Cassa Jackson
7th October 2021
Photography: Owen James Vincent
Make Up Artist: Natalie Stokes
Hairstylist: Rowan Ireland
Stylist: Megan Smales
Digital Editor: Diana Martynkevich
Interview: Amy Bell
Logo Design: Emily Curtis
Cassa has just finished her finals at Bristol University reading French and Spanish with a first class honours. Her aptitude for languages has opened doors across Europe where she has worked closely with the Parisian duo sensation KLYMVX, recording at the Studio Grande Armée in Paris. She also has a track with renowned DJ Steff Da Campo which is due to be released this month. There’s no doubt that her wide understanding of how language works has enabled her to craft songs with lyrics which are universal and relatable, whilst all the time sticking true to her personality and her own passionate nature.
Cassa has over 4 million Spotify streams, with ‘Parallel Universe’ reaching over a million and a quarter streams alone. She has a whopping 162k Tik Tok followers. Cassa has received huge support from Melita Dennet at BBC Introducing in the South and five of her songs have been picked as ‘Track of the Day’ on BBC Radio Surrey and BBC Radio Sussex (along with many others making the playlist).
Dropping her new EP today and about to tour with the phenomenal boyband, JLS. We chat to Cassa about music, hidden talents and we ask Cassa how she's feeling about touring with one of the biggest boybands in U.K. pop history!
Hi there Cassa. Thank you for talking to ReVamp! How would you describe your music style and do you consider it to have changed over the years?
Hey! Thanks for having me. My style is soul pop. A fan once commented ‘if Miley Cyrus and Shakira had a daughter’ which I think sums it up nicely. People say that the hooks and melodies are catchy whilst at the same time telling a clear relatable story. As the subject matter is autobiographical I’d say it’s definitely grown with me over the past few years. Fundamentally I write songs about relationships, sometimes sassy and upbeat, sometimes sad and raw.
Congratulations on your new EP! What's your favourite track from the record?
My favourite song from the EP changes everytime I listen, but right now I'd say it's probably 'Crossroad' because it's so emotional and heartfelt. It's about being confused and not really sure where you stand in a relationship. It was hard to write because my emotions were so raw, but when I wrote it it really helped me figure out my feelings and I hope it helps other people too! I also love the title track 'I Don't Like It When You Talk About Her' and I wrote it with the tour in mind, imagining myself performing it at arenas all across the UK and it's gonna be epic to perform!
You're about to support JLS on their comeback tour! Congratulations! How are you feeling about it all?
I'm excited is an understatement, it's so close now only a couple of weeks away and I'm counting down the days! It's going to be the biggest thing I've ever done in my career so far. I'm now just sorting out my setlist and costume and merch and rehearsing. I was also a HUGE JLS fan when I was younger, so the fact that I'm now touring with them is awesome.
Funny story, my family and I went to watch Fleetwood Mac at the 02 arena when I was younger and sat right at the very back and my mum was struggling to see we were that far back. Anyway as we left she vowed she wouldn't go back unless she knew someone performing and little did she know it would be me! Playing the 02 has always been a dream of mine and I can't quite believe it's happening - 4 times as well!
You're known for your singing but is there anything we don't know about? Have you any hidden talents?
In terms of hidden talents, I speak French and Spanish because I did a modern languages degree at Bristol University (and I got a First haha)! I can't wait to release some songs in Spanish too. I used to be a gymnast and when I was younger, I used to train many hours every week to a high level. I'm therefore still very flexible and I can still be caught doing walkovers and splits etc in the garden aha!
After gymnastics I took up swimming and even competed in the Nationals! My favourite stroke is Butterfly and I love challenging my male friends to a race. They are always so surprised when I beat them by a long way aha! (Less of a talent, more of an obsession, I love dogs, in particular rescue dogs. When I lived in Madrid I volunteered for a charity called 'VidaConPerros' which seeks to rehome rescue dogs!)
Now that the world is slowly getting back to normal, where are you most looking forward to performing again?
I have some very exciting news which I haven’t announced yet, but I will get to perform at one of my dream venues in the near future and I am overwhelmingly excited. Watch this space! I’m also looking forward to performing in London for all my new fans who started following me in lockdown.
What's next for you, Cassa? Any message you'd like to share with your fans reading this interview right now?
More music to be released, more pieces of the puzzle that is my world. My new single called ‘Wish I Didn’t Care’ came out on September 2nd which is a sassy song about envy and frustration. It’s one of my personal favourites.
To my fans reading this right now, thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I couldn’t do anything I do without your support and I will continue to make music that touches your heart.