Bailey Spinn
Bailey Spinn is the self-professed “emo” throwback that Gen Z didn’t know it was missing.
At a fledgling 23 years of age, the POV social media star turned loud-and-proud rock singer hadn’t even been born by the time seminal ’00s albums like former FAULT cover star Avril Lavigne‘s Let Go hit the shelves. Despite that, Bailey is clearly both knowledgeable and passionate about an era of music which, after the depressing apathy of the late ’90s, wanted everyone to hear exactly how it was feeling. In that sense, it’s small wonder that Bailey Spinn feels drawn to a style of music that wears its heart on its sleeve: the socially conscious songstress is a major advocate for authenticity and emotional vulnerability. Her approach of staying true to herself in the face of everything the internet has thrown at her has carried her to ever-greater successes, culminating in the release – and millions of subsequent streams – of her debut album, loser, in March 2025.
Her recent single, ‘fear of going out‘, sees Bailey Spinn bring her approach to mental health advocacy to her community. Again, it’s a rallying cry for radical honesty and personal empowerment: an impassioned plea to take ownership of your emotional wellbeing and embrace yourself – FAULTs and all. See what we did there..?
FAULT: ‘fear of going out’ taps into the social anxiety that so many people who lived through the pandemic still experience. Perhaps partially as a result of that, we’re collectively a lot more open about mental health issues, and we expect personalities and creatives to talk about them. Do you ever worry, though, that contemporary Western culture is at risk of glamorising those sorts of issues, especially with how they’re presented to young people?
Bailey Spinn: No, because as someone who is open about their mental health online, I know that personally I’m sharing to help others. Before the age of the Internet, people found comfort in music and friends, but now it’s easy to know that other people in the world feel the same as you do. Struggling with mental health is definitely not glamorous, and I think people share more today to normalize the experiences that they’ve been through. I try to put a positive light on struggling with mental health through my music to let others take back their power and find an outlet for how they’re feeling. I can’t speak for everyone sharing about mental health, but I know I talk about it to get over it and build community with others who are also struggling.
loser dropped in March this year and has been, by all accounts, a runaway success. After racking up millions of streams on tracks from your 2023 EP, my worst enemy, everything you’re doing at the moment seems to have the magic touch! How does it feel to have made the jump from social media personality to bona fide musician so successfully?
It feels amazing as I put in so much hard work to get to this point and I’m glad that my music has found the correct audience! As a kid, I was a huge fan of musical theater and loved singing in my room, but never in my wildest dreams did I think I would turn out to be a rockstar. It wasn’t an easy path to get people to believe in my music, but I pushed through all the hate and stayed true to myself through it all. I knew I had a story to tell through my music and that other people could relate to what I’ve been through, and it seems that, luckily, I was right!
I read somewhere that you were a competitive swimmer growing up. Are there any similarities between the approach you took for that and the approach you’ve taken with your career to date? Establishing a consistent routine, refining technique, testing and optimising… that sort of thing?
Definitely! Being a swimmer when I was younger taught me to have a good work ethic, always pushing to be better. To this day, I love following a routine and finding things that I can improve on. Swimming also taught me a lot of discipline because no one could make you better except yourself. You have to put in the time and dedication to keep moving forward.
I noticed that you’ve been working with Mike Green – who produced Paramore’s all we know is falling and who’s worked with artists like Pierce the Veil and All Time Low, among others – for a few years now. How did that collaboration come about? And how does it feel to be writing and producing music with someone who’s worked with some of your biggest musical influences?
This collaboration came about through my lovely label AWAL, who got me connected with Mike Green for a session! I am a huge Paramore fan and I was super excited to be in the room creating with him. It was an honor to work with somebody who created some of my favorite albums ever made. He was so kind and such a great collaborator. I absolutely love the song that we came out with together (‘kiss of death’), and I hope to work with him again in the future!
Noughties rock music – or, as I like to call it, “big sound with big feelings” – has made a massive comeback recently. Why do you think that is, and how long do you think the trend will last?
I think people have been reminiscing over the early 2000’s rock sound and are craving a revival to bring back those nostalgic feelings. Personally, I love that sound, and I’ve been constantly finding bands from the 2000s to fill the void. It was such a great time in music and it brings back good memories. I’m hoping the revival will last forever because I am a huge fan of that era of music!
You’ve settled on a really clear style and identity as a musician – on loser, at least. When the ’00s rock revival ends, do you see yourself changing your approach to stay on trend?
I don’t really worry about staying on trend because I make music based on how I’m feeling and what I’m currently listening to. I always want to make art that I genuinely connect with and rock music has been a big part of my life for many years now. I honestly couldn’t see myself making any other genre because it wouldn’t be authentic to who I am. Even if the rock revival ends, I could be the one to bring it back, you never know! People have been yearning for the 2000s rock sound just like me, and I believe there will always be an audience for it.
So, you’ve spoken in the past about how you’re increasingly happy to adopt different personas and characters for creative purposes. By contrast, you’re also adamant about the importance of authenticity in a world that so often seems to value superficial reactions and shallow interactions (often on social media). How do you reconcile those two positions?
I’m able to separate the online personality and characters from who I am as a person. The videos I post online usually depict someone else and are not a direct representation of my own character. I’ve changed a lot as a person throughout my time making content online, and not everyone is happy with the authenticity that I show. I try not to let anyone’s opinion or hate change me as a person because I know who I am, and that will always be enough. Being creative is always an outlet for me to get my mind thinking in new ways, and creating content was always an escape from real life for me. Authenticity will always be the most important thing for me to keep alive.
Does it surprise you that most of your listeners on Spotify are based in London, UK? Any plans for a UK/European tour any time soon?
I don’t have any current touring plans at the moment, but I really hope to make my way over to the UK and Europe sometime soon! I haven’t tore it over there yet and I think it would be so much fun to connect with even more fans!
What is your FAULT?
Being authentically myself – even when others disapprove of it!