#WomenCrushWednesday | Cappa Interview

"I do think this has been the best year for female fronted music so far."

Women are killing it in the music industry, and the world of song lovers couldn't be happier! In our column, #WomenCrushWednesday, we'll feature an awesome lady whose tunes are blowing up our playlists and ask them about their musical journey.

Cappa, an indie-pop artist who's had comparisons to some of the best in the music business, speaks with us this week. After a year-long hiatus, the songwriter is back to follow up on the tracks from her 2015 self-titled EP that were heard in a myriad of places (everywhere from your radio to ads on your television). Cappa told us how she learned to fall back in love with music and why she will never do anything else with her life. We couldn't be happier to hear there will be more to come from this lovely lady.

How did you get interested in writing and performing music?

I started writing when I was 7 years old. I still remember some of the songs and they are the worst things ever, but I knew I loved music since as long as I can remember. My mom was a songwriter too so she kind of raised me on music. She got me my first guitar when I was 8. I can't remember ever wanting to do anything else.

What artists have inspired your music the most?

I grew up on emo pop-rock bands, so I have to give a lot of credit to that style music for inspiring me to make my own. I thought that I wanted to be in a band for awhile, and then slowly over time I just really started to dig pop music. Hall & Oates actually really inspired me pop songwriting wise. Currently I love LANY, Tove Styrke, Lauv, Dua Lipa. Those are the artists that are really inspiring me lately.

You're currently based in Nashville, Tennessee. What is it like working in a city that is such a hub for creatives in the music world?

It's great! And also terrible at the same time. I think it will always be like that in very creative cities. It's inspiring and keeps you pushing for better but it's also extremely hard because it can get very competitive and over saturated. However, I think every city is what you make of it. There's a lot of amazing things about being surrounded by so much talent, and I try to focus on that and run with it.

One of your singles, "Hush," was picked up by Victoria's Secret for an online ad campaign. What's it like having your songs be used in such a massive way, reaching out to so many people?

Having that song in a Victoria's Secret campaign was an amazing feeling! "Hush" was the first song I ever released under CAPPA, so it was definitely extra rewarding to have that one place with Victoria's Secret. That song was my first step out into the whole pop scene so it was definitely very encouraging. I have not gotten any free bras or underwear yet but I am still waiting.

What has been your experience as a woman in the music industry?

It's hard! There are a lot of pop female artists right now and the production world and music business world is very male saturated. It's not a negative thing necessarily, but it can feel like you are always at the mercy of a male producer or A&R executive. However, I do think this has been the best year for female fronted music so far, with woman really taking a stand and I can't wait to see how that continues in 2018. There are more and more women getting into production and songwriting. I think Julia Michaels's career has been a great one that opened a lot of doors this past year. Im excited to see how that continues and am trying my best to be a positive asset to that movement!

You recently released your first single, "Waste My Time," after a year-long hiatus. What did you do and learn during that time off from music?

2017 was definitely a trialing year. I had quite a few deals and opportunities fall through and it definitely made me take a step back. I never quit writing or pursuing music, but it took me a while to figure out how bad I wanted it. The nice thing about having a strong passion is when you stop pursuing that passion, it kind of feels like you're dying! As soon as I took a step back, I immediately knew music was what I wanted to be doing no matter what. I think "Waste My Time" is a good single to front this new era for me!

You also recorded a video for the single. What was that process like?

It was a little bit crazy! Me and my two friends flew to Joshua Tree in California. We wanted to do something a little bit different than what I had done before and something that felt like it represented a new era. We rented a bunch of gear and an air b&b and then lugged that gear up mountains and through the desert. At one point I was wearing heals trying to lug a fog machine through the desert at night and I was like WHY AM I DOING THIS I AM SO STUPID. But I'm really happy with how it turned out! The directer, Jonathan Kingsbury, had a great vision for it and Kenny Gay co-directed. They really made it come to life. They were dripping sweat lugging gear up mountains but kept such a good attitude about it and I think that shows in the video.

Your last EP, Queen of Hearts, was released in 2016. Can we expect a full-length release from you in the near future?

I'm not quite sure yet! At this time, I don't have any full length plans. I am going to keep releasing singles through this next year and then maybe decide from there. I love the video and imagery aspect of music also, and I want to make sure that when I do release a full length, I can have imagery alongside everything.

What's coming up next for you in 2018?

I have a new song coming out with producer and artist named Goldhouse in the new year! It's a duet and I love it so I'm very excited about it. I also have a couple other collaborations in the works, and a few singles of my own. Two of my songs also got picked up for Journey's ads so I'm very excited about that also! All of the new stuff I have planned is my favorite yet so I'm really excited about this coming year and hopefully you'll be seeing a lot of me.

Follow Cappa on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Rachel A.G. Gilman is a writer, a radio producer, and probably the girl wearing the Kinks shirt. Visit her website for more.

Have a female or femme-identifying artist we should profile? Send a pitch email to Rachel.

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