born and raised in miami, florida, calica offers a refreshing taste of pop music amongst many others today. her visuals are impeccable, her lyricism is deeply cutting, and the best thing about it all is the fact that she ties it into a fairly quirky and cute aesthetic that is seen in her music videos and her tracks. editor-in-chief kariann tan was fortunate enough to sit down and get to know calica herself as a whole.

hey there! first off, tell me all about calica, your beginnings, your roots, and what inspired you to pursue being a musician.

hey! so music has been a huge part of my life since i was a kid. i started classical piano lessons at the age of 6 and continued studying music through high school and then attended college at the university of miami’s frost school of music. growing up in miami has also contributed a lot to my love of music. miami is such a vibrant city and i’ve gotten to thoroughly experience so many different types of music just by living here my whole life. i’ve always wanted to be a musician, but 2018 especially was such a transformative year for me. i basically decided to give it my all in terms of really starting my music career and i cannot wait to see where life takes me.

what influences the way you make music? is it any specific place or person?

i draw inspiration from everywhere! most of my songs are definitely about specific people or situations i’ve been in, and that’s especially true of the songs on my album coming out this month. it’s appropriately titled “yes, it’s about you” because the whole album is specifically about like 4 different people!

what do you think is the hardest thing about being an artist today?

wow that’s a tough one. there’s so many things that’s difficult but i think one of the hardest things about being an artist today is not worrying about the numbers. it’s so easy to compare your life and career to others’ especially now that anyone’s perceived “fame” or “value” can literally be measured numerically by likes, followers & streams. it can feel overwhelming sometimes but i think the key for me is to stay true to myself and my vision. as long as i’m happy with the content i’m creating, then that’s all that matters to me.

let’s dive a little into your single “bitch.” what was the inspiration behind the lyricism of the song? does it come from a personal place? what’s the story behind it?

oh yes, there’s a story! i’m not gonna go into too much detail but basically “bitch” is about my ex’s current girlfriend… who used to be my friend… so you can pretty much guess what happened there.

i never really confronted the b**** so this was my way of just kind of letting out all my frustration and the whole song just kind of flowed out of me. it was actually pretty therapeutic and i highly recommend writing when you’re angry!

“bitch” involves really intricate a “cute” aesthetic with regards to the layering and whatnot. was this intentional?

yes, it was completely intentional! i definitely wanted to throw shade but in a fun, lighthearted way and i think the background vocals were the perfect way to convey that.

what do you hope to achieve by the end of this year, musically?

i have so many goals! i think the biggest one is that i would love to have a tour scheduled by the end of this year. i already have so much more music to release and i can’t wait to start playing shows.

is there anyone you’d like to tour with?

my top five are definitely kali uchis, troye sivan, charlie xcx, kim petras, and dua lipa. even just meeting any of them would be a dream, honestly.