The NIGHT Issue with Erika de Casier

TODAY! Our digital cover star Erika de Casier unveils her latest album “Still” – and yes we’ve had it on repeat all day. Her signature blend of electronica and R&B shines brighter than ever as she’s honed down both her songwriting and producing style. In celebration of the release, we present our interview with de Casier published in the NIGHT issue:

Visions of dusk over a hazy city skyline fill my mind as I listen to the twangs and sharp, 90s-inspired R&B beats of COPENHAGEN-based ERIKA DE CASIER’s track, Do My Thing. Imagine being transported to another world by her soft vocals, as you lose yourself in the night among a sea of bodies, immersed in dreamy visions. Imagining any of the songs from her 2019 album, Essentials, or her 2021 release Sensational in a dimly lit, intimate venue seems like an enchanting way to spend a night, as I catch de Casier taking some time off after touring major festivals in Europe over the summer. Her performances are by no means limited exclusively to environments such as these, however, as the artist performed with DEV HYNES of BLOOD ORANGE in MADISON SQUARE GARDEN nearly exactly one year before our encounter. In addition, collaborations with MURA MASA, SHYGIRL, ISABELLA LOVESTORY, EARTHEATER, and other friends of Glamcult under her belt—it was only a matter of time before we managed to sit her down one early October morning and get into the talent behind so many distinguished hits of her own, as well as being the writer behind recent chart-topping tracks for artists such as DUA LIPA and South-Korean sensation NEWJEANS.

As someone with a kaleidoscope of cultural heritage, I was curious to find out what was so magical about Copenhagen to the Portuguese-born, Danish-raised artist of Belgian and Cape Verdean descent. She affirmed right from the beginning that she decided Copenhagen was her space—somewhere she feels like she has managed to build a life for herself and a city she fits into. While moving to bustling areas such as LONDON and NEW YORK might make sense for her music career, “I like being a part of a small community, and I like that it’s something that if I want it—the big city—I can always go there. I appreciate my privacy and life here… it’s a calm life.” Despite being raised around so many different languages, de Casier also exclusively writes her music in English. While this might be informed by the Anglocentric nature of media and what she consumed growing up, English is also a central and binding aspect of her relationship with her family which I—and most third-culture children— relate to heavily. “I speak English with my family in CAPE VERDE when my Portuguese isn’t up to par and I can’t fully express myself, and the same with my family in BELGIUM—English, for me, has been a bridge.” Especially when you’re a child, you often don’t have a choice in determining your place of residence. However, in the case of Copenhagen, she independently and willingly chose to live there. Even though it’s a common practice for people in smaller Danish cities, like the artist and her friends, to relocate to larger cities in the country, while we spoke, she couldn’t pinpoint whether it was the influence of her friends or her internal calling that led her to the city. However, why does anyone move anywhere? Ultimately, it feels like regardless of what might inform and influence how you shape your path through the world, what counts is what you do when you get there and how you define your experience on a more personal level.

In 2014, this meant launching her music career as one-half of the R&B duo SAINT CAVA. Evoking a sense of nostalgia, the band is reminiscent of the high school days of Tumblr. And so I couldn’t contain my excitement during my research when I first realised that I had undoubtedly listened to some of her original tracks through old 8tracks playlists, the platform known for sharing 80s-inspired music. Echoey, electronic sounds defined some classic songs from back then, and it called for me to ask de Casier what it’s been like to be part of the music industry for almost an entire decade now. Recently, the artist has been in the process of pinpointing her core values when it comes to creating. While her connection with music, her emotions, and her priorities remain largely unchanged, the current circumstances she finds herself in feel significantly different. However, it’s been a process of figuring out what she doesn’t like and pursuing the things that “feel right”. “The way I’ve changed is that I’ve tried a bunch of things, and now I’m trying to go back into myself and find out what is most important to me—how I want to do things, and just what I prioritise.” Listening to her gut feeling, which she feels she’s neglected over the past few months (even years), is starting to take centre-stage in her mind as she reflects on taking on projects that might be good for her career, but not suitable for the soul. If it doesn’t feel amazing, then it simply isn’t. Especially when making intuitive decisions, you can be certain that, regardless of the outcome, you are the one who made that choice for yourself.

Songwriting for other artists is also a new aspect of music which de Casier has started working on, with international artists like the South Korean girl group NEWJEANS, reaching out and asking her to write for them. “I think that when I’m making music for myself, I either work alone or with really close friends I’ve known for years—so this new way of working with others has been a learning experience, mainly because it’s so different each time!” De Casier emphasises the significance of being prepared to adapt to diverse work environments and communicating your expectations and processes when collaborating with artists with varying production budgets and levels of intricacy. Initially, the artist thought writing for others might take something from her own music—that she might feel less inspired to create, but “when you take away the Ego and just begin to create something for other people, it makes you more aware of what you want to do for you.”

She also discusses the value of breaking down the process into a craft rather than approaching it as a therapeutic exercise. While it might be hard to avoid attaching emotions and personal feelings to the work you do for others, de Casier also believes that it can be challenging to completely detach herself. “I feel like my taste is so ingrained into who I am, it can be difficult to switch it off.” However, this distinguished sound and style make many artists eager to work with de Casier, with pop superstars such as Dua Lipa sliding into her DMs and expressing their admiration. Instead of opting for a conventional or generic approach, they are deliberately seeking to capture her distinctive sound.

When it comes to creating this sound, at the moment de Casier spends a lot of nights in her home making beats. On one hand, having a stable home base is essential for the artist, who frequently travels for performances and seeks sanctuary in Copenhagen after touring. Although she may need to actively seek out social interaction, this arrangement provides de Casier with a lot of agency in deciding how she spends her nights. Typically she might have thought of herself as a type-A, morning person, describing how, “I like waking up early, getting in the studio early, having a workday—but I’ve also begun liking the quiet of the night. A time when nobody is expecting anything from me.” Time differences can of course shatter this fantasy in some ways, but the artist shares: “I like shutting that off and feeling like I’m alone. I think it was one of my friends that said ‘When it’s night and everyone is off to bed, it feels like you’re alone in the world’—and that’s a nice picture, I think.”