Thao with the Get Down Stay Down

Looking back, what were some of the highlights of the tour?

Highlights were touring with Rilo Kiley, which was a lot of fun getting to play with an established, well-known band. And we're fans of theirs. It was a big morale boost as far as thinking that we've legitimately tried to do this and it was well received that we didn't just put out a record and no one heard it.... But the true highlight was, well, one time in Canada I bought this western shirt with eagles-American eagles, I think. There is a clear contrast between eagle and the white of the fabric. This other time, [bassist Adam Thompson] found out he had been sleeping on this wet, brown stain. We thought it was blood, and I went down to the office to ask the woman. She took it to the back and returned with it, telling us it wasn't blood-it was feces, which is a hilarious story, but Adam almost died.

I know you've said before that you write your songs when you're going through a depressed phase. Do you feel like you're in that state constantly?

Well, now I'm starting to think my whole life is a depressed phase. You know, with the end of a relationship comes some of the most profound opportunities of reckoning and introspection.

There seems to be a new trend where bands have lead female Asian vocalists. How do you feel about it?

Ethnicity is a really weird beast. When I was first starting, it was the qualifier. All the write-ups ended up about me as a "Vietnamese-American Asian act." I understand that there needs to be an angle, but I'm not interested in peddling from that platform. I don't write about it. I would say more just being a woman in music, it can be not a factor or it can be the pivot.

People have called you a feminist superstar. Do you feel that this aspect is going to play more into your music in the future?

I'm totally into that. I think it factors in because it's a huge part of my identity, just as any other element of my biography will play a part, but I'm not interested in my music being overtly political and I intend to spend as much of my time being active with other aspects outside of music, The most that I can hope for or aspire for is the freedom to do what I want and to portray myself as how I see fit without any dictations without any gender specialization.