Behind The Names
Most things I did while creating PSYCHE were a mix of intentional and random ideas and that can be said for the PSYCHE names as well.
Isabela
I felt like Isabela was both my inner princess and my inner villain so I wanted to give her a name that could encapsulate both sides. I chose the name Isabela because I wanted to give her a name that I thought was pretty but also something that had a harder connotation as well. “Bella” means beauty in most romance languages and so I felt that could represent her inner and outer beauty but “Isa” sounds like “ice” so I felt that it gave her a bit of an edge. I also liked the association with Queen Isabella of France who was known for being a femme fatale and often called the “She-Wolf.” She was known to be beautiful and intelligent but was generally mistreated by her husband, the king. She was hated for being in love with another man and for supposedly arranging the murder of her husband. I felt that this was the kind of legacy my character Isabela should follow, motivated by love but capable of being ruthless. I like stories about these kinds of female figures so the name felt perfect.
Cassie
Cassie’s name came at the recommendation of my vocal instructor. He was familiar with Isabela and often told me how he enjoyed the many different characters inside of me. When I entered my lesson one day he took one look at me and asked, “Now who is this?” I didn’t know what he was talking about so I just shook my head said, “Kenn, I don’t know!” He looked at my outfit and announced “Cassandra!” I was feeling too laid back that day to be a Cassandra so I told him, “I think it’s just Cassie today.” As I began to think more about the different characters I might create I decided I still liked Cassie. It felt more subdued than Isabela but fitting because of its reference to the oracle Cassandra. Cassandra was an oracle in Greek mythology who was always correct in her prophecies but cursed so that no one would ever believe her. I thought this was how Cassie and Isabela’s relationship might be. Cassie’s usually right but Isabela rarely listens to her.
Yummy
Yummy is my nickname. My family has called me Yummy since I was a baby. My nana said it was because I’m so sweet. 😉 It’s the only one of the three names that people actually call me and that I actually respond to. After I had created Isabela and Cassie I felt like there should be a third character to round everything out. I felt that if Isabela reflected the emotional side of me and Cassie reflected the cerebral side of me, this character should reflect the piece of me that was harder to define. The part of me that makes friends easily and likes to laugh felt like the same part of me that takes the word “No” as a challenge. I realized that piece was the intuitive side of me. But I didn’t want my intuition to be portrayed as some sort of mystic, I wanted it to reflect an inner sense of fight. I had always associated intuition with the hotheaded superhero character who saves the day just in time by following their gut but gets reprimanded for not deferring to superiors or following protocol. I wanted to see this archetype of superhero reflected as a young black woman. I was reminded of how my cousin laughs at me to this day and says, “Yummy would never let me braid her hair unless I promised we could fight after!” I always wanted to use my nickname as an artist somehow and I just felt like Yummy was the perfect name to encapsulate my inner sugar and spice. 😋
PSYCHE
You may or may not have noticed that Isabela, Cassie, and Yummy together are I.C.Y.
Isabela
Cassie
Yummy
ICY was a funny coincidence after coming up with each individual name and was the original name for the PSYCHE Girls. However, I realized that the word “icy” is pretty heavily used in popular culture already. So I tried to come up with a name that I liked as much as I liked ICY and I thought PSYCHE had a similar feel to it. It was also more relevant given that they represent different parts of my psyche (though it definitely took me too long to realize that though lol.) I liked it because the love story of Psyche and Eros was always my favorite Greek myth (Isabela), I have an interest in psychology (Cassie), and I have a habit of writing songs about situations months before they actually occur which makes me feel kind of psychic. (Yummy)
