Cara Delevingne on Debut Album NOT NORMAL and Taylor Swift Collaboration

Cara Delevingne is featured in a new profile from Bustle as part of the outlet's annual The Entertainers Issue, celebrating the performers and creators who lit up screens and beyond in 2026.

In the conversation, Delevingne opens up about creating her debut album, Not Normal, shares her Post-it Note songwriting process with Fiona Apple, and talks about getting the call from Taylor Swift to appear in the 'Patient Zero' music video. She also discusses collaborating with Severance cinematographer Jessica Lee Gagné on her music visuals and what drew her to Jordan Firstman's Club Kid, which she describes as a 'queer, druggie Big Daddy.'

Delevingne released her debut album, NOT NORMAL, via Warner Records earlier this year. The album marked her first full-length entry into music, with Delevingne co-writing every track and co-producing alongside BJ Burton.

On the genre-pushing sound of her debut album, Not Normal

'I wanted this to sound like nothing else that exists, and I want this to come from a pure place of emotion: This is what I'm going through. Honestly, a lot of these songs were way crazier. We fully set sail, and then we were like, 'Maybe we should draw it back in a bit.' But that was important because I felt like I was alone and going through something no one had ever gone through before — that's a pretty selfish way to think of it, but that was how I wanted it to sound.'

On appearing in Taylor Swift's 'Patient Zero' music video

'I remember her calling me up with the idea for the video when I was driving home. She's like, 'I have an idea.' I was like, 'OK!' I love working with friends. It's the most incredible thing. But the scope of it, the idea, every single detail, the Easter eggs, all of it — it's unfathomable how someone can do all of those things and do them so well. She's a genius, she really is.'

On writing 'Need It' with Fiona Apple

'The verses of ['Need It'] were written through us sending pictures of Post-it Notes back and forth to each other, which is now a weird thing to think about. Why did we not just send a Notes app screenshot? But we were like, 'I need to write this down on a Post-it Note and send it!' You can't really hear her as much in the music, but she's just been an inspiration to me as a person and as an artist. I absolutely adore her.'

On reintroducing herself as a musician and facing others' opinions

'I 100% worried about [putting myself out there]... I will never stop making art because of other people's opinions. Imagine if artists stopped making music because of others' opinions. It would be so bad. Even if it was going to be bad art to people, I'd rather make bad art than none at all. I have to create — it's really important for me, for my psyche. If no one sees it, it doesn't matter.'

On getting involved in Jordan Firstman's film Club Kid

'Jordan [Firstman] and I met out at parties, I think in LA, which is so cliche. He said to me, 'I have an amazing movie I'm making. I want you to play a role.' People say that a lot in LA, so I was like, 'Sure.' And then he actually sent it to me, and I was like, 'Oh my God, this is sick.' It was so cool and queer and different. Big Daddy was one of my favorite movies growing up, so a queer, druggie Big Daddy? I saw the vision.'

On creating the visual world of Not Normal

'I was confused by how the visual side of an album was done because I think a lot of people, specifically after Brat, were like, 'What's your color?' I was like, 'I don't know!' To me, this is multicolored. I just want to feel like I'm floating in space and things are happening around me — but space feels really empty, and this album doesn't. I made a mood board for it with really abstract-looking photos.'

On collaborating with Severance cinematographer Jessica Lee Gagné on her music video

'She was not too keen about making a music video. She was like, 'That's just not something I'm interested in.' I just gave her the album to listen to. I always wanted to make a video of 'I Forgot' into 'Out of My Head.' They blend seamlessly into each other. She was like, '[What about] making a video of these two songs together?' I was like, 'Wow, that's so crazy. We're on the same page.''

On why she waited to start her music career

'Not being a sober person, I was so all over the place, and was on the edge of so much self-hatred, that putting out music and people having judgment on that — I just wouldn't have been able to handle it. Back then, I could just about cope with people telling me I'm not pretty or ugly or not good at acting, but I couldn't deal with [scrutiny over my music]. I just wouldn't have been able to hack it.'