Waxahatchee: ‘Charli XCX is a genius. She’s the coolest person ever’

You have a identical twin. Do you have any spooky twin stories?

Honestly, not really. We’re deeply intuitive about each other. We are mirror twins, which is – like, it’s not really recognised in the medical community, but my mom always tells me about it. It’s when the egg splits at the last possible moment, before you could be conjoined, maybe? Instead you have a mirror image.

So, she’s left-handed; I’m right-handed. Her hair parted on one side when she was a kid; mine, on the other. She got one tooth first, then I got the exact same tooth but the opposite side. So we’re basically perfect mirror images of each other. It’s kind of junk science, but it’s what we’ve been told our whole lives.

Your partner [Kevin Morby] is also a musician. Do you guys have any rules about writing songs about each other?

Oh my gosh, maybe we should! No, we don’t have any rules. We’re both good sports. In the past, if we’ve gone through a rough patch and we’ve written about it, that’s always a little sensitive. But I think that the beautiful thing about both being songwriters is that we both understand our whole mission in life is to write great songs. It’s all for the sake of the song. So I think, within reason, all bets are off.

If you could have a sandwich named after you, what would be on it?

I think it would probably be a sandwich that you can get at this bodega called Verti Marte in New Orleans. It is on French bread and has ham, turkey, cheese, grilled onions and grilled tomatoes with shrimp and remoulade. It sounds crazy. It’s so good. I would have it renamed the Katie.

Have you ever had a cringeworthy run in with a celebrity?

When I was in high school, I drove to Atlanta to see Jenny Lewis with all of my 16-year-old best friends. We were in Little Five Points in Atlanta, and we saw her walking between vintage stores, and sort of followed her around … But I met her years later and played it totally cool. We have an unspoken understanding. She knows just how much her music has meant to me.

What album is on heavy rotation for you right now?

Honestly, Brat. I’m just not over it yet. I just saw Charli two nights ago in LA, and so – it’s rehashing it so much. Maybe the remix album. She’s a genius! She’s a genius.

Have you met her?

No! God, I would love to. We have some mutuals so maybe some day. I just think she’s the coolest person ever. And we both put out songs this year called 365 so we were swimming in the same creative pool at one point … Charli, if you’re reading …

Do you have a nemesis?

No. I have people who wronged me, and I have people I have wronged.

What’s the most chaotic thing that’s ever happened to you on stage?

The one that just popped in my head immediately is about 10 years ago, when we were playing this venue in Zurich, Switzerland. We walked on stage to start the show, and I realised that my guitar wasn’t on stage – I had changed a string and left it backstage. I went off stage to get my guitar and it was very dark. I had leant it up against a wall right behind the curtain and there was a gap between the wall and the stage that I couldn’t see. So I walked really quickly to get it, and my leg fell down, and I injured myself so very badly. Totally the worst – I still have a dent in my leg from it.

I got up and hobbled to the side of the stage. My sister was in the band at the time, so I waved her down and was like “I need a second”. I went to the green room and I screamed as loud as I could, then limped on stage and played the show, and then limped off stage and sought medical attention.

My entire thigh was purple for months after that, it was really crazy. But you just get it done.

What is your most used emoji?

I use the monocle person a lot, and the upside down smiley face. Actually, let me look, because I want to answer this accurately.

Thank you.

The full moon that’s making the face. I use that a lot.

What’s been your biggest fashion crime to date?

So many. I really love to take something that is taboo and repurpose it as fashion. That’s my bread and butter. I love personal style, and I love dressing loudly. I’ve really, really been trying to make Uggs look chic – and they’re from Australia!

After a certain point in the season, I’m wearing Uggs with lots of inappropriate things, lots of things that they shouldn’t go with. But that’s not really a crime. I don’t even really believe in crimes against fashion. I love when somebody just takes a big swing.

Do you want people to cry or party at your funeral?

Party. Definitely. I don’t want people to cry. But then – if ghosts are real and I am haunting my own, I will be upset if people aren’t crying.