Kaash Paige knows a thing or two about having teenage fever. In fact, her debut full-length album Teenage Fever, which dropped on August 14, is all about the inner workings of this 19-year-old Dallas nativeās adolescent mind as she explores mental health, heartbreak, sex, and the painful pleasure of brutal honesty. That would make the acronym of her name (Kill All Arrogance Stop Hatred) make sense, wouldnāt it?
With features from Don Toliver, SSGKobe, 42 Dugg, K Camp, and Isaiah Rashad on top of her poetry lyrical flow and melodic vocals, itās no wonder how Teenage Fever became the #1 R&B album in the world via Apple Music in less than 24 hours following its release. The Def Jam signee knew she was a writer since she wrote poetry in high school, but once she started adding music and vulnerability to what would soon become soulful, sultry dormroom-bred bops, it was a wrap. Since Kaashās official footprint into the music scene with her debut EP, Parked Car Convos, thereās no telling where the āLove Songsā songstress will be by the time sheās of legal age to buy a drink at the bar.Ā
LADYGUNN spoke to Kaash Paige about her professional and creative growth as an artist since the release of Parked Car Convos, the importance of using her platform as an artist to address mental health, and the power of Generation Z when it comes to voting and social justice issues.
IF YOU COULD GIVE YOUNG KAASH A PIECE OF ADVICE ABOUT THE INDUSTRY, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
To not be so naive, you know? To always peep energy before you get into certain situations. Be more dedicated because this doesnāt happen for everyone. Iām still young, Iām only nineteen and I only got into the industry last year. I wish the 18-year-old me wouldāve just [taken] more time to understand how the industry works and take more time to perfect my craft. Of course, Iām doing it now, but I wasnāt taking it as seriously. Iām more professional now than I was then.
WHEN DID YOU FIRST BECOME INTERESTED IN MUSIC? WHAT MOMENT IN TIME DID YOU KNOW THIS IS WHAT YOU WANTED TO DO?
I remember when I was a kid, I was very into music, but I wasnāt very consistent because I played sports. It was like my sophomore year [when] I started doing music. My parents got divorced so I couldnāt become completely consistent with it because I used to record at my dadās and it was like, āalright, bet.ā I let time pass by and my senior year [was] when I could actually branch off and go to these studios because my parents never actually let me go to the studio. A lot of stuff really happened for me last year, if that makes sense.
HOW DID YOUR UPBRINGING IN DALLAS INFLUENCE YOUR ARTISTRY AND PERSONAL STYLE?
Just the different creatives I was surrounding myself around. We had little local shows that would be at house parties or little dope venues like taco spots and stuff. Being in those environments and seeing different types of artists and – I donāt know, it was just weird. They had a lot of colorfulĀ lights and stuff; it was really just the Texas culture. Seeing that and being around that at a young age influenced me to be myself because they were being themselves.
HOW DOES IT FEEL BEING RECOGNIZED IN YOUR HOMETOWN AND HAVING YOUR OWN BILLBOARD?
It feels dope. Even yesterday, I was at Six Flags and it was just crazy to know how many people in the city know me. It just feels – I donāt know. All I could say is Iām full of joy and itās dope to know everybodyās aware of you. Itās hard to answer questions like that because I donāt know what to say; youāre just happy. Iām happy every single time somebodyās like, āOh my gosh, are you Kaash Paige?ā or ācan I take a picture with you?ā.
A LOT OF ARTISTS RIGHT NOW ARE ALSO TALKING ABOUT THE WHOLE āSIGNING TO A LABELā THING VERSUS STAYING INDEPENDENT. WHEN YOU SIGNED, WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE THIS WAS THE BEST MOVE FOR YOU AND YOUR CAREER?
Thatās the feeling of āyouāll never get this type of opportunity againā. I understand when people want to be independent, but at the same time, everybody has their own path. I feel as if when signing to a label, thereās nothing wrong with it. The biggest artists are in messed up contracts and thatās the [stigma] that everyone goes through – the bad contract as soon as you sign [or] youāre signing your life away. Nah, my label loves me. Weāre a team, weāre a family, and theyāre making sure that everyoneās breaking me as an artist. I feel like what weāve been doing is pretty dope. Itās like a powerhouse behind you and it pushes you to get the world more aware of you. I feel like when youāre independent, of course you have to work ten times harder for people to see your name and hear your music. For my team, itās like a powerhouse to me like a robot.
OVERALL, HOW WOULD YOU SAY YOUāVE EVOLVED PROFESSIONALLY AND CREATIVELY SINCE YOUR DEBUT EP TO NOW, TEENAGE FEVER? HOW IS YOUR ALBUM A REFLECTION OF YOUR GROWTH AS AN ARTIST?
I remember last year I never wanted to listen to nobody. Everybody would be like, āthis is dopeā or āthis is good for your look,ā and Iām like, ānah, I donāt want to hear that. Thatās corny to me.ā Itās not corny; those types of opportunities can get you into so many doors that you never know, so I was blocking my own blessings. This year and with this album, I had to go through different situations of being jaded, fake friends and little business situations that left me a little bitter. I had to go through stuff like that because of course Iām young [and] Iām gonna have all these different emotions. Putting that into Teenage Fever, everybody was able to relate and when people are able to relate to you, it makes them draw more to your music.Ā
WHAT WERE YOUR FAVORITE SONGS TO RECORD FROM TEENAGE FEVER? WHAT STORIES WERE YOU TELLING?
I think all of them were my favorite songs. You have to understand I recorded my whole project in a dorm room – same with Parked Car Convos. All of this was done in a dorm room so every single moment was an experience in a different time when I was making these songs.Ā Some of these songs are even from the beginning of last year or the end of last year; some are through quarantine. It was just trying to put everything I felt amongst these nineteen years of living into a whole project.
WITH THE TITLE TEENAGE FEVER, IS THAT BECAUSE OF YOUR AGE BRACKET OR DOES IT GO DEEPER THAN THAT?
Itās because of my age bracket, but I honestly feel like anybody could have teenage fever, you know? Everybody has emotions. Whenever I made it, I was like, āthis is my last year being nineteen, Iām about to turn twenty,ā but I just wanted to go out with a bang explaining through instrumentation and without my lyrics everything that I went through, ups and downs, and even blessings.
SHIFTING A BIT TO TALKING ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH. YOUR MUSIC REALLY TOUCHES ON THE MISUNDERSTOOD AND THE MISCONSTRUED CONVERSATIONS OF DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY, ESPECIALLY FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE CLOSER TO YOUR AGE. HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR YOU TO ADDRESS THESE MENTAL HEALTH HARDSHIPS IN YOUR MUSIC?
Whenever you address that, itās kind of like a stress reliever because you understand the problems that you have and for somebody else to listen to that, itās like āah, yes, Iām not alone anymore.ā If you listen to my music, Iām talking about breakups, anxiety, suicide, anything – itās like, āwow, theyāve been there before and theyāre still here.ā So what does that tell me about myself? Iām still here, Iām still blessed, still living. The world has so much to give and I have so much to give, so let me just try to figure out what I can do to help myself grow and find my needs to make me happy [and] my passion.
WHEN YOU DO EXPERIENCE DEPRESSION, ANXIETY OR NEGATIVE SELF-TALK, HOW DO YOU MANAGE OR OVERCOME IT?
Iām not gonna say itās hard to not stay negative ācause itās always your subconscious in the back of your head. I donāt know if youāve seen stuff like this on TikTok when youāre driving on the road happy and then you want to turn the wheel and crash it. Thatās your subconscious; you would never do it, but thatās what our brains do. Do I know why? No, our thoughts just do stuff like that sometimes. You just really [need to] stay grounded and know what you want out of life for yourself. Whenever Iām depressed or feel myself going into a hole, I surround myself with my friends and family; people that matter and make me feel good. When I have anxiety, I tend to leave everybody alone because the way my anxiety is, my anxiety makes me mad. I donāt know why. I have to go into my safe zone where Iām comfortable, relieve my own type of stress and just chill out by leaving the world alone.
WHEN YOUāRE WORKING ON YOUR MUSIC, WHATāS YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS? DID IT CHANGE OVERTIME OR HAVE YOU ALWAYS HAD THE SAME CREATIVE HABITS?
They for sure changed over time. I used to write, write, write. I started off writing poetry, then I started writing hella songs. Then, it was like, āI feel like writing is taking up too much of my time,ā and I used to be a very impatient person. I developed patience over time, but I felt if I kept jotting down this pencil on this notebook or putting my fingers to these [Apple] Notes, Iāll just keep overthinking everything. Every single line is not good enough and I hate that Iām so hard on myself. āThis line about love sucks, so let me freestyle it,ā I would just put on a beat, ask everybody in the room what they think about the song or the beat, theyād tell me what they think and Iād just put my headphones on and freestyle it. I have to freestyle everything so I wonāt get into a hole of not knowing what to say or not knowing what direction I should take.Ā If you play a beat or a song too long, it starts to get played out. I just donāt like to waste time.
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR SOUND IN THREE WORDS, AND WHY THOSE THREE?
(Laughs) I was going to say ābluntā or āreal,ā one of those. āVulnerableā; Iām blunt because Iām keeping it real in my tracks and Iām vulnerable because Iām letting you know how I feel. Itās always the player in me too, so how would I – āpimpināā? (Laughs) I donāt know, itās hard to even answer that because I have so many words that I could say, but Iām just trying to figure out the cool words.
IN A LOT OF YOUR INTERVIEWS, YOU DEEM YOURSELF AS A ROCKSTAR. WHAT WOULD YOU DEFINE AS A ROCKSTAR AND HOW DO YOU QUALIFY AS ONE?
A rockstar is carefree, āI am who I am and if you donāt like me, thatās you,ā and it doesnāt matter. Itās all about me, what I care about and how happy I am. When Iām on stage or in my interviews, Iām just being myself; rockstars do what rockstars do. Especially in my music, youāre always hearing guitars. I love alternative rock music. I grew up off that [while] playing Guitar Hero; I love the strings of electric guitar and I love going wild and crazy. Being a young Black female, you donāt see a lot of that. Tina Turner was a rockstar in my opinion. Being able to show people you have a wild side to you – people love that.
WHEN YOUāRE NOT BEING A ROCKSTAR, WHAT DO YOU DO DURING YOUR FREE TIME AND HOW DO YOU MAINTAIN BALANCE?
Iām really a family-oriented person. Growing up, I never could be family-oriented as much because I felt very misunderstood, I was in school and I wasnāt seeing my family like that till I got home. When you get home, youāre already sleepy ācause when you wake up in the morning, you gotta go to school. Now that I have time to travel and stuff, I like to be around my family more and rely on them for inspiration for my music.Ā
AS AN OPENLY BISEXUAL BLACK WOMAN IN HIP-HOP AND R&B, HOW IMPORTANT WAS IT TO BE OPEN ABOUT YOUR SEXUALITY?
Iām not gonna hold you, I just didnāt care. I grew up my whole life caring what other people thought about me and I feel like that damaged me as a person because why care about someone elseās opinion and not have your own voice? When it comes to sexuality or the way I want to live my life, itās my world and I live in it.Ā
WHATāS THE IMPORTANCE OF LGBTQ+ REPRESENTATION IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY?
Thereās a lot of work to be done everywhere, especially in that community. Some people are still afraid to come out because of opinions, but like I said, you are who you are. Who gives a fuck? It doesnāt really matter. Live your life for you; nobody else.
HOW IMPORTANT IS IT FOR YOU TO USE YOUR PLATFORM AS A GEN-ZāR TO ENCOURAGE YOURĀ PEERS TO USE THEIR VOICE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES?
Itās more so about being educated, too, because not a lot of us know whatās going on in the world. We find out news on social media half of the time. You get on Twitter and you see a lot of posts about police brutality, killings, and youāre asking āwhatās going on?ā. With our generation, itās more about becoming aware of whatās going on across the country, in other countries, and just being able to voice your opinion on anything without being afraid.
TO BRING THIS INTERVIEW FULL CIRCLE, IF YOUR YOUNGER SELF COULD SEE YOU RIGHT NOW, WHAT WOULD SHE TELL YOU ABOUT WHO YOUāVE BECOME?
Sheād tell me that I came a long way. I used to talk way too much and be way too in-depth with everything I have going on. Iām still nineteen, Iām still learning, Iām still growing. 17-year-old, 18-year-old me was just a wild child, very into everything and how I am now, Iām very laid back, a free spirit and I mind my own business and take care of what needs to be done. Iām an unproblematic person and I feel like it should stay that way.
CONNECT WITH KAASH PAIGE
INSTAGRAM // SPOTIFY // TWITTER // TEENAGE FEVER
Photos / Luan Pham
Story / DāShonda Brown (@SignedShonda)