Saturn 17 is an indie pop duo consisting of Nika Fazeli, co-writer and producer, and Halsey Bousquet, lead singer, co-writer and occasional rhythm guitarist. The California-based duo has been releasing music since 2019 but the two didn’t come together until earlier this year.
The duo met whilst studying at DePaul University through pure coincidence. “So this story is kind of a legend,” Bousquet shares “We were both at DePaul and it was my first day I met Nika’s roommate. And then she was like, ‘You should come meet my roommate.’ When I walked in the room, I don't think Nika had a warning that I was coming because she was watching ‘Love Island' on her bed.” The two hit it off immediately, bonding over shared interests and a love for YouTuber Cody Ko.
With a hope of creating music in her free time and some light manifestation from Bousquet the two came together to become Saturn17. “One day [Nika] wanted to jam and she was like ‘Can anyone sing?’ We were listening to Taylor Swift’s Red,” Bousquet explains. “I was like, ‘I'll sing.’ So I sang for her and she asked me if I would join the band. And I said, ‘Yes!’” After meeting and realizing the potential they had together the duo quickly became close and began writing consistently together sharing that they are inspired by the likes of Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridges, Lorde and girl in red.
Saturn 17 hasn’t released music since their breakout EP could this be love? in 2019, but this doesn’t mean that Fazeli hasn’t been working on music. “Before I met Halsey, I was making so many songs but I couldn't sing. So I couldn't release them,” the songwriter says. Fazeli was searching for a singer for 3 years but was unsuccessful. When she moved to college and met Bousquet she felt everything fell into place “It was a complete fluke that we met and it ended up here… We're just super excited to finally be back and like better than ever.”
As college students and creatives, the duo found music and songwriting to be an emotional outlet as they were undergoing stress, shared experiences, and heartbreaks. “I think the best thing about making music is when you're feeling anything or in any kind of situation, writing about, and creating something with it helps you to get through it. Afterward, you're like ‘Oh, wow, we made something so beautiful from the situation that was painful and confusing.’”
While the duo writes for stress relief and emotional outlets, they also write just for fun. “We wrote about Keanu Reeves smut at the dining hall,” Bousquet shares candidly, “We wrote 3 songs chronicling the reading experience and made a fake band called ‘She-anu Reeves.’ We didn't actually put it out there but we were like ‘We need to make a song.’” Fazeli adds excitedly, “We also wrote a song about Chapstick.” The two agree that writing about out-of-the-box topics helps inspire them and fuel their creativity.
At its core, Saturn 17 is a band focused on friendship and true connections. “I don't think we ever had a moment where we were like ‘Oh, we're opening up to each other now.’ It was always just an understanding like ‘I know how you're feeling right now. You know how I'm feeling right now. And we can make something with this.’” Bosquet says. “I think we have a really special dynamic and it just works really well for us,” Fazeli adds.
The band’s new single, ‘not my fault,’ – out today – centers around queer pining. “There was a girl that Nika had a huge crush on. And this girl had a girlfriend.” Bousquet explains, “So she would come and talk to me about it. She’d be like, “Is there any point in me feeling hopeful about this?’ So [the song] is about the many conversations, we had to try and help her get through that.”
The duo shared that their favorite lyric was one that they wrote together. “Friends know, before I reveal my secret / When my visions transfixed on dancing lips.” The lyric was initially a joke between friends about an “embarrassing” situation for Fazeli that they were able to transform into a beautiful and harrowing line.
Open to creating safe space for identity through their music, Fazeli and Bousquet discuss what it’s like telling queer and more specifically sapphic stories.
“I think [being a queer artist] is so powerful… When I first heard girl in red’s song I remember thinking that the fact that someone who was having the same experiences that I was having and writing about it, made me feel so safe, and more comfortable in myself. As someone who is queer, and writing music, that's one of my biggest things; wanting to make people feel safe and comfortable and feeling that they can relate to us.” Fazeli says.
“We’ll get messages like ‘I connect to your music,’ but when you get the ‘I connect to music because like I haven't been able to connect with anyone else on this,’ DMs – those are really what keeps us doing it,” Bousquet adds.
The band also wants to begin touring jokingly saying, “Anyone gay, take us away.” The two say live performances are the highlight of what they do. “Playing live is just the best thing ever,” Bousquet explains. “Being able to perform songs that we've written in our bedroom, and actually playing them live and people resonating with it and liking it and singing along. I think it's the craziest thing ever.”
Following the release of ‘not my fault,’ Saturn 17 plans to release a music video and work on the more “visual aspects” of their music as well as an upcoming EP featuring all the music they’ve been working on together over the past few years. Keep up with Saturn 17 on Instagram and Spotify.
Published via Returner Magazine
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