Where Do We Go From Here: Inside ggwendolyn’s Superstar Syndrome

“Where do we go from here? Where do we go, my dear?”

ggwendolyn might not know the answer just yet, but her newest album, Superstar Syndrome, assures us that she’s not giving up on her dream. The record explores the uncertainty, exhaustion, and excitement of pursuing a creative career. 

With Superstar Syndrome, she showcases how much she has evolved since her debut album Trilogies Mixtape. For this record, ggwendolyn has shifted from a production-heavy approach to a more direct form of storytelling. In an interview with ggwendolyn, she explained that the shift gives the music, “a more timeless feeling rather than inherently trendy because you’re using sounds that are popular.” 

Lyrically and thematically, ggwendolyn describes Superstar Syndrome as the “most literal body of work” she’s ever made. In this record, she is very forthcoming, detailing the highs and lows of working toward a dream. She described the album as capturing, “the cynical nature of being an artist with these pillars of chasing the dream, reaching the highs, coming down and wanting to quit, then realizing you never will.” In Superstar Syndrome, ggwendolyn gets vulnerable with listeners about her doubt and uncertainty. However, how she responds to that doubt is what makes this album ultimately positive. 

Songs like ‘Normal Ave’, ‘This So Called Life’, ‘Shifting’, ‘Tehran’, and ‘Little Louder’ center around ggwendolyn’s lower moments. In these songs, she sings about feeling stagnant, losing hope, and searching for her identity. On ‘Normal Ave’, she compares her stagnancy to the yellow brick road turning gray and a fishbowl filled with glue. Throughout the album, she asks herself a variety of questions about her identity and career. In ‘Normal Ave’, she asks herself “Is this all you want? Is this all you wanted?” 

Her feeling of uncertainty extends to her definition of success. In a world where the goalpost for success feels like it’s constantly moving, I asked ggwendolyn what success means to her. 

She explained that her definition is constantly changing. Some days, she feels successful when she is proud of herself. Other days, she feels like she won’t be successful until she can financially support herself, though she admits she still might not see herself as successful even then. 

“It’s just always shifting. But that’s okay. I think that’s what drives us all as humans. It creates purpose. I think it’s just about maintaining a healthy relationship to it.” 

It’s evident that ggwendolyn’s is resilient, which can be heard throughout almost every song on the record. ggwendolyn balances her darker moments with some high-energy moments throughout the album. Songs like ‘Don’t Break Up the Band, ‘,Jock My Style’ and ‘Alright for Right Now’ highlight this side of the record.

‘Jock My Style’ is particularly interesting. The song pairs an upbeat sound with a more cynical take on creativity in the age of social media. In the bridge, my favorite part of the song, ggwendolyn sings about everyone “copying somebody” and “follow[ing] the leader,” before asserting that no one can copy her style.

When asked about creativity and originality in a world dominated by social media, she described the lack of originality as “very smothering.” She explained that algorithms reward people who copy one another and that people have become increasingly conscious of the “aesthetics” they want to be perceived as.

ggwendolyn emphasized the importance of seeking inspiration without losing your own identity in the process. She believes creativity should be about adding your own perspective rather than simply recreating what already exists.

‘I’m Not Leaving This Time’ closes the album and serves as its latest single. ggwendolyn described the song as a “lightning in a bottle” moment. The song came from a process she and her collaborator, Ryan, use to break out of a creative block. They set an hour-long timer to create the song. They wanted something “simple but effective,” built around one repeating line. When the timer went off, the song was basically finished. 

The song initially scared ggwendolyn because it sounded so different from anything she had created before, but it has since become one of her favorites. Its mellow sound makes it fitting for the album. While the song literally explores staying in a relationship when she shouldn’t, its placement on Superstar Syndrome gives its message another meaning. She’s not leaving her dream.

The album’s storytelling extends beyond the music itself. Before its release, ggwendolyn released four tracks with accompanying music videos: ‘Crisscross Way,’ ‘Jock My Style,’ ‘Superstar Syndrome,’ and ‘I’m Not Leaving This Time.’ Each video adds another layer to the songs’ themes, creating a strong visual component to the album’s storytelling.

“Through the process of creating the visuals I just gained a total appreciation and understanding of how important it is to set a tone through visual,” she explained. She added that the entire process has made her want to direct a music video one day.

With Superstar Syndrome, ggwendolyn doesn’t pretend to have figured everything out. Instead, she comes to a realization about herself: “I realized that I’m a positive person.” Despite the anxiety and fear that run throughout the record, she always finds her way back to hope. The album serves as a strong reminder that while success can feel distant and doubt can make you question whether you should continue, you should always keep going.

With Superstar Syndrome, ggwendolyn doesn’t pretend to have figured everything out. Instead, she works through each high and low, continuing to find hope even when faced with uncertainty and doubt. ggwendolyn shared that creating this record helped her realize the she is a positive person. She confessed, “I’m riddled with anxieties, fears, and doubts. But no matter how bad they get I always come out of the haze eventually with hope.” That constant return to hope is what makes the album’s message so powerful. Even when success feels distant and doubt has you questioning whether you should continue, Superstar Syndrome reminds you should keep going.