] I finally got my own means to listen to music and dove into stuff like Lana Del Rey, Modest Mouse, and, of course, Odd Future. Tyler, The Creator made me feel like, ‘Damn, you can be alternative and people will fuck with you.’”

“When I made ‘Pookie’s Requiem’, I was really talking shit in the studio. I was really on one”

You sing a lot about love…

“Being a recovered people-pleaser, I have had to unlearn a lot of shit about love growing up. Without all these relationships and experiences, though, I wouldn’t have a very clear view of what I want and what I stand for. When you have intimate relationships with people, even friendships, it’s a huge teller of what your boundaries are. So, yeah, what can I say – I love love!”

What moment made you realise music was for you?

“I don’t think I ever felt that. I never knew it was going to work. I just did it because it was the only thing that made sense to me.

“That feeling of your music falling on deaf ears is one of the fucking worst feelings ever because this is your art and it’s so personal, so I’ve conditioned myself to [say], ‘Look: you don’t do this for the listeners, you don’t do this for anybody else but you!’ Once I tapped into that, that’s when shit started working.’”

Is it important to bring your Vietnamese heritage into your artistry?

“With everything I do, I want to give proper respect to those who came before me: whether that’s R&B and Black culture in general – like, all music is Black art, let’s be for real – or, of course, my own heritage. Having grown up in an immigrant family, that already bleeds into who I am. So, it’s not a conscious thing for me to be like, ‘Oh, I want to do a fan dance [for From The Block] because it’s going to highlight me as a Vietnamese person. That’s a product of my environment.”

What do you hope your music does for years to come?

“I do music to open myself and those I love up to opportunities we wouldn’t otherwise have. In the world of art – we all mesh them together to make the world a better place. With my music, I want to make people feel like, ‘Yeah, I can and I will do what I want.’”

Sailorr’s new single ‘Cut Up’ is out February 13. Summer Walker’s remix of ‘Pookie’s Requiem’ is out now

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