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Kylie Cantrall Pulls Back the Curtain on Valley Girl Problems
Article Contributed by Fernando Flores
Ahead of her first U.S. headlining tour, the rising pop artist discusses dream collaborators, cinematic storytelling, and the person behind the performer.
Kylie Cantrall is moving from arena-scale spectacle toward something more intimate. After starring in Descendants: The Rise of Red and Descendants: Wicked Wonderland and performing on the Descendants/Zombies tour, the 21-year-old singer and actress is preparing to bring her own musical world to theaters across the country.
At the center of that world is Valley Girl Problems, a personal EP blending nostalgic pop and 1990s and 2000s R&B with stories of heartbreak, betrayal, and growth. Cantrall summarized the project in four words:
“Fierce. Sparkly. Girly. Personal.”
“I wanted it to feel like a movie almost, listening to it,” she said. That cinematic intention allows each song to function as part of a larger emotional journey while maintaining the energy of what Cantrall called an “uptempo club baddie.”
Her previous project, B.O.Y., served as an origin story and an introduction to the music that shaped her. Valley Girl Problems reveals the person underneath the performance. “B.O.Y. is the artist,” Cantrall explained.
“Valley Girl Problems is the girl behind the curtain.”
That evolution was shaped alongside two of her dream collaborators, Grammy-winning producer Tricky Stewart and songwriter Tayla Parx. Songs including Britney Spears’ “Me Against the Music” and Rihanna’s “Umbrella,” both connected to Stewart, helped define Cantrall’s musical taste. When she played reference tracks for him in the studio, Stewart quickly recognized the connection:
“Oh, so I’m the inspiration.”
Cantrall’s songwriting often begins with only a small concept. She brings that initial idea into the studio and develops it with collaborators she trusts. On “Carrie Bradshaw,” she uses the fashionable but imperfect Sex and the City character to capture the EP’s balance of vulnerability and confidence. Carrie appears polished from the outside, but the series reveals how complicated her life truly is.
“You watch the show, and you’re like, ‘Oh, shit, this girl’s a mess,’” Cantrall said.
Although she relates to Carrie, Cantrall ultimately hopes to become more like Samantha Jones, whom she admires for being unapologetically herself. A Samantha-inspired song may eventually arrive, she joked, once the healing reflected throughout Valley Girl Problems is complete.
The upcoming tour will allow Cantrall to bring these eras together. She hopes to apply lessons from the large-scale Descendants/Zombies production while making her theater shows feel more personal.
One particularly emotional moment for Kylie Cantrall will be “Space Between,” a song she still struggles to perform without crying.
Show days begin with matcha, stretching, vocal scales, tea, and occasional journaling. Staying close to grounding people also helps place her in the right headspace. Once the preparation ends, Cantrall lets instinct take over.
“We do the show,” she said. “Whatever happens, happens.”
That openness defines this chapter. Valley Girl Problems does not present a woman with every answer. It captures an artist transforming difficult experiences into music that lets listeners dance, feel understood, and grow alongside her.
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