SIX SEX’s Guide to Writing Club Bangers
Words: Gina Tonic
Make it stand out
Argentine artist SIX SEX has been dominating the club soundtracks of South America since 2019, when her upbeat tracks laced with dual notions of revenge and humour on her debut EP Fantasy first dropped on the scene. SIX SEX has been throwing out bangers ever since and 2024 has ushered in the era of Satisfire, a return to the electronic influences from her first EP and a homage to the Latin club anthems that have always inspired her work.
Following her first solo show in Buenos Aires in March, we sat down with the artist to get stuck into how to make the ultimate club banger. From purposeful provocations to creating the anthem to safe spaces, the intelligence behind the irreverent mind that thought up knee slapper Hot and Perfect shines through in SIX SEX’s guide to writing nightlife hits.
What’s your first step in writing a song?
For starters, I need to be in the studio. Most of the songs I've written have been created there, while the beat is still being put together. That moment is when it’s easiest for me to come up with ideas for writing melodies and lyrics.
When do you know if a beat is good or not?
Only at the end, when the song already has shape - is when I know. Then I can add or subtract elements. I take a step back, I look at the final outcome, the beat together with the lyrics as a whole, and that’s when I can determine if I like it, if I love it, or if I hate it.
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How do you know if you have a hit on your hands?
It depends 50% on yourself, and 50% on how the audience receives it. Because there are songs that from the moment I made them, I thought, “ok, this is a hit.” But there are many that I didn't consider as hits until I released them. And once they were out, people began to listen, and began to play them more than my other songs… that's where I realised which songs hit, people determined it.
What differentiates a banger from a club banger?
I think this is determined mostly by the energy of the song. As I said before, it is also about how people receive a song. A track with a slower tempo might make you think it’s for easy at-home listening, but it’s actually more appreciated in the club. So at the end, it’s about what people feel at the moment they are listening and what mood they are in.
Why is club music so horny?
I think that we are in a moment, both as artists and as people, of liberation, and empowerment of our bodies. We’re in an era in which being provocative, shaking ass, wearing revealing clothes: it’s all a display of freedom. Whereas previously, these things were more of a taboo, and now that taboo is being put to good use in how music and culture complement it. Music today can make people feel free to dance, wear, and be whatever they want to be.
What goes into your lyric writing process that people may not expect?
I need background noise - so that I don’t feel pressured, or like all of the attention is on me. When I’m in the studio and they play the beat, I’m expected to concentrate, but sometimes I need white noise. Like people talking, or TV, or other noise. When there’s white noise surrounding me, my lyrics come out better.
We had a piece last year about elevating the club to a place of poignancy - do you see the club as a sacred space and why?
Yes, I think so, it is important to have that space to go out, have fun, share things in common with other people, like music, so I would say yes. It’s also important that the place you choose to go out and have fun is a safe space where you can feel comfortable letting loose.
Model: Six Sex | Creative Direction and Styling: Francisco J Rondon | Styling Assistant: @shik4.tkt | Hair: Omar Alvarez | Makeup: Emilio Becerril | Photography: Abraham Mora