CAii talks New Single ‘Back It Up’, Mental Health & producing her own Music! Interview with The NGY Show, Hosted by Chatterboxes
Manchester Artist ‘CAii’ talks to Unity Radio’s ‘The NGY Show’ about her latest single, Electro Pop track ‘Back It Up’ out now via all streaming Platforms. CAii goes on to explain how mental health held her career back until she managed to overcome her obstacles. CAii also explains how she produces her own music and the reasons why she made the decision to do so, with tips for upcoming producers too.
Listen back to the full interview for more or read below!
The NGY Show,
We are the next gen youths. I welcome back to the NGY show 92.8 fm. Right now we are going to be talking to CAii. CAii is a singer, songwriter and producer who makes outspoken, defiant alternative pop music, references and mental health issues. Hey, CAii, how are you today? Yeah, I’m not bad. Thank you. How are you? Great, thank you. Can you describe to me how and when your career started off.
CAii,
So in terms of my actual career, probably when I was I’ve been writing songs since I was about four, like just forever. But I didn’t used to be able to perform live in front of people. So it took me until I was like, kind of like 19, to put myself out there a bit. And then I connected with some producers down in London, and started making music with them. And that didn’t go, it didn’t just go from there to here, there was a lot of zigzags in between. But that was kind of where I think everything started. And it went from there. And I got more and more confident. And eventually, when I was like 23, maybe closer, I finally started performing live on like a regular basis. And then from then it’s kind of been full guns blazing kind of thing.
The NGY Show,
Thank you. can explain how you State Fire affected your music career.
CAii,
So basically, the whole stage fright thing started, I was nine years old, I had this thing at my school called the house music competition, and you had to get up and sing. If you wanted to be in the competition, you have to sing in front of the quarter of a school first. And then if you’re picked you’d sing in front the whole school, when it got to singing for the quarter of school, they wanted me to go first I got myself really worked so fast, start crying. And then when I finally did get up there, I sang two lines of a song from the Lizzie Maguire movie, and then started crying. And then for literally, since from the age of nine till 18, people would still come up to me and sing those two lines and make fun of me. So it just really made me just not want to get up like I would have full on panic attacks. When I went to go on stage, I would hyperventilate or be so bad. So I think in some ways, it obviously held me back because I wasn’t performing. And I wasn’t getting out there. But it also meant that but a lot of time into the writing side of things in the creation. And for me, I would describe myself as a writer first and a single second. So I think it helped me cultivate my creativity in some ways. But obviously, I look back on it. And I do think I just wish I hadn’t listened to those horrible people who kind of made me feel so insecure by it. But now I can perform on stage I enjoy performing on stage I actually prefer being on stage to in studio now. So it’s kind of all like come full circle.
The NGY Show,
So hi, I’m Caitlin and my question for you is, can you describe what emotions you feel you have a word to portray in your music?
CAii,
That’s a good question. There’s a lot of anger in their a lot of rage, a lot of feminists rage in particular, the way that men in the modern day conduct themselves and the way a lot of women are treated.
CAii,
There’s some definitely some sadness and melancholy and regret, because I’m not perfect as well. And then my EP that I’m working on at the moment, there’s a lot more reflection on me. So that kind of self reflection self analysis. There’s some like a lot of defiant tracks so angry, but kind of with like a certain amount of indignation and like, determination, that sort of kind of vibe and powered stuff. But yeah, I kind of try and touch on every emotion. And obviously, I haven’t managed it yet. Because like the emotional spectrum of human being is just, I mean, it’s boundlessness endless. But I do try and touch on as many emotions as many experiences that people can tap into as, like as you possibly can. I think I need to do more happy stuff. I’m not. I’ve definitely done some kind of more excited, fallen in love kind of stuff. But it’s more than from the kind of anticipation side of it. I’m not very good at writing happy songs. I think it always kind of comes across as a bit cheesy and a bit. I don’t know, a bit too, in your face. Like I’m so happy. So I’m definitely trying to work on making some more happy stuff about being settled and feeling comfortable and at peace with myself. That’s kind of the one thing I probably haven’t done as much all the negative emotions. Yeah, I’ve definitely gone through those like I have a track record called Sunday which i’ve not released yet, but I’m thinking about it which is all about me and my anxiety and how that manifests. So I’ve kind of touched on a lot of the negative stuff I’ve been through but not as much as the positive emotions. I hope that answered that. Question. Sorry.
The NGY Show,
That’s really good.
I feel like that really does come through in your music. I’ve listened to a couple of your songs and It’s really good. Could you tell us more about your influences in the music industry?
CAii,
Yeah, so I kind of usually split my influences into two. So I’ve got like my classic references that are like, all time greats. And then people in the music industry at the moment that I think are really like doing great things. So in terms of my classic ones, I’m obsessed with Bruce Springsteen, like just obsessed i think he’s just God. I love like, vocally like Whitney. I love Nirvana the way they write songs while Kurt Cobain wrote songs. I also love pendulum. And I think they really underrated in terms of their lyricism stuff as well. And then in terms of who’s really doing good stuff at the moment, I’m obsessed with Bankz like she’s like kind of the reason that I do the music that I do. And then Fletcher there’s a UK artist called Call me loop she’s really really good really good pop summarise that. Who else? is definitely more Yeah, we’ll leave it with those for now. That’s some good ones like Bankz some flashlights Fletcher, I’m just in awe of everything she does Sasha Sloane. She’s a really good songwriter tends to be female artists. I really like now i like i like twice a banjo. People who do pop music, but it’s not quite like mainstream mainstream pop by like people are just like kind of skirting the edges a little bit, especially if they’re independent, because it’s interesting to see how the careers develop and the songs that they writes that it tends, I think they tend to stay a lot more true to themselves and people with major labels who Oh, I do really like Halsey she’s really creative. I mean, likes to push boundaries quite a lot. Oh, and Paris. I’m gonna go to Paris. My favourite. Like literally my favourite London is just my idol. But yeah, Paris like I’ve, I’ve actually they’re the only artists that I’ve paid for like a live stream to watch during lockdown, just because they were playing one album top to bottom, that they didn’t play any of my favourite tracks meant when I won’t see them live. So I thought, okay, I’ll pay for it. I’ll stay up till 1am because they were done in Arizona. So yeah, Paris, I love Paris
The NGY Show,
I read that you also produce music, could you explain to us what the producing side of music is, like.
CAii,
So frustrating. So it kind of hard production thing came about initially is like is that I started working with some producers, then I kind of realised that when they were giving me some bad advice to it wasn’t the direction I wanted to go in three, it was just very expensive. This was in London too. And they’re kind of charging me stupid fees. So I came. And I’ve worked with the different producers and with them, I kind of was also studying at access, creative College in Manchester. And basically, I used to go to college, and I was the only one of my course that would ever turn up. And the one time that everyone else did turn up, they all said they wanted to learn music production. And I had I’m not even joking, genuinely no interest in at all. But I’m the sort of person I want to start to finish it. So I started this track, then no one else turned up again for the rest of the term. And it was just me in this room trying to finish this track with my tutor and I kind of just caught the bug then. And I was still working with these producers at the same time. And finding that more and more ideas during the sessions. And more and more just like points of contention between us not in a like anything but a professional kind of way, we just kind of have different opinions on why the track was going to go and I thought that would be really interesting to learn production. So I went to the school of electronic music in Manchester I did complete Music Production Music Business and electronic music composition. And then since then I’ve just found that the music I make is so more authentic to me and so much more personal. So I think with the production process is like that personality that comes into it that’s kind of the bit that you like do and and it is really fun getting ideas down but it just can be so frustrating. And at the moment I met to master everything myself too. So the mixing and mastering process is just so arduous and it’s just it’s complete Just monotony sometimes you can be working on a mix and just feel like you’re getting nowhere with it, which is kind of what today’s been I’m not gonna lie. Honestly today, I did a cover of my Sunday sessions a couple weeks ago I did two colours by Sunday law but I decided to write like my whole arrangement and do a whole version myself so I could release it on Spotify and I’ve honestly just spent the whole day mixing that and it really does make you want to pull your hair out sometimes I love with production. I love the creation part of it. Like the sound design when you make all your own sound when because I made like a sample pack for myself. So i have a sample pack i listen to like with all my own sounds. And then I love like the writing part of it and stuff like that. And building it is funny like when you build a track for writing at the piano or just into your phone, and then you see where it builds, it’s so rewarding. But then you get to the mixing bit where you have to make it perfect. It just honestly, makes you want to just lie down and cry for long. But it is worth it. In the end. It’s really rewarding. And especially at the moment in the industry. I’ve recently just joined a Facebook group, which is all about how there is only 3% of producers in the industry are women, and even fewer are engineers. So the group that I’m in is called to 2% Rising, and it’s all about, you know, empowering female engineers, producers as people, females who are going into less of the creative side of the industry, the more technical side, so is interested in being a female producer, because you do feel kind of a bit lonely, sometimes a bit i don know, it is fun in some ways, because people are always shocked. And I think that’s a nice thing to kind of continually break that, like, break through and kind of push boundaries and stuff. Yeah.
The NGY Show,
Could you describe to us the themes of your future musical project?
CAii,
Oh, yes, I definitely did. And so I’m working on a few different things at the moment. I do top lining for dance artists I write, you know, the vocal line and the melody for them and seeing that. So I’ve got a few dance projects, and they kind of tend to be more on the theme of like going out having fun, or maybe just like, the typical like relationship tropes and stuff like my recent single last week was with a dance artist and we trying to tap into things that are very universal. So it was this track is called tonight I’ve been getting over you. So it’s just about like going out on a night out and having fun and realising you, you’ve decided you’re done with a relationship. So there’s that side of things, which tend to be like, quite universal themes, then my EP. So basically, i have two EP out at the moment and their chapters and the same stories. This is the third chapter. So it’s a continuation of my previous two EPs, which that whole story is about toxic relationship and how it started and then develops and goes on and on. And, you know, you start to see the warning signs or red flags stuff like me stuff like that. So that EP is exploring themes around like cheating, like gaslighting, codependency, that sort of thing. And that, in the sense of the cheating theme, particularly, is coming at it from both sides. And it’s a lot more nuanced than like just like cheat and bad kind of thing, it’s a lot is kind of very deep dive into how people behave when they’ve put under a certain amount of stress and relationship or when they’re just with the complete wrong person and everything’s breaking down. So that’s kind of that. And then I also my guitarist is actually a rapper and a producer to me, I joined lockdown just was kind of observing society more than I’ve ever observed it before, I think like everyone, and I said to him, do you want to do something about society, particularly around like, social media, mental health, that sort of thing, because I noticed that the more that the live sector of music was taken away from me even more, the more I was reliant on social media and algorithms, and absolute idiots like Mark Zuckerberg, who are just trying to exploit you for money. And you know, Shadow banned people who have kind of talking about things that they don’t want on the platform or the limit your reach or have to pay for marketing, like, just it’s so toxic to the atmosphere of social media. And that’s before you even get involved with you know, like the Kardashians making us hate ourselves or that sort of thing. So I wanted to do something that delved into more less love centred themes and more just kind of existing in the 21st century, in 2020, surviving this crazy world, which is not geared up for human happiness. It’s just not the way that the world is run at the moment. It doesn’t care if you’re happy or not. So I think that’s kind of what I know this is sounding a bit like deep and dark. But that’s kind of what I wanted to get into with my guitarist because he’s a rapper, very like conscious rap. And he has a complete different perspective on me to a lot of things. So I thought it’d be really interesting to come at it from like two angles, and see what we come up with. So that’s kind of the three big projects I’m working on. Yeah, that
The NGY Show,
sounds incredible. Yeah, I can’t wait. Thank you for joining us, Kai. And if our listeners want to find out more about you and your music, where should they look?
CAii,
So I know I’ve just kind of talked about smack about Instagram, but yeah, Instagram. My handle is I am Iamcaiimusic and CAii is spelt C A i i And its same on Facebook. I have a website, which is www.Iamcaii.com And yeah, that’s kind of you can sign up to a mailing list on there and all that good stuff on that and there’s merch and everything and I’m playing a few gigs in the summer so I’ll be around in the city. So yeah, I think that’s kind of the best place to find me probably is Instagram as the first stop or on my website.
The NGY Show,
Great. Thank you and we will all be going there.
Listen back to the full show here:
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Fore more info visit: https://www.unityradio.fm/the-ngy-show
CAii is a singer, songwriter and producer who makes outspoken, defiant, autobiographical pop music referencing mental health issues, toxic relationships and her experience as a young woman in the modern world. Influenced by artists such as Banks, Fleetwood Mac and Nirvana, her songwriting fuses relatable, raw lyrics with dramatic production and soaring vocals culminating in her unique take on dark, electronic pop.
Hailing from Manchester, UK, CAii has been writing songs on and off since she was around 4 years old, but started a daily habit at the age of 15 as a way to channel difficult emotions. Due to crippling stage fright, she was initially discouraged from pursuing a career in music by her family and instead completed a degree in Chemistry at the University of Nottingham. However, after graduation, she could only see a future for herself in music and decided to take the leap and follow her passion.
Originally working with a range of producers in a traditional pop direction, CAii felt stifled and decided more creative control was needed to curate her own unique sound and take more musical risks. This led her to enroll at the School of Electronic Music in Manchester in 2018 to study Music Production and Business. CAii has been honing her skills as a producer ever since, putting in countless hours at the studio.
Having played Sundown Festival, Dot to Dot and Indie Week, along with gigging in Manchester, Liverpool and London, CAii has now overcome her fear of the stage through determined, repeated exposure and feels completely at ease performing. Always fully immersed in her music, she connects with the audience on an emotional level and draws them into her world.
For more info visit: www.instagram.com/IAmCAiiMusic
