Caity Baser: "I've had lovely letters from fans about how I've given them confidence to be loud"

“I love doing interviews! They give me a moment to think," the UK's latest pop maestro, Caity Baser, tells me over Zoom. It's rare an up-and-comer signed to a major label with a whirlwind schedule declares that statement with any sincerity, but the Brighton-based Southampton artist isn't your typical new kid on the block. She's got energy to burn, and a deep understanding of how to connect emotionally with fans formed within the digital realm.

"I don’t have the time to mull over everything I'm doing. It’s just go go go!" the 20-year-old grins, speaking a mile-a-minute. "It’s been crazy. Festival season starts next week and then it’s madness until September, but I’m buzzing.”

Having inked a publishing deal with none other than Sony Music Publishing via Chosen Music, 2023 saw Caity unveil her debut EP in the form of high-powered in-your-face project Thanks For Nothing, See You Never. The six-track mixtape featured sassy previewed singles 'Pretty Boys' and 'X&Y', focusing on brash, empowerment anthems that toss exes to the bin and base their foundations on cheeky lyrics, platonic love and youth in all its complexities.

With an EP release comes a tour of the UK and Ireland, of course. Baser's date at The Academy, Dublin last month marked her first time performing in the Emerald Isle.

“It was amazing, but I guess that's my signature response about any gig! Dublin was so loud, though. Such a warm welcome," she beams. Looking out for her hordes of new pals prompted Baser to cap ticket prices for her upcoming tour at £15 (€17).

“I’ve had endless loads of lovely messages, mentions, and comments since Thanks For Nothing, See You Never was released," Caity adds, smiling brightly. "I always read them. Specifically on tour, people wrote letters about how I saved them or got them out of ruts in life - how I’ve given them the confidence to be themselves and be loud.

"It just makes me so happy. That's exactly what I wanted to do," Baser stresses, passionately. "It's completely fine to just be yourself and be a bit annoying. Also, when I did my Southampton show, I started to sing and I had my eyes closed. When I opened my eyes, six people held up these signs that said, 'You made it Caity'. I literally said, 'How am I supposed to sing now?'" she laughs, emotionally. "That was one of my favourite moments. Also, my London show with literally 15 rows with signs saying, 'We love you Caity!' It's the sweetest."

Does she get the same frenzied response in her hometown, or just at her high-energy shows?

"Well, I’ve never been to Newcastle. I’ve never been to Dublin. I’ve never been to Bristol. But when I'm walking around in my granddad outfit - baggy jeans and a raggedy windbreaker, looking like whatever - people will recognise me. I'm like, 'Do we know each other? What’s going on?' It blows my mind."

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Caity Baser (@caitybaser)

Caity began to write her own songs as a teenager, crafting conversational gems full of carefree lyrics about boys and awkwardness and dynamic pop hooks. The goal was to create tracks that essentially recreated a voice message sent for your best friends's ears on WhatsApp, and Baser succeeded.

2022's friends-with-benefits-eschewing ‘Friendly Sex’ went viral on TikTok, which led the ambitious singer-songwriter to relocate to Brighton to find more opportunities. By now, 2021's 'Average Student' had already done wild numbers on YouTube, plus follow up 'Haters', 'Say It Like That' and 'Slut Shaming'. Painting a confident, fuck you portrait of feeling objectified while simply going about her life as a young woman has led to a legion of predominantly young girls to follow her attitude-drenched TikTok channel. That has its pros and cons, evidently, but it's mostly positives.

“I do everything myself. I tend to not look at the comments just because the bigger I’m getting the more nasty people are being," Caity shrugs, bluntly. "I don’t really let it get to me. I’m at the point where someone will leave me a nasty comment and there are 15 other girls that will be like, 'fucking leave her alone!' I just let them chat amongst themselves. At the end of the day, the more they comment the more views the video gets. Your hate is my gain. Thank you very much! I’m having fun. I’m not hurting anybody.”

We’ve seen pretty much every possible outcome of how an app like TikTok can beget success for new artists, with users landing support slots for some of the world's biggest acts, earning chart domination and selling out tours - or barely selling any tickets at all. Baser brought in the biggest crowd on the BBC Introducing stage at last year’s Reading festival, proving her virality has translated into mainstream success, unlike many 'TikTok' artists (not to be reductive).

Her next single, 'Dance Around It', features UK dance chart leader Joel Corry. The track, which arrives next Friday, was forged after a night out, with Baser posting it to her TikTok profile - where it did the numbers and garnered a new feature. Such is the lightning-speed pace of the platform, for better or worse."

@caitybaser #duet with @caitybaser #fyp LETS GOOOO @Joel Corry #fyp #pov #foryoupage #singer #original #newmusic ♬ original sound - caitybaser

The exhaustion of touring as a "new" artist can take its toll, while many labels and management companies are taking more steps towards protecting the musicians while they travel - mentally and physically.

“The low of touring is that it’s over!" Caity laughs, defying the expectation. "It’s so sad. It feels like I’m just incredibly hungover every day. I haven't been out dancing or anything since it ended - I’m just incredibly blue. There's this huge adrenaline and then it’s just back to normal life again. I can’t even give you a high because it was just amazing. Every single show was my favourite the night I did it. Feeling connected and making people sing is the best feeling ever.”

Having grown up in a household soundtracked by sonic and cultural legends (Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Fleetwood Mac, The Carpenters) and citing the likes of SZA, Doja Cat, Aitch and Stormzy as artists she frequently blasts on Spotify, Baser’s tastes are multi-faceted when it comes to pop, R&B and hip-hop.

Aitch at 3Olympia Theatre. Monday 3rd of October 2022. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

"I actually saw Aitch at the Brit Awards and might have embarrassed myself in front of him," Caity tells me, refusing to take herself too seriously. "I’m such a loud person. I’m very extroverted, but when I went to Brits I was literally mute the whole evening. The only time I was getting up and being myself was when music was playing. Like Matty Healy is staring at me. What do I do?"

"Maya Jama is a stone's throw away. I was...let’s say tipsy," Baser informs me, hinting. "Aitch walks out of the toilet and I go walking past him. He’s like, 'Hi, are you ok?' and told him that we work with the same producers. But then I was like, 'What’s your actual name, Aitch' - I was just being such an idiot. We had a giggle and a hug. Then I saw the producers a couple of days later and I was like, 'Oh my god I think I mortified myself in front of Aitch' and they were just like, 'Yeah, we know'," she laughs, with an eye roll.

"I think it was fine? I told him his outfit was a slay, so it's not like I was rude!"

How are her other interactions with fellow singer-songwriter compadres?

“Do you know Cian Ducrot?" she quizzes me, to which I nod. He's from Cork, after all. “He’s one of my really good friends. I met him when he was just on the come up and we had been at his house. We would talk to each other near the piano and tell each other everything that we wanted to be.

"A few months or a year later, we're both doing all of the things we said we hoped we'd achieve. We don’t talk all the time, but when we do, it's great. He sent me this message that was so cute when my EP came out. It’s so nice to see my friend succeed. We had a lovely conversation. Coming from somebody like him who's got the world at his feet right now, it's magic. He’s so sweet. I’m actually seeing him soon. I can’t wait!”

Photo: Lillie Eiger.

Speaking of Cork, Baser is on the line-up for Mitchelstown festival Indiependence for the August Bank Holiday weekend. Will Caity be nabbing the likes of Raye, Anne-Marie and Jax Jones for collaborations, after recently teaming up with Sigala, Mae Muller and Stefflon Don for 'This Feels Good'?

“The main themes that I’m trying to write about are inclusivity, female empowerment, being yourself, mental health, and all of that. I’d say a collaboration I’d love more than anything in this world of sin would be a collaboration with Doja Cat.

"I'm lucky to work with amazing women in my life. My manager and I are literally living together - she’s everything to me. She's like a manager and also a best friend, but most of the time we 're like sisters. Then we flip between manager and mom and daughter. She’s an all-in-one!" Baser grins, warmly. The talent is also part of a secret Whatsapp group called Loud London: a community of young female and non-binary artists “who all gas each other up”, sharing advice about “boys, making music, labels — everything really.”

The sense of creative freedom is effortlessly highlighted in the video for tongue-in-cheek EP single 'Pretty Boys'.

"That was the best day ever!" she exclaims, excitedly. "The whole video was hilarious. The boys were all so funny, so sweet, so lovely. We all had lunch together and got to know each other. Lots of giggles. Everyone was welcome to share their ideas, and collaborate by trying new things. It was everyone’s video. It was so much fun. The boys were insanely sexy!" It certainly turns the song's lyrics ["What you so boring for? It's like talking to a door..."] on their head.

My videographer found an agency and was like, 'Choose the boys'. I said okay, obviously!" Caity laughs.

The remaining months of 2023 are, as she aforementioned, "wild" in terms of a packed out calendar. How does she reserve much-needed quality time with her loved ones?

"I missed my friends and my family on your, of course," Baser insists. "I remember I was in Glasgow and all my mates went out for my other friend's birthday and they FaceTimed me. I was just in my hotel room like..." she mimes a single tear falling down her face. "I was like, 'Have fun! I love you! I'm gonna hang up now!" Caity smiles, shaking off the memory. "It’s fine. The minute I got back, it was chaos. Don’t worry."

"Travelling is mad, though. There's not much time to see anything tourist-y. It was down to hard work when I was in LA recently," Baser offers, as her team inform her of the next job to do that day.

"Honestly, I saw nobody," the charismatic singer adds, matter-of-fact. "I was just in the studio all day. I'm not complaining though. I loved it, but no celebrity sightings! As of right now, I'm just proud of finishing a sold out tour. I can’t believe I’ve done it. Now that it’s over, I really need to sit down and process it all.” Consider us seated.

Thanks For Nothing, See You Never is out now. Caity Baser plays Indiependence on August 4th.