Singer-songwriter Cassidy King plays The Dinah in September, the largest annual festival for queer women #THEDINAH
INTERVIEW BY ELEANOR NOYCE, WORDS BY CHARLOTTE GRIMWADE, IMAGES VIA ILDK MEDIA
Calling all queer pop lovers! Ever heard of singer-songwriter Cassidy King? If not, you have now. Playing The Dinah – the largest annual event for queer women – on 24 September, she released her latest single Under Covers on 27 July. Endlessly uplifting, this latest project is a sonic call to arms for all LGBTQI women in need of a sapphic heartbreak bop to vibe to. Let’s go, lesbians.
In an exclusive interview with DIVA, Cassidy talks everything from growing up religious in Ohio to playing the world’s biggest party for queer women.
DIVA: Hi Cassidy! Could you tell me about your latest single, Under Covers?
Under Covers is really just about being comfortable with yourself. There was a long time where I was afraid of that. It’s just about accepting who you are, who you love and how you present yourself. I dealt with a lot of internalised and externalised homophobia from a very young age. I just get so excited when I think about the song because it makes me so proud.
DIVA: What was the musical process for this song like?
I wrote it in April 2021. We just started writing it and it was at a time when I was just so proud of who I was, and it was a feeling that I brought into the music.
DIVA: How does it compare to your last EP?
My last project I was in a really dark place. I was very sad and I portrayed that through my music. With this new music, it’s still heavy – that’s just how I am as a writer – but it’s a lot more fun. I wrote this project when I was heartbroken in LA last summer. I started dating and I really liked this girl. I got my heart broken, but I made some really fun music out of it. I felt like I was falling in love for the first time, and it was so fun.
DIVA: You’ve touched on the fact that you grew up in a religious community in Ohio. What was that like for you as a queer person?
It was tough. I didn’t even know I could be gay. I was taught that being queer was wrong and I struggled with so much internalised homophobia. Now I’m here because of music. Because I wanted to be honest. I felt like I wasn’t in my music for a long time so it really just made me have this urge to say something and be there for people. You can be from a really small town in Ohio, you can be gay, you can make music, you can do it all.
DIVA: What does it mean to you to channel your identity and represent the community in your work?
It feels good. I can just keep releasing music and it gets heard and people love it. They can relate to it and it’s a really beautiful thing that I’m very grateful for. I feel like I have this little community around me, it feels like a blanket I never knew I needed but it’s there.
DIVA: You’re playing The Dinah in Palm Springs, which is the largest annual festival for queer women. What does it mean to be playing an event like this?
I’m living my dream. I’m really about to go play the biggest lesbian party in the world. That’s crazy. When you grow up in Ohio, you don’t even know that things like that exist.
DIVA: If you could offer one piece of advice to your younger queer self, what would it be?
It’s gonna be ok. Take your time. Be gentle with yourself. Who you are is ok. Who you love is ok. And everything’s gonna come with time.
Under Covers is out now. Get updates about Cassidy and her music via cassidykingmusic.com. The Dinah takes place between 21 to 25 September, and Cassidy will be performing on 24 September. See you there!
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