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Photos and Interview by: Danny Chung
"Just Because" is a debut album that encapsulates the artist's transformative coming-of-age journey, featuring an eclectic mix of tracks created in spontaneous moments, from car rides to late-night reflections. The album's upbeat, dreamy sound mirrors the artist's 18-year-old adventures, from carefree beach days to navigating newfound complexities. Collaborative efforts with songwriter Paul Phamous fostered a safe space for vulnerable songwriting, adding depth to the album's emotional resonance. Read more below.
Congratulations on your debut album. What was the creative process behind creating your new debut album?
This one was so all over the place, some of it was done while I was driving my car, some of it was done in my bathroom, or I’d be in my bed at 3 in the morning. I’d have Siri text my number certain lyrics that popped into my head in the middle of the night. All of it was done very in the moment as I was experiencing whatever I was writing about. I experienced something, and then healed from it, and then wrote about it. I was experiencing it and then going straight to the studio and processing it by just making songs about it. The reason I called it “Just Because” was because I thought it was so random and was so deep inside it that I didn’t think anything went together, so I thought “I’m just gonna call it ‘just because’ just because I want to.” I look back at it now, and it kinda feels like a healing journal. I was going through some stuff at that time, and most of the songs are so happy so you wouldn’t really think that they’re that deep. But I think part of the reason they are so happy is because I was in a time where I kinda felt like I was drowning, so if I made a song that sounded like I was drowning on top of feeling that way, it would’ve been too heavy. All those songs counteracted those more painful emotions and honestly pulled me out of those feelings, so that's why it's so bright, happy, and bubbly. It has a lot more purpose to me than it did when I was making it, it's the way that I healed.
Q: Do you have a favorite memory during the creation of the album?
My favorite part of writing this album was experiencing all of it while I was writing it and the people I was making it with. The main writer I was working with on this project was Paul Phamous, and he is like my big brother. I feel so lucky to be able to make music with people I feel so close to. Songwriting is such a vulnerable thing to do, and to be able to do it with people that make me feel safe is so important.
Q: The tracks on the album have a very fun, uptempo, and dreamy-like sound, what would you describe the album to be like to people who are hearing it for the first time? What would be the perfect scenario to listen to it in?
I would say it is very “coming-of-age movie”. The whole album was written when I was 18 years old and everything that I went through at that time. It was probably the first real transitional year that I experienced, and I grew and learned a lot from that time. So that's kind of what a coming-of-age movie is. I was also hanging out with my friends and doing all these fun, random, stupid things. Cruising down the PCH and offroading, going to the beach, and just doing all these really fun things with my friends. And then also going through the lows of being an 18-year-old girl and being exposed to things I hadn’t been exposed to yet.
Q: What song are you looking most forward to perform live?
So I started to perform some of them live already, and I would say I really like performing “Banksy”. It’s my favorite one honestly, but it changes all the time. Right now it’s “Banksy” or “Swinging at the Stars”.
Q: Honing in on the dream-like vibe from the album, do you have a memory of being in this sort of dreamy state of mind?
Probably while I was driving down the PCH, at the beach, or offroading.
Q: What would you say are your top three songs off of the album that you are most excited to finally release and why?
There are so many it's kinda hard to choose one. I think maybe “Screw Time” and “Swinging at the Stars” represent the feeling of the album the best. Each one of those songs showcases the highs and lows of my journey last year. But I think about “Screw Time”, and that song is very coming-of-age. It’s about my friends and those same experiences of just being a young, dumb teenager. I still like to listen to that song and relive those memories.
Q: Was there a specific location or time in your life when you were writing the album? What was the prior inspiration behind songs such as "123" and "Dreamer"?
No, everything was everywhere, like the car, the bathroom, taking a shower, in the studio, at the beach… it was everywhere. Even on a plane too—I remember, I think “Pools and Palm Trees” I had a voice memo of that. Everything was written while I was experiencing those things, so it was wherever I was at the time.
Q: What would you say are your top three songs off of the album that you are most excited to finally release and why?
My personal favorites are “Banksy”, “Polarized”, “Mess”, and “Swinging at the Stars”.
The first one that comes to mind is in “Swinging at the Stars”, I say, “Wanna be tired when I get to my grave”. That song is all about the fullness of living and doing it with somebody that you love. Sometimes I'll put myself into situations that are maybe not the best for me, but I do it because I just love to feel and experience a lot—I’m obsessed with the abundance of being alive. So the idea of “I wanna be tired when I get to my grave” means I want to feel everything. The fact that I’m capable of feeling this many emotions and experiencing as much as possible in all these things is amazing.
Q: From songs like 'Pools and Palm Trees', 'Dreamer', & 'Swinging at the Stars', it's as if you're embracing the feeling of living your life to the fullest through not only relationships but also just having fun. What song do you think would describe your life at the moment?
Definitely “Swinging At The Stars”! My life feels very full right now, and I feel so alive and connected to myself. I feel like I am experiencing everything when I’m supposed to experience it, and I feel very content and centered at the moment. “Swinging at the Stars” is about knowing yourself, going with the flow, and being happy with wherever life takes you, and that’s how I am feeling.
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