Written by Daphne Bryant
Image courtesy of Esther Kim
Growing up, the idea of pursuing music as a legitimate career wasn’t on Chloe Qisha’s radar.“ My parents and [I] definitely didn’t know that being an artist was ever a thing, or even possible,” Qisha explains.“ My entrance into music was pure luck. I was posting really shit covers on YouTube, and then one day I got an email from an A&R. That specific meeting meant nothing, but he unknowingly passed me on to someone else, which turned into a string of meetings.” Qisha dove headfirst into songwriting sessions with producers and writers, honing her voice in real time. For those stepping into a creative industry without a roadmap or prior connections, her biggest piece of advice is to trust and protect your intuition.“ If something doesn’t feel right in your gut—particularly with the people you’re working with, whether that’s a manager or your collaborators—don’t be afraid to put your big girl pants on. Know what you deserve.”
That hard-won confidence now powers a vivid onstage world filled with glamour and unapologetic pop anthems. And yet, behind the glossy curtains, this Malaysian-born singer-songwriter is just as happy curled up at home with her cats.“ It’s the conundrum of my life, and actually the bane of my existence trying to be a pop star,” she laughs, speaking about her self-proclaimed ambivert identity.“ Pop stars these days have to show everything and be almost like an influencer, but I’m a very private person. Everything that you see, everything that we’ve created and built in the world from the styling to the makeup to the lyrics, it’s just a heightened, more elevated version of myself. If I were to try [and] be Chloe Qisha every single day, it would be too exhausting.” At the same time, Qisha honors her duality, grateful to have somewhat stumbled into the industry.“ Being creative [for] your job is such a privilege, and I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything [else].”
“Everything that you see, everything that we’ve created and built in the world from the styling to the makeup to the lyrics, it’s just a heightened, more elevated version of myself.”
Qisha’s debut mixtape Fantasize, released exactly a week ago on October 30th, captures her fierce self-possession in totality. Sonically, Qisha has always been inspired by the warm textures of the‘ 80s, but for this record, she looked to the modern pop girls dominating the charts for lyrical courage.“ [The] explicitness in their lyrics has paved the way for developing artists like myself to be more expressive,” says Qisha. Her favorite track on the tape is“ He Likes Boys”, which is about an unrequited crush on a gay man—a catastrophic love show, if you will.“‘ He Likes Boys’ really funneled my vision for [the] whole mixtape, because I was so lost at the beginning stages of writing her. I just didn’t know where I wanted to take her. And then classic life happened and I wrote the song and it just sort of [soared] from there.” Affectionately treating each track like family, she assigns them pronouns without hesitation.“ She/her, they’re all my daughters. Maybe [some] nonbinary [songs] in there as well. Writing songs is truly like giving birth—they deserve names and pronouns.”
“Writing songs is truly like giving birth—they deserve names and pronouns.”
The project also marked significant creative milestones, including writing alongside industry powerhouse Julia Michaels.“ I was such a fan of her and her music growing up,” Chloe beams.“ She basically wrote the soundtrack to my life, so [having] songs with her on this mixtape is just insanity.” And visually, Fantasize, as well Qisha’s artist identity as a whole, has become distinctly synonymous with red. Her affinity for the color is an organic extension of her background.“ [Being] Chinese Malaysian, my family and I would lightly celebrate Chinese New Year. The whole of the city would be draped in red, so it was never a scary color to me. It actually symbolized a lot of prosperity, a lot of luck.” When moodboarding her first EP two years ago, Qisha’s creative director Lillie Eiger noticed the subconscious thread of red running through every visual reference.“ She was like‘ [red] is symbolic and important to you, so we should use that as the core color for your project.’ And I think it’s served me really well.”
“red was never a scary color to me. It actually symbolized a lot of prosperity, a lot of luck.”
Image courtesy of Amir Hossain
Like a true Capricorn, since pursuing music Chloe Qisha has been laser-focused on her craft, pouring so much energy into her artistry that hobbies like knitting have taken a back seat. Yet for all her drive and ambition, she remains anchored in something much softer. Safety is at the heart of what girlhood means to her. It’s an essential network of mutual care—the unspoken solidarity between strangers in a crowded bathroom, that readiness to pass over a tampon or look out for someone in a sketchy situation. That shared blanket of understanding is what makes being a girl, and an artist, so special.
