WITH EACH NEW YEAR COMES THE DESIRE TO REFRESH THE RANKS OF MUSIC’S FRONT LINE. WE’VE GONE THROUGH OUR NOTES, COMPILED OUR LISTS, AND COME UP WITH SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR THE NEW BANDS YOU NEED TO HEAR IN 2023.
Cassyette’s rise has always felt like a rocket blast to the stars, but in learning to enjoy the ride, the future looks brighter than ever.
Cassyette has no plans on slowing down, particularly going into 2023. First up, though, is a move down to Brighton. Escaping the “London machine”, her eyes are firmly on the future, and there’s little time for reflection. But it would be amiss to not mention the release of her debut project, the ‘Sad Girl’ mixtape. That time for Cassyette “was so crazy; trying to finish that mixtape while I was touring [and] finding time to do everything at once.” A learning curve, while she says she loves the tape, in reflection, “I would have done some things differently if I had had more time.”
A combustible collection of raucous, ravaging rock’n’roll, it introduced Cassyette’s take-no-prisoners intentions. Also showcasing her abilities to dig into the ups and downs of a life that made her, it garnered her a fervent fanbase – the Degenerates – and moved her on from howling TikTok covers sensation to a bonafide, real-world artist. So what next?
“I’ve been working on so much music for what feels like forever,” she beams. “But I have so much good stuff in the bank, and I’m really, really excited to release it. The past few weeks, I’ve been putting it in an order and going through it, so it’s felt really like I’ve achieved a lot, and that feels like a nice place to be because the years leading up to that were pretty shitty for me. I feel very positive and in good spirits.”
Elevating herself to this point wasn’t an easy task. Admitting she has “a tendency to be a bit of a self-hater and pressure myself,” even the loyal fanbase she’s built triggers the idea that “I don’t get why people like me…and I often have the thought, or maybe they just liked the songs and they don’t like me.”
But like her, they do. And when it comes to making music, that’s the reason Cassyette does it. “Just to connect with people and turn something sour or a feeling into something beautiful that people can have forever.” Establishing her own fandom is one of the biggest returns she’s had so far on her journey as Cassyette. “I feel like I’m doing my job,” she explains. “Having people follow me and becoming a fandom… That’s insane to me. It’s fucking awesome.”
Having been a part of fandoms herself growing up, she’s quick to note that hers “happens to be a fucking legendary group of people, and we have a lot in common, so it’s nice that it’s bought all of these people together.”
It’s these moments of reflection that allow Cassyette to take a breath. Particularly because she admits, “I’m just super scatty”. “Focusing on things really helps me with like my mind. So when I hyper-focus, I hyper-focus to an intense level, which sometimes means I forget to sleep, and things like that. And I also find things like that really exciting, like if something does well, I’m like, let’s do more and sometimes that’s the wrong way of going about things. I want to go into the next year doing more things that make me feel good, and I find fun because those things have always proven this year to be the best things and the things that people connect with the most.”
She’s also learned to slow down. For all the hyper-focusing and reflection, Cassyette just wants to “enjoy the process more and enjoy living life more.” Having carved out her space via TikTok, established herself as an artist, and found a new way forward, this hindsight is easy now. But before, when she was “trying to get people to listen to my music, I didn’t feel like anyone was listening. It’s easy to get wrapped up in your own head because you do have to earn your stripes.”
Which explains Cassyette’s wrestling with her burgeoning success. Hers is built from the ground up. “You have to go about it in your own way, and TikTok helped me massively with that. It’s about taking all of the opportunities you can when you don’t have the luxury of, you know, nepotism,” she says with a wry smile.
The results speak for themselves; there are even dedicated fans who come to every show. Treasuring these relationships and the fact they tend to know which songs have staying power – including fan favourite ‘Mayhem’ – “It’s such a nice thing because it’s something that you share with that person,” Cassyette says. “You know, we’ve all been through shitty breakups, and I don’t know, I guess that’s it. [When] they’ve let me know, they’ve always been songs that have come from like a really real place.”
It’s here Cassyette only wants her art to originate. This rare place of experience and understanding that her fans can latch onto. “I always think the best art comes out of that,” she says. “When people find something that they really connect with, it’s a special thing. I want to make sure that everything I put out is that level of special.”
“I fucking hate when people do vanity projects”
Cassyette
Which carries onto her next point. Now that she’s established herself, the only important thing for Cassyette is to “put out stuff that people want; otherwise, what’s the point? I fucking hate when people do vanity projects.” Striking a balance between servicing herself and her Degenerates is where Cassyette cradles her music. “You should do things for a reason,” she says.
This mindset also translates into Cassyette’s goals outside of her music. Heading into 2023, she plans on collaborating more. On her largest headline tour to date, which takes in cities across Europe and the UK, she’s bringing her friends Calva Louise along for the ride. “I hadn’t seen them play for a few years. I saw them at 2000trees, and honestly, I think they’re one of the best live bands out there at the moment. They’re fucking insane. I can’t wait for my fans to see them play because jeez, they’re gonna be a hard act to follow.” But if anyone can, it’s the Cassyette striding confidently into 2023.
Taken from the February 2023 edition of Upset. Order a copy below.
