The day after NYLON sent Paris Hilton the creative brief for this cover shoot, she came back with only one note: She had a better reference image in mind for feathery, blond waves than old photos of Farrah Fawcett — a picture of herself from the 2004 Teen Choice Awards. “I am the mood board,” Hilton tells NYLON later. “I am the blueprint.”
Who would dare disagree? Just ask Charli XCX, who nodded to Hilton’s trucker-hat reign in the early 2000s with her recent single “Von Dutch.” (Did Hilton have a Brat summer? “Always,” she says. “I’m the original brat.”) Or Miley Cyrus or Olivia Rodrigo, who have both joined Hilton for sing-alongs to her 2006 hit “Stars Are Blind” in recent years. Or pop powerhouse Bebe Rexha, who gamely steps into NYLON interviewer mode to chat with Hilton about her legacy, from her Simple Life days with Nicole Richie to multi-hyphenate motherhood. The two are IRL friends — the “I’m the Drama” singer attended Hilton’s wedding to Carter Reum in 2021 and calls Hilton one of her few true celebrity pals in Hollywood. “I only go out for a Paris party,” Rexha says.
Hilton, who endured more than her share of punchlines and tabloid scrutiny in the early 2000s, doesn’t take the love for granted. “For anyone to say they’re inspired by me means the world to me. I am just so proud to see all these girls killing it,” she says. And with her cultural footprint more apparent than ever, it feels only right that she’s returning to her pop career and finally releasing Infinite Icon, the long-awaited follow-up to her nearly 20-year-old debut, Paris.
Executive produced by Sia and featuring guest spots from Rina Sawayama and Meghan Trainor, Infinite Icon — out Friday — is an album Hilton says she couldn’t have made earlier in her career. But after unpacking the traumas beneath her party-girl image in last year’s Paris: The Memoir and the 2020 documentary This Is Paris, she’s ready for listeners to know her on a deeper level with songs like “ADHD,” a surprising ballad about her experience with the disorder, and “Legacy,” a banger about finding domestic bliss with Reum and their two children, London and Phoenix.
“People don’t see me as that [dumb blond] character anymore,” the 43-year-old says. “They see me as a human being with feelings, that I’m real and I’m vulnerable and honest. Now people can see me in a different way when it comes to music as well.”
Below, Hilton speaks with Bebe Rexha about opening up in the studio, throwing epic house parties with Megan Thee Stallion, and reuniting with Richie for a new reality show.
BEBE REXHA: Wow, excuse me! Press day! Dang! You look stunning. You’re glowing. And you have the [Infinite Icon] sign behind you and everything. Are you doing tons of interviews today?
PARIS HILTON: No, today after this I go to shoot something with Nicole.
Are you at your podcast house right now?
I’m at the house where I had the birthday party.
Got it. I get confused — there’s so many houses! [Laughs.] I listened to the album and I have to say, I know I texted you this, but I’m really proud. What I love the most is you talking about fame, talking about your ADHD. I feel like in your songs, you’ve never opened up like that before. It’s a different side of Paris. But before we get into that, I want to know: What is an infinite icon?
Someone who inspires generations to be unapologetic, be themselves, and make a difference in people’s lives. Someone who brings that sparkle and fun and does it all in an iconic way.
So just being you.
Basically. I thought it was the perfect title to describe me.
I’m dead. So this is your first album in 18 years. How do you feel about the whole process this time?
I’m so proud of this album. I’ve been working on it the past year and a half with Sia as executive producer.
Girl, that’s iconic.
Icons only, bitch. She brought out something in me that I didn’t even know I had. To have someone like Sia believe in me made me believe in myself even more. And she really pushed me to use my real voice. My first album was all about being hot and partying. It was during my party girl era. It was very 2000s and what that whole time was about. So I mostly would use my breathy Marilyn voice. But Sia really pushed me to sing with my real voice, like how I talk in real life.
Everybody talks about that on TikTok! People are obsessed with it.
In the beginning, it was kind of a trauma response, where I wanted to create this perfect Barbie doll life because of what I went through as a teenager at those emotional-growth boarding… I hate even calling them “schools.” This was a protective mask. And then getting on The Simple Life, I was being told, “We want you to play up this ditzy airhead character.” I didn’t realize it would be such a huge success and we’d have to continue on for five seasons. Doing all the late night shows and interviews, of course I would have to use the voice there, too. So I just got used to it.
Were you ever annoyed by it? Like “OK, this is getting too much.” Because I feel like now you’re settling into it and showing you can be both. You can be everything.
Exactly. I’ve been on this whole path of self-discovery the past few years, with my documentary, my memoir, and now with this album. I’m reclaiming my story. That voice is the more playful side of me. I’ll do it if I’m shy, or if I’m just having fun. It’s part of my personality, so I think it’s going to be part of me forever.
Full interview: nylon.com