Written by Sophie Wyatt
Hailing from North London, rising singer Catching Cairo is clearing the path for a new, alternative sound. Her dreamy R&B vibe makes her instantly recognisable and has gripped a wide ranging audience. Her lyrics take listeners on a journey into the inner workings of her mind, while also giving them a sense of relatability. We sat down with Catching Cairo to discuss her musical upbringing and debut EP ‘When it’s Over‘.
In the run up to her debut EP, Catching Cairo has released a number of singles. And each one can be pinpointed to a time in her life and development as an artist. But we wanted to know where it all began. The rising artist explained a bit more about her first memories of music and how her passion has pushed her to where she is now.
‘My mum sang lots of jazz, Motown and 60s songs around the house. She would often teach me the words while she was cooking and I was in the kitchen with her— she made it so easy. I’ve been singing since I was small. I don’t think there was a moment when I first realised, it’s more something I’d always done. I’d make up songs with my sisters for fun and we’d perform them in the living room. I’ve always known that’s what I love to do and I guess it’s intensified over the years and made me want to learn more and create more.’
Explaining her music as a ‘collection of moods, a dreamscape soundtrack’, Catching Cairo went on to explain a bit more about the journey and process that went into creating ‘When it’s Over‘. A culmination of 5 tracks, the EP touches on many emotions and invites the listener into the singers mind, while also encouraging them to breathe in their own emotions. She went on to explain a little more.
‘When it’s Over‘ is like a diary transformed into a collection of songs. I want people to feel the moods, the elation, loneliness, longing, desire, rejection all of it. I hope it evokes some memories and adds comfort as well. We all experience those emotions and feelings. Sometimes it sucks , sometimes it’s sweet. But yeah comfort definitely is something I’d want listeners to take away.’
With such emotion driven songs, we were interested in how Catching Cairo felt towards each of them. Much like the rest of her work, this EP is mixed and interesting in it’s sounds and diverse in the feelings it evokes. So we asked her, which of the songs she felt most connected to.
‘Naturally all of them. Track 2. ‘Token‘ I listen to a lot because I feel like that lot and I think too much , like I find myself saying that allll the time so definitely connected to that . As I’m saying this now my mood is ‘Token’. Proud-wise I’m proud of the entire project. It’s a big accomplishment for me.’
We then finished the interview discussing Catching Cairo’s future. And we were not disappointed. The young artist has a lot of plans up her sleeve, and this EP is just the beginning.
‘More expression and collaboration. Absolutely more music, I’ve got a bag of songs that I’ve been working on that I really want to share. Besides music lots of good energy and growth. Every days a lesson for me so as I learn new things and meet new people and see new places I’ll be charging my creative batteries. I can’t wait to do shows in 2022 too!‘