What do you hope listeners will gain from your music?
I just hope people can relate to my songs in some form. I just want people to feel like they have someone who feels the same way they do.
What encouraged you to pursue music professionally?
I’ve always thought I would be involved in the arts in some way or another, and music is something I’ve always been passionate about. I always thought it was an unattainable dream but honestly seeing other people my age do well and succeed in the industry made me want to give it a go.
Some people find it hard to write lyrics, so seasoned artists use techniques like a collage to come up with them. From what I can hear, your words flow seamlessly with the music. Is there a particular writing method or approach you use?
I almost always start with a lyric or an idea of what I want to write about. Then I sit at the piano or with my guitar and write the chords to match my melody. I just go line by line. If I don’t do that, I’ll write a poem randomly or save random things I see or thoughts I record in my notes, then I’ll refer back to them when I’m writing a song. There’s no real formula.
What are the main ways that artists like Amy Whinehouse and Rex Orange County have influenced your work?
I love both Amy Winehouse’s and Rex Orange County’s writing. I’m just a fan of them both! Amy’s voice is amazing, so I definitely look to her for the way she sang, and Rex Orange County really inspires my lyrics, song structure, and his arrangements are really cool.
I recall when I was 17 and musicians like Mac Demarco and, later on, Declan Mckenna was helping bedroom pop gain more prominence in the mainstream. As a member of Gen Z, how do you believe the genre has changed as a result of a new wave of musicians entering the scene? Are the feel and sound comparable to what it formerly used to be?
I think this next wave of bedroom pop is perhaps more polished and produced than it lets on to be and less low budget and lo-fi, which is still cool. Artists like Olivia Rodrigo and Gracie Abrams are writing amazing songs in their bedrooms, I guess what changed is the process after that and the production that goes into the final release.
As far as I can gather, you were still in school when you released your debut single, ’17.’ How did your classmates and friends react?
Yes, I was still in high school when I released ‘17’ and I wrote my second single ‘Therapy’ prior to that when I was 16. It was cool being at school and random kids from other grades would come up and say they liked my song. Other than that, my friends were just pretty happy for me that I was getting to do what I wanted to do.
Are there any other instruments you play besides vocals?
I play piano and a bit of guitar. I write with both instruments but mainly the piano.