LA-based rapper and singer-songwriter Demie Cao has been creating buzz for herself with tracks like “Yung” and “Rari” picking up traction for the Chinese-American talent, who has trained in everything from the precision of ballet to the intense training regimen of K-Pop.
The versatile artist officially launched her debut EP Thicker Lines, alongside a video for the title track to christen the launch of the album on the heels of garnering a combined Youtube and Spotify reach of nearly 500,000, with plenty more sure to come. While Demie has experience in various forms of music and dance, her truest desire is to maintain her originality, which is something that the EP makes evident to listeners.
We spoke to Demie ahead of the release of her new project, where she gave us a little insight on her EP and who inspires the international artist.
Congratulations on your first EP! How long did you end up working on your official debut production?
Demie: It’s been a long time. Honestly not too sure exactly how long. The album is mostly a compilation of stuff I did for the past few years that we put together into a project.
I understand that you come from a background in dance as well as training in South Korea through K-Pop. At what point in your life did you have a feeling that music was something you were interested in exploring?
Demie: I think it was around freshman year of high school. I was already dancing a lot, and was around music constantly. The thought that maybe I should try to create some came forward and I just rolled with it.
You’ve now released multiple songs and music videos — have you learned anything in particular through those first experiences?
Demie: I definitely learned to let go a lot of personal insecurities about my work. I feel like a lot of things I created earlier was written with the thought of trying to appease people, which is fine, but now I feel comfortable enough to ruffle some feathers and own it.
Are there any specific singers/rappers that helped you discover your own identity as an artist?
Demie: Artistically, I really look up to people like FKA twigs. She uses a lot of mixed mediums of art as channels of expression and that’s something that really resonates with me. Along with songwriting, I dance and draw as well. I also enjoy cinematography, and I would love to utilize all these facets of expression into my projects later on.
What’s something you hope people take away from your music upon discovering your first EP?
Demie: I wrote a lot of these songs when I was fairly young, listening back I can feel the young naïveté of it. Which I think is nice. I will probably never be able to write songs like those again as I get older, so it’s quite beautiful in that way. I want to grow with my listeners, and I hope they can hear my growth and self-discovery through my songs.
Thicker Lines is available now, so check it out along with Demie Cao’s new video for the track.
