With her second album, Towa Bird is redefining what it means to be a gentleman. From the way the singer-songwriter and guitarist rocks oversize tailored suits on the album’s cover to the swaggering guitar tones that shape its sonic world, the project, titled Gentleman, gives the concept brand-new meaning.
“When people think of a gentleman, it’s a very masculine, almost traditional word,” Bird tells Rolling Stone. “But I’m expressing it as the two separate words that exist in that word, so ‘gentle’ and ‘man,’ the feminine and the masculine.” She continues, “I felt like I could identify the way that I dress, my style, the way that I present my gender and how I appear to the world. Everything clicked and I was like, ‘Oh, wow, that’s me.’” True to her point, the Los Angeles-based musician is wearing a white oversize men’s button-down with ruby red polish on her nails for our Zoom call.
As a queer Filipina British artist, it was also important to Bird to challenge the notions of gender roles in a patriarchal world. “Gentleman is leaving behind all of those traditional, chivalrous, low-key misogynistic [meanings] and bringing it into 2026. How can I put a queer lens on that and how can I make it appropriate for society in this day and age?”
The newly announced album, which arrives May 15, marks Bird’s second LP and is the follow-up to 2024’s American Hero. There’s no sophomore slump here; after the unrivaled confidence of her debut release, the guitar hero has managed to tap into more self-assured energy. It’s apparent all over the project, especially on the cheeky new single “Dirty Habit,” a jeering tirade against the money and status-obsessed culture that invades L.A.
The fearless songwriting from the new single embodies another key element of Gentleman beyond Bird’s next-level confidence: her newfound relentless honesty. “With the single and with this album, I’m really just laying it out there and finally saying what I’ve been wanting to say,” she says. In the interview below, Bird describes how nonstop touring, writing with girlfriend Reneé Rapp, and growing up shaped Gentleman‘s no-holds-barred energy.
“Dirty Habit” is out this week with the album announcement. How does the song sum up the new album?
It’s one of the stronger pop records on the album. It’s so confident and I’m talking my shit. It shows who I am as a person and how I’m growing more into myself and being able to say things quite explicitly. I’m pushing back on those societal implications that are placed on us and I’m just trying to be more true because we all feel those feelings, but it’s whether or not we say it.
What inspired you to write it?
I had something happen with a friend that really frustrated me. The song is about L.A. kids growing up into money, wealth, and access, and that being normalized for you. You grow up and you have your parents’ credit card and it’s unlimited and you can just fucking go and buy vintage designer from the age of 12 — just all of these crazy stories, going to all of these parties with all of these celebrities at 15, 16, I’m like, “Whoa, crazy.” I see the world a little bit differently and sometimes we don’t gel.
I spent the first 16 years of my life in Asia, so now living in a place where the emphasis is so heavy on that, it’s very confusing for me. I’m like, “Oh, people really assign your worth and your value to something that’s so incredibly superficial.”
It feels like “Dirty Habit” would fit perfectly in the world of HBO’s I Love LA.
No, actually, so true. I gotta text Rachel [Sennott]. “I have a present for you, girl.”
Reneé Rapp is credited as a writer on the track. You two have worked together on a couple of each other’s songs. What was that experience like?
She was crucial for the song to exist. After I formulated the concept, [producer] Patrick [Wimberly] and my friend Julio [Tavarez] co-produced it. And then Reneé and I teamed up and we were like, “Let’s crack these lyrics.”
I pitched her the idea, and a lyrical reference that I had was “Super Rich Kids” by Frank Ocean. I love that song but I wondered “How can I reference that and make it me?” She is such an amazing vocal powerhouse, so she pushes me vocally. I like to stay in my little comfort zones and she’s like, “No, fuck that. I know you can sing this. You’re going to sing this.” Having that confidence and that strength in a room allows me to unlock a whole other part of my voice and therefore unlock different parts of my writing too. She’s a great lyricist and it’s just so fun. It’s always such a great time.
Were you always a fan of Martin Scorsese’s After Hours that inspired the song’s music video?
It’s a really cool deep cut film but the director, Caio [Vieira], who I worked with on this music video, he was the one who brought in the reference of After Hours. I told him, “I want to shoot it in Paris. I want to shoot it at night. I want to shoot it in the streets and I want there to be a lot of chaos and bullshit.” Essentially, it’s a movie shot throughout an entire night and [the main character] cannot get anything right. Everything just keeps fucking up and he’s just very frustrated throughout the night, and that’s the energy of the song. I just keep fucking running into the same issue with these different types of people and it’s so frustrating.
You also shared a music video for lead single “Gentleman.” Was it purposeful to put a lot of emphasis on the visualization of the album?
Yeah I’m putting a lot of work into that, and I feel really proud of where I’m going. It’s a big step up from the first album and I want the videos to reflect the way that I look, my temperament, my personality. For example, the last shot of the “Dirty Habit” music video is me getting a whole bucket of water thrown on me so there’s still that element of humor and cheekiness, but it feels a little bit more elevated and gentlemanly.
The “Dirty Habit” video also reminded me of the Arctic Monkeys’ visual for “Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?”
I love that you said that. They’re one of my favorite bands. They’ve been on my Spotify Wrapped top artist list for maybe three years straight.
Speaking of influences, there’s a really exciting collaboration on the album with Kathleen Hanna. How did that come together?
That song’s really fun. She’s so sick. I feel like she’s a mentor to me. I grew up with Bikini Kill and Le Tigre. Patrick and I were always sending each other Le Tigre songs back and forth. Then one day we were like, “Wait, crazy idea. What if she comes in [to the studio]?” and she was down! I was like, “Damn, there’s no way.” It was a fever dream moment for sure.
We hit it off immediately and I love her personality. She’s so bubbly, like an Energizer Bunny, and I’m a bit more laid back, so we kind of meet each other in the middle really perfectly. She came into the studio and was immediately dancing around in and out of the vocal booth and writing on her phone and then on her notepad. She’s so exciting to work with, she just fills the room full of such good vibes just immediately.
Your last album was super confident especially as a debut LP and somehow you managed to level up that confidence here. Does it feel that way?
It definitely feels like I’m taking it to the next level. Growing up as a woman, growing up as a queer person and a person of color, a lot of the times I have felt very passive and I felt like I’ve had to keep myself quiet or hold my tongue or just allow space for other voices instead of my own. But it’s okay to take up that much space. It’s okay to occupy. It’s okay to be that big.
What helped you tap into this new level of confidence?
Honestly, I can attribute it to touring. From 2023 all the way to the end of 2024, I was on tour opening for Billie [Eilish] playing to people who had never heard of me before. I had 40 minutes to sell it — doing that night after night really informed my songwriting. Watching people respond to my music live, that validates me so I can level up even further and I feel confident enough to do stuff like longer guitar solos.
What are you looking forward to about this new project?
I really feel like it’s such a close representation of who I am, so I’m really excited for people to be able to see that part of me. For the older fans and the people who have been around for longer, I’m really excited for them to see that growth and to watch me become more confident in my voice, songwriting, and in the way that I carry myself.
I’m just stoked, man. It’s so cool. It’s really cool to be releasing music. I grew up not thinking that I would do this as my career and as my profession, so as corny as it sounds, I’m always really grateful to be given the opportunity and the platform.
Gentleman Track List
1. “Gentleman”
2. “Dirty Habit”
3. “Dog”
4. “Your Girl”
5. “Don’t Wanna Hear About It”
6. “Afterglow”
7. “Gap in Your Teeth”
8. “69 BPM”
9. “All Gone” feat. Kathleen Hanna
10. “Daisy”
11. “Victoria”
