Enfnts Terribles

For your livestream concert you wore all pink, was that a reference to Mean Girls because on Wednesday, they wear pink?

Oh my gosh, I wish I could say it was, but actually, it wasn’t. I was able to perform at the Tate Modern Museum, and the space was very brutalist with a lot of concrete and it looked dark and industrial. It needed a pop of color to bring it to life, so we decided to just do pink.

You’re really into fashion, right?

Yeah! Fortunately, Gucci sent me the first outfit that I wore during the concert, an all-pink suit. However, halfway through the show, I switched outfits and for the second look, I made the top myself. It was a nice combination of wearing things that I made myself and high fashion brands.

I really like creating things, it doesn’t matter what it is. I’m a bit of a control freak and I like doing everything myself. So, I love making my own clothes because I am completely in control and can make something from start to finish.

What was it like performing without a real-life audience?

It was so strange. You know what the weirdest part was? When you end a song and you go into the next song, there’s no applause, so it’s just awkward like, “… okaaaay, now going to the next one.” But in my head, I treated it more like recording a music video so that I wasn’t expecting any audience engagement.

What was the best part of the performance?

Honestly, I was so excited when I found out we could do it at the Tate Modern. Everyone is doing live shows, so you need something that sets you apart. I used to visit the museum a lot as a teenager to look at the art, so performing there was such a dream.

Because of COVID-19, the space was cleared out, so there was no art. We really wanted to put an art context around it, so we had these live drawers on stage with me. They were from a super diverse art collective called 2bornot2b, it was so cool.

Just a few weeks ago, you dropped another banger about having bad days: “1,000,000 X Better”, with the British electronic duo HONNE. You also performed together for the live-stream. What was it like working with them?

Back in December, I saw that they followed me on Instagram, and they actually DMed me and told me they loved my music. I was a bit starstruck because I had been listening to their music for years now. Also, I had no idea they were from London, so I just said, “If you’re ever in London, I would love to work with you.” They replied, “Well, we live in London.” (laughs) The band was not on tour at the moment, so literally the week after, we got into the studios and made that song. They were the nicest guys ever, so it was really fun.

Another personal favorite is your single “Good Stuff”, about your family. Could you tell us more about them?

I’ve got a mum and dad and two older brothers, and we’ve been fostering since I was about eight. So, kids in care come to live with us, sometimes for years, but they always move on to either get adopted or find a more permanent place. Growing up, I experienced a lot of people coming into my life, becoming part of my family and then they completely leave, and I never see them again. I put those feelings in “Good Stuff”.

What was it like growing up with parents who both have an immigrant background?

My mum is Chinese but born in Vietnam, and after the war, they kicked out all the Chinese people and she immigrated to the UK. My dad was born in the UK, but his parents were Jamaican and were part of the Windrush generation. I grew up in a very white area, and I was one of the only girls in my school of color. So, I became used to sticking out and not looking like everyone else. But being this weird heritage mix you don’t see very often is all I’ve ever known.