Jordan Royal (Sonic Alien 4ZZZ) recently sat down with Allegra Weingarten and Etta Friedman from Momma to chat about the making of their fourth studio album ‘Welcome To My Blue Sky’ - their most meaningful tracks, little easter eggs in songs and the writing and recording process.

Interview aired on Sonic Alien 4ZZZ 16 Jan 2025.

Jordan: I'm joined by Allegra and Etta from Momma, having a chat about their fourth studio album, Welcome to My Blue Sky, which dropped on the 4th of April. Thanks, guys, so much for hopping on the call and having a chat. It's a pleasure being able to chat with you.

Allegra: Of course, thanks for having us.

Jordan: Something I found really interesting is that you mentioned almost scrapping the album before writing I Want You, Fever, and I was wondering what about this song was like a catalyst for the rest of the album — like, what made the rest of the album sort of set in motion from that song?

Allegra:Well, we didn't scrap an entire record, we scrapped like four or five songs maybe. But yeah, I think Fever just had like a really good immediate energy to it that everything else didn't have. And it also had this replayability for all of us that was important. Like, after we wrote it and played it and demoed it and everything, all of us were listening to it a lot, which I think is a really good sign. But it was honestly like those beginning guitar slides — like, that one sound — we were all kind of like, whoa, okay, we kind of pushed ourselves and we stumbled upon this thing, so we should keep pushing ourselves and see what else we can stumble upon.

Jordan: It gets so stuck in your head. I love that song. When you guys first released it, I was like, oh my gosh — it was replaying in my mind. You also wanted to make great songs, not just good ones. What makes a song feel great to you now compared to when you were maybe making Household Name?

Allegra: Ooh, that's a really good question. I mean, I guess it is all subjective, but I think great songs have a… What's the word I'm looking for? They're timeless in a way, I guess. Like, a lot of Household Name was very tongue-in-cheek. And I think — not that that record is dated — but I just think I don't feel the same emotional connection to that record. And now with Welcome to My Blue Sky, because all of these songs are so personal, for me it's like that will never get old — like, listening to someone being open and honest in their music. So I guess for me that's what makes it a great song. Just something super honest. Yeah, honesty I think is the one thing.

Etta: Yeah, I think I heard Allegra talk a bit about just like the songwriting process generally, and I think that definitely really helped this time around in terms of making better songs. Just the intimacy of Allegra and I writing strictly together — yeah, I think that contributed a lot.

Jordan: Amazing. And this album is so much fun to listen to, but it's quite a shift from your previous work. You guys draw a lot on some transformative experiences, especially in your 2022 tour. You guys delve into topics like infidelity and loneliness, which are quite deep as well. Can you elaborate on some of those experiences that most shaped the album for you?

Etta: I mean, there's definitely a lot. Like, Allegra and I just basically went through the exact same experience in the summer of 2022. And I think having that emotional — like, just the — we've always been very symbiotic in our relationship, and I think that really just kind of manifested itself in that summer and exactly what we went through. And I don't think either of us knew what we were getting ourselves into. Yeah, it was just like a lot of really big emotions that we had to go through and luckily, we had each other. And I think that the only way that we were really able to process all of that was just being able to talk to each other about it and eventually write about it.

Jordan: Yeah, true. And something that I think is really unique about your writing process, which you just touched on, is that you would spend, like, hours talking through some of these experiences with each other and then start to write a song. How do these conversations shape the final product or your songs? Was it more about finding the right words or the right emotions to go with the music?

Allegra: Yeah, I mean, I think — like, I don't really understand people that write together how they don't do that. Because for me, that's such a necessary part of — like, you have to be on the same page of what the song is about. And especially if you're starting from square one and someone isn't coming in with an idea for a lyric or a phrase or a title or something, you kind of have to talk about everything and then you'll stumble upon something through that. But yeah, I think it's just about getting on the same page and making sure that we're coming from the same emotional place because it's kind of weird when you're writing and then you're like, oh wait, are we even talking about the same thing. You know? We have to make sure we're always talking about the same thing. And then also, like, because then when the song is done, years and years to come, Etta and I know what the song is about. Like, we don't have different perceptions of what we wrote, you know?

Jordan:Yeah, I guess it's not like you guys are exploring completely different emotions in the same song. But your friendship is really at the heart of Momma, and it's so clear that you guys have such an amazing emotional and creative bond. How did that bond influence this album specifically? Was it especially when you were diving into those more vulnerable moments?

Etta: Honestly, I think it just made everything easier. Like, I just think because we've grown as friends also through music and creating together, I think it just — like, the happenstance of us experiencing such big life-altering emotions and events — it just kind of felt natural to fall into that, I guess, you know? And there was a lot of the writing process where there was just a lot where we were trying to get out of it — out of specifically these big things that we had shared — and just to be like, okay, there's definitely other shit that we can write about, and there are other things that we could bring up in this record. We've gone through so much in the past two years. But we kind of just naturally always fell back there. And I just think that that's simply because of how comfortable we are with each other. But yeah, I think that that informed the writing process entirely — just being able to share so openly and comfortably.

Jordan: Yeah, that's amazing. It definitely really comes through in your music. Like, I love how there are some really deep experiences, but it's almost like, you know, your friendship brings it all together. It's amazing. And obviously when you're writing about some deep experiences, it can be quite rewarding and liberating as well. Is there a particular song that feels really special to you to see like, you know the full done, fully mixed, finished version?

Allegra: I mean, I feel that way about most — all — of the songs on the record. But Take Me With You I'm really proud of because that was the only song that Etta and I live tracked together. So it's just Etta and I went into the live room and we both had guitars and we sang. So that entire song is just one take, and that's the only time we've ever done that. And then Aron added a lot of cool atmospheric stuff. And I just did not know when we wrote that song that it would make me so emotional, and the way that Aron produced it — I have a completely different view of that song now, and I just love it. So that's a really good example of that for me.

Jordan: It sort of leads me to my next question — are there any hidden details or special moments on the record, whether it's like a lyric or if you can think back to when you were writing or recording that something just completely left-field happened that listeners might not catch on the first time listening?

Etta: There's a whole song that's like intentionally that, basically — which is Ohio All The Time. Yeah. Like, there's just — I mean, there's definitely a lot of easter eggs. I feel like Allegra and I like to do that. Like, I don't know. We just generally — I think it's more fun for us because we also know that only a handful of people actually understand what we're saying. But that's kind of the beauty of writing because you can also, in a way, make it feel or sound a bit more accessible to anyone, you know? And I think there's definitely certain easter eggs in Ohio that could maybe just sound like a descriptor or a specific observation or something, but there's really just a few people who understand that or like phrases.

Jordan:Yeah, true. I'm gonna have to go back and listen to Ohio now and try and listen out for these things. It must be so much fun to do that as a musician though — like, chuck little things here and there and see if people pick up on it. Thank you so much for your time, guys. It was — yeah, thank you — with you guys, so thank you so much.

Allegra: Thank you so much. Good to talk to you.

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