I’m sure this has been a hectic time for you with everything going on, so first, how are you doing?

I’m doing great thanks for asking ! It’s been hectic but I like being busy. 

Before we even get into the music and career discussion, what do you do for fun? What does your down time look like? 

For fun I like to watch films, cook food, dance, spend time in nature and with my friends (ideally at the same time).

What does a lazy day look like? A day where you’re not exactly out, you’re just home, maybe by yourself or with small company. What does that look like for you? 

A lazy day involves sleeping in and having brunch at my fav spot. Then doing some self care rituals like breathwork and journaling, watching some entertaining tv, maybe embroidering while I do that. Love signing up to different workshops revolving around mediation/yoga/dance as well.

Now onto the music stuff...

Why the choice to release your album during NYFE and LFW? 

I wish I had an interesting answer for you that made me sound very strategic and calculated but  I have been releasing this EP single by single with a little bit of time in between each so they can all have a bit of spotlight. Just so happens the last ones came out around the fashion week season which ended up being a great way to promote the new songs while also going to some amazing shows.

So the EP is 5 songs, what’s the story you are trying to tell your fans as they listen to this project?

Each song is it’s own little universe to me and all recount me grappling with different ideas and situations in my life be it the beginning or end of a relationship, dealing with my own insecurities or trying to make sense of the political landscape. I think the main thing I’m doing is really just letting people into my internal world hoping that they can relate to the stories and feelings inside it. 

So you’ve gotten public support from Dido and it’s appeared to help your streaming numbers quite a bit, what went through your mind as all of this was happening?

Yeah she has been so supportive while we were on tour together, really went above and beyond. I was just really grateful to not only be able to support her but feel so supported by her, it genuinely felt like she wanted me to succeed and get as much as I could out of the opportunity.

Do you have plans to work with any other artists that you can tell us about? 

Right now I’m in the process of writing new songs and working with a lot of collaborators, new and old. Just going with the flow and seeing what makes the cut for the new release. 

What’s one person you would love to work with, either on a track, or a video, or in any way?

I think my dream collaborator has always been Mark Ronson. It would be so sick to work on a song with him.

Your single, “passerby”, along with the music video, is supposed to represent the desire for an artist to both be seen and hidden. How do you find balance between those? If you haven’t, what do you think balance will look like? 

Yeah the song is about the dichotomy of wanting to be appreciated and heard but not being comfortable with asking for the attention. Instead of trying to find balance between the two, I try to work on the part of me that’s afraid to ask for what I want, that’s afraid of failure or what people will think of me. 

How does touring affect that balance? It must make it somewhat hard to be hidden when you literally have to perform for crowds of people so often. 

Honestly singing live in front of a captive audience is my favorite thing about what I do, and on stage I feel in control of my own narrative so the fear of anything else kind of goes away. I don’t need to promote or sell myself by talking, posting or sharing my numbers. I just get to do what I’m good at.

How do you get the creative juices flowing? Do you watch movies, listen to music? Does it just come to you?

 I go through these long “downloading” periods when I’m not writing where my brain just registers things that happen around me and to me, in something I’ve watched or listen to. Then when I sit down to write one of those things kind of rises to the surface and makes itself known/demands to be looked at and written about.

As you’re performing and showcasing your music, what is it that you want your fans to take away? What’s the message that, if they only listen to this project, you want them to take away? 

 Lyrically the message in most of my songs is to kind of look at things from all angles and to really evaluate the role you play in the situations you end up in.  But I think the feeling I get after seeing artists I love play live is just that: a feeling. Of excitement, of fullness, of being inspired or moved. If I can make anyone feel something of that nature I’ll be happy. 

As you’re telling your story, are you thinking of the next story you want to tell? What does that story look like even in this early stage? 

I think of songs as these little snapshots in time, they represent a very specific emotion and time. They come at me when I can’t keep them in anymore, it’s a way to release and to express myself. So usually when I’m writing one song it’s impossible for me to think of the next one. I just kind of trust that things will happen to me that will end up being part of the next story I want to tell.

What makes you happy and drives you to keep creating and giving to the world? 

I think what drives me to keep creating is some sort of inexplicable urge that’s always been there. What makes me happy ... so many things to be grateful for but I think the feeling of growth and expansion make me feel excited and happy. 

Lastly, We can talk about how you would like the fans to receive your music, but after the show ends, and the curtains close, what do you want that allows you to say “I’m happy with all of my choices and I’m happy that this is what I’m doing? 

I think my wish would be for listeners to receive the music with an open mind and no expectations and hopefully be moved and excited by what they hear.  I think I can never be happy with ALL of my choices but i can try to accept them and move on, maybe vowing to make different ones in the future. So yeah what I want is to cultivate that ability to accept whatever comes. 

PHOTOGRAPHY: CHAMA

INTERVIEWED BY TAMAJ NICHOLSON