You know you’re about to interview someone cool when they suddenly appear looking like they came straight out of your favourite teen movie. Singer songwriter Catching Cairo walked into the studio with an outfit that made a statement; daring fishnets on her legs, just enough to provide coverage, while also exposing some sick tattoos, like one of a huge black spider. She wears a baby blue sweatshirt, accompanied by a cute, fluffy mini skirt with a brown Prada beanie to match an old-school blazer. The icing on the cake was a pair of bold, knee-height leather boots. She almost looks like a cooler version of Regina George, or a clone of Dionne Davenport from Clueless.
Cairo has been expressive since childhood; she wore high-heeled boots throughout primary school and had a helix piercing in year two. Being raised in a home where “music was always in the background”, Cairo joined choirs and played the violin, which ensured her passage to the Brit school, and ultimately towards working with recognised producers like Hybrid Minds. ASBO caught up with the multi-dimensional artist to discuss her career, Flopsy the teddy rabbit, and how Prime Minister Cairo would run the country.
Describe your music in one sentence.
Dreamscape, emotional thought journey mood vibe. My music is just my thoughts. It’s my inner feelings. A lot of the time it’s just stuff I don’t get to say to people because I’m scared.
You grew up with six brothers and sisters.
You have six brothers and sisters. What was the best thing about growing up having so many siblings?
Best thing was, there was always something to do, we used to have fun. We didn’t have a lot growing up, we were poor. We didn’t have shit, but we used to make games and have a lot of fun. I remember we made this game called Ghosty Ghost, where you’d literally put a sheet over your head and then you’d have to chase each other around the living room, that was a fun game we would play and probably one of the best things. We used to break stuff a lot, and my mum would come home and be like “who broke that?!” It was really fun.
Do you remember your favourite childhood toy?
I have one. He’s not really a toy though, I consider him more of like a person, except that he’s not actually a person, he’s a toy. He’s called Flopsy, and he’s this little bunny rabbit I’ve had since I was a baby. There are pictures of me with him as a kid and I still have him now. I talk to him and everything. But Flopsy is not really a toy, he’s more of like a friend to me. Toy-wise I had lots of Barbie dolls. I once won a trolley dash at Toys R Us for a colouring competition, and I had one minute to run down the aisle and put as many Barbie toys in the trolley as I could. I’ve still got loads of unopened probably quite expensive Barbies that my mum wouldn’t let me open because I’d unintentionally break the head off them. I had a convertible Barbie Ferrari, I had a f**king Volkswagen Beatle yellow car. I had a lot of good toys, but Flopsy was the OG.
Your latest piece of work, When It’s Over. Where did the inspiration come from and what was the creative process behind it?
I wrote it during lockdown at the end of 2019. I didn’t even know I was making an EP; I barely had a concept; I didn’t really know what I was working on at all. So, when lockdown happened and I was in a place where I had time, I had a lot of thoughts and I had a studio that I could write in, I just started working on some songs.
Once I wrote the first one Token, which was the first tune I finished, I had a eureka moment in which I realised that I was really starting to like the shape that the project was taking. So yeah, there wasn’t really a concept. It was just me writing a journal of what was going through my mind in lockdown. It was a lot of loneliness, missing loads of people, and a lot of love vibes that I didn’t actually get at the time. It was a collection of stories and moods and things that I was thinking at the time.
Supernova is your most popular song with almost 5 million streams on Spotify. What was the process of putting this song together?
Well, it’s a collab with Hybrid Minds. I’ve worked with the producers before and really liked
working with them. So, they were generous to me when it came to making the song they’d just be like “this is the track that we’ve got, just add your vibe to it, and I just got in my feelings and wrote a story to the song, as I usually do. That’s literally how that song came together.
What are your thoughts on the representation and treatment of people of colour in the music industry?
In the UK,I think there’s mad underrepresentation of not just people of colour, but women of colour. I think there seems to be this sense that there could only be a few women of colour on the frontline doing major things. I don’t think it’s a level playing field. Though, I think there’s a lot of talent, and I think there should be more representation to be frank. I’m bored of seeing the same faces doing the same things, and I should be one of them.
If you were Prime Minister what would you change?
I would change the prices of rent. I would change f**king people selling stupid box rooms or renting houses that are basically a bedroom with no living room. I’d make that a rule, to stop giving people rubbish houses and make things more affordable for people. I obviously don’t know how we do the budgeting and the cabinet and blah, blah, blah. But yeah, I would make things more affordable and accessible for people.
What’s your favourite item in your wardrobe right now?
I’d probably say my fishnets, I’ve got quite a good collection. The ones I’m wearing today are quite simple, but I’ve got quite cool, patterned ones. They change every day. I like them because they look cool, they show my tattoos and they’re sexy.
What’s a valuable life lesson your career has taught you?
One of the best pieces of advice that I’ve ever been given is, no matter what your mood is, always stick to the plan. I think that’s one of the things that have been getting me through quite lately, because before my mood could ruin plans that I would have in mind. But now I just remind myself, no matter what your mood is, stick to the plan.
Could you give us a sneak peek of what’s to come from Catching Cairo?
More collaborations, new music that I’m currently working on, more visuals, shows,
festivals, and just making myself more known to the world.
