We’ve become so consumed with pop acts rising from TikTok virality over the last two years that it becomes a breath of fresh air when we witness a form of organic growth from the app. Nineteen-year-old Caity Baser is the opposite of a wannabe pop figure, unintentionally building a platform for herself and simply riding the wave that formed.
She debuted with her Lil CB mixtape in summer 2021, and her now manager tuned into one of the many freestyling videos the artist made during lockdown and decided to make the first call. It’s since been smooth sailing for Baser as she draws comparisons to the likes of Lily Allen and Kate Nash for her sharp wit and incorporation of modern British slang within her lyrics.
The latest addition to Baser’s catalog, “Friendly Sex,” extends her momentum, racking up a colossal 4 million views days after posting the 60-second clip online. Running off the adrenaline, Baser headed to the studio with Future Cut (Little Mix, Rihanna) to finish the track, and within a week “Friendly Sex” hit streaming platforms to the sweet tune of 1 million streams and counting.
Speaking to EUPHORIA., Baser gives a retrospective dive into her career thus far and offers a peek into what lurks on the horizon.
Hello Caity! How are you doing today?
Really good, thank you! I came up to London from Southampton because I had a weekend of being crazy with my friends just dancing. Like non-stop. I’m literally so tired, the bags under my eyes are terrible.
Why don’t you briefly explain how you entered the music scene and how long you’ve been writing music?
I posted a TikTok in 2020 during lockdown when life was just terrible, you know, and nothing was going good. I posted a video of me in my pajamas, no makeup on just singing about how much I hated everything. And it got, like, a million views in a night? I never really took TikTok seriously, I just got it to take the mick out of my friends.
And then my now manager messaged me on Instagram and was like, “Hi, I’ve seen your recent TikTok. Can you give me a call?” I was like, “Who are you? why are you calling me?” And she said, “I work for a management company in London; come visit us.” The next day they put me in the studio with Future Cut who is Lily Allen’s producer — the rest is history.
We’ve recorded music all summer and all winter. I’m still doing it now and it’s literally the best thing ever.
You’ve got quite a conventionally British way of songwriting, which can often link comparisons to the likes of Lily Allen, Kate Nash etc. — who did you grow up listening to that you think influenced the way you write music?
The thing is, I grew up listening to every single kind of music you could ever imagine; Motown, jazz, blues, early 2000s boy bands … everything! But I’d say I’ve always been very honest and I’ve always liked listening to funny, honest songs. You know, Rizzle Kicks, Kate Nash, The Streets, I love that kind of stuff. I also love talking about things that have happened to me and I’ll never be metaphorical about it. I’m just like, listen, you’ve annoyed me.
Do you think that a lot of your best tracks come from this freestyle approach we see on your TikTok?
Definitely! When I think about it, the videos that have blown up the most on TikTok are the ones of me where I’m literally tidying my room and I’ve just put a beat on and sing how I’m feeling at the time. I write songs really quickly and when I’m in a flow it can take me only 10 minutes to write a song.
It’s been quite a hectic past couple of weeks for you, hasn’t it? A lot of people in the industry dream of having a track go viral on TikTok, how does it feel to have a couple of those yourself?
It’s so funny because in every video I post, I just posted it to be like, this is a thing that I did and I don’t care what the outcome is because I love it anyway. Then I’ll normally turn my phone off, or I’ll put it to the side for half an hour, and then I’ll pick it back up and see that a video has blown up. Then I’ll screenshot and tell everyone that I know!
Attempting to go viral is something we see quite a lot of on TikTok, but for you, this was never your intention and you were just having a little bit of fun — were you prepared at all to receive this kind of attention?
To be honest, I just find it I find it so crazy. Ever since I released my new track “Friendly Sex,” I’ve gotten recognized so many times. For example, yesterday, I was in a shop trying to get some chorizo and this girl in front of me just starts whistling and I was like, “that’s my song!” She was like, “Oh my god! My friends and I love your music!”
But yeah, it’s crazy. I love it. I feel very cool.
Your track “STD” is what blew things out of the water for you and now the new single “Friendly Sex” is starting to look like the second wave. Could you tell us how this track came about?
Basically, I’ve been hooking up with this guy and you know when it’s nothing and you don’t feel anything, and then there’s one or two nights where you’re like, hang on a minute … Why are you looking at me like that? Then one weekend we went to this techno event and he brought this girl with him. I never usually get jealous but I stood there thinking who was that? Why is she here? Why didn’t I want you to be there with her but with me instead, what does that mean?
I put a beat on whilst I was cleaning my room and the lyrics happened straight away.
Are we right in thinking that the track wasn’t even finished when it started catching people’s attention?
No, I literally made that 60-second video, thought nothing of it and was like, “yeah, cool, that will be a thing people enjoy.” Then my manager calls me and says, “Caity, finish the song today, it’s blowing up, you need to finish it.” I finished the song in 10 minutes and the next day I went to the studio to record it and get the final master back. It was all very intense!
What does the typical Caity Baser recording process look like?
It’s all over the place. I’m not gonna lie, I’m very chaotic, if you couldn’t already tell. I don’t really have a direct songwriting process, I mean, the best songs of mine come together when I’m in my room just messing around. But also I love going into the studio because of how fun it can be. My producer always provides the best beats and concepts for tracks.
Queen of teasing new tracks on a daily basis, do you plan on releasing any of your other unreleased tracks?
Definitely! I have hundreds and hundreds of songs so I want to be like: “Here’s the thing guys, if you like it, blow up and I’ll finish it and release it in the next two weeks.” You know what I mean? I like listening to what the people want! I hate it when you really want a song from an artist and they say it’ll come in the next two years. So I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing as that’s what works well. It’s why “Friendly Sex” has got a million streams in less than a month because I was so quick on it, and I don’t mind doing that because I’m chaotic.
Now that you’ve captured everyone’s attention, what’s next for Caity Baser?
Tunes upon tunes. Absolute bangers. Trust me, it’s all up here in my head. I’ve even got some songs finished that everyone’s gonna love. Just music, music, music, live shows, parties, going out, and meeting everyone. I just want to get everyone that likes my music at a show and just hit it off together. Great vibes and good energy, that’s what’s coming next.