I love how outspoken she is in these Fuse interviews, and a few of the other interviews this past month, but I actually feel the opposite, like she used to be super-open, maybe dangerously open (accidentally opening herself up to all kinds of creeps who exploited her fundamentally pro-human, trusting nature) up until mid 2013, then there was a period between late 2013 and late 2015, when she was not open at all in order to protect herself while she created. (In this period, she was still occasionally open on social media in conversation directly with fans- but even there, only once or twice a year, much less open than she had been from the start of her career until 2013). Only once the album is out there and she's done the damn photo shoots for the bros to pin her up and said the necessary feminist things for the feminists to not call her problematic, only once the fashionable reputation is assured, can she do what she actually used to enjoy doing, and be truly honest about her work and creative process, not thinking too much how her words will be received. And that's where we're at right now, which is why her interviews are starting to improve.

I think looking at the way the album performed (or didn't) commercially, probably also helps her, to lift the weight of trying to please anyone off her shoulders, to remember this is ultimately about her and her fans and not anyone else, and if she can't be truthful then like, what's the point of being a (moderate level) star. The moderate part is important. It's pretty undeniable the album performed under expectations commercially- and critically on the other hand, did much better than she imagined. She is now officially a critic's darling, a "pop" artist like Kanye or Bjork. Kanye's last two solo records both performed under commercial expectations, but were proclaimed as great masterpieces. Bjork never had the sales of Madonna in most places- she was briefly a UK chart topper with Post, and she did have some very widely-seen music videos, but worldwide, ever since the '90s, if she has become more and more known as a pop icon of that era, it's not because of hits, it's because of acclaim, which translates to sustained cultural interest in her work.

nobody has said so, least of all Grimes, but she is headed in that direction- and I think one reason she can't say anything about it is, this is secretly what she always wanted, she wanted to be more of a Kanye or a Bjork "pop" figure, rather than a Bieber or Gomez pop. She rarely talks about people like Bjork or Kanye. She maintains the image of wanting to be a Bieber or Gomez- someone who doesn't necessarily please critics or adults over 21 but who is hugely (if not necessarily enduringly) fashionable and culturally influential with the youth. but so far, at least prior to the end of year lists and the Kill v Maim video, it is obviously the case that Art Angels is failing at being that kind of "pop." It is an alternative hit, not a mainstream hit. debuting at #36 on Billboard is not bad for an indie artist (although many do much better) but it is not impressive at all for an artist who was billed as "pop." In pop, sales/the streaming numbers that add up to sales, are almost everything (and video views are the rest). The fact she doesn't have them (yet- though she could if she made the necessary compromises, and maybe given time, she can even without that) is probably why she suddenly decided in the past month she didn't consider herself "pop" after all. And that also liberates her to be honest. If her primary audience is older teens and adults, she doesn't need to be so careful to project a perfect symbolic image because she knows people are able to read between the lines.