Cali Reed
Interview conducted on September 9, 2021
By Dan Locke
Fiercely talented pop artist Cali Reed is alive and well but reminds us that “bad habits die hard” in her poignant new single “Die Hard.”
Hailing from a proud line of entertainers, Cali Reed is a singer, songwriter, and producer who is dedicated to the art of character embodiment. She delivers raw emotional truth in every record and live performance while aiming to bend the rules if not ignoring them altogether. Reed draws from countless influences including Nikki Minaj, Avril Lavigne, and Missy Elliot.
You hail from a proud line of entertainers. What was your upbringing like?
Everyone on my father’s side of the family are entertainers or were at some point. Clowning, acting, singing, joke-telling, dancing, playing the piano—they’ve done it all. And I loved it all. My parents were just seventeen when they had me and they had a very toxic relationship to which I was exposed. I saw my father for the last time at five years old. However, I continued to see my grandparents and the rest of his family. Just not as often as I wanted to. Growing up not knowing my dad, but knowing his whole family, strongly fueled my desire to connect and relate to that side of who I am. Music has truly always been in my blood. I was mainly brought up with my mom and 5 younger siblings. We’ve all been through a lot together: a few dads, plenty of moving, raising each other. Nothing brought us closer than singing musicals or viral YouTube songs, quoting and acting out entire movies, playing instruments together. Man, it was so fun. My teenage years saw a bit of trauma, which loved the company of hard-core rock, punk, and metal, and also deep, slow, spacey, sad music. But I still constantly needed to be the strong one for my siblings, so I was also always spunky and cheerful and lifting everyone up and keeping everything light and fun, every single day til I left home. All these things helped shape both me and my connection to music and emotion and pain and strength.
How did you discover music? When did you start to write music?
I discovered music in a few significant stages. At a very young age, I remember my father playing very deep, dark, emotional music on the piano for me, and I remember hearing a lot of songs by Aqua on the stereo and I loved them. Then at like six years old, I remember hearing “My Immortal” by Evanescence. That was the first moment I decided to write music. I was so moved, in my little tutu. I grabbed a pencil and paper and ran up to my tiny vanity desk and wrote my first song. It was probably terrible. I started writing melodies in middle school, but I didn’t know how to write music, so I just drew dots in a line going up and down, hoping I’d follow along with my voice and remember the melody. I got better in high school when I picked up guitar. Then at sixteen, I recorded at my first studio through a family friend and ended up writing and recording music for the events of companies like Paul Mitchell and Send Out Cards.
Why did you decide to play flute in your school band?
Honestly and simply, my mom played the flute, so I wanted to play the flute.
Describe your music in a sentence or two!
My music is ever-evolving just as I am, but it often goes one of two ways: deep and spacey with rock and electronic sounds, guitar, synths, and emotional vocals. Or spunky and somewhat quirky with hip hop and pop influences, catchy drums, distinct sounds, and very animated vocals.
What was your first performance like?
My absolute first performance in front of a real audience was singing the national anthem at a middle school basketball game. That damn song has such a range of notes. I was terrified, trembling. But I did it. And I knew the high note was bit flat, but I still felt like I killed it.
My first paid performance with a whole stage team and wardrobe and choreography was life-changing. It was for a Paul Mitchell show at the Aria in Las Vegas. There were thousands watching, and I was only PUMPED this time, no nerves whatsoever. I was dressed in a crazy, sexy football uniform, performing a very poppy “bad bitch energy” song. I saw the magical art of live shows and the insane amount of energy that comes with them—it is felt through each performer on the stage and through every single person watching.
Do you belong to any songwriters’ organizations like, SESAC, BMI or ASCAP ?
Yes, ASCAP!
What do you feel makes a good songwriter?
Being authentic. Everyone can hear when you’re being real, and it speaks so much louder than anything else. Being in touch with what you think and feel. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in what other artists are doing currently, or what’s trending, or what the rules are for making a hit. But a songwriter’s best work comes when they let all that go. However, with that being said, I believe a good songwriter also constantly experiences new music, new releases, new genres, music from one or two hundred years ago. There’s something marvelous in all of it that we can take with us and let it inspire us and put into our art.
What was the title of your first original song? Did you ever record it?
Wow, I honestly cannot remember. I’m thinking so hard! I had so many notebooks full of songs, I don’t specifically know the very first.
Tell us about the process of writing your music?
The concept phase often happens on road trips, which my life partner (LP) and I take a lot of. We play instrumentals for hours and record voice memos on our phones. Producing is always pretty spontaneous. Just starts with scrolling through sounds on synth plug-ins or on splice or making sounds with our voice and playing around until something catches. We often place our voice memos inside the recording session to reference and build on. My LP has tons of experience and helps me a lot with my writing as well as with coaching me during the recording process. I produce my own vocals, which is so fun. For the most part, when we start a song, we stay up all night and all the next day until it’s done. The process is so enticing there’s just never a time when it seems like a good idea to stop.
Tell us about your latest single “Die Hard”?
Die Hard addresses just how hard it can be to remove ourselves from any sort of toxicity because sometimes it’s all we know and that makes us comfortable. My LP and I put pieces of both of our pasts into the lyrics, and we wanted to deliver them in a witty and abstract style. To be honest, we began writing this song for someone else, but it became too personal to let go.
How was it to work with Christopher Reed?
It was really special to be able to work with Chris. He’s so enthusiastic about his work and every piece of the process, no matter how tedious. He has a unique outlook on everything, which pours into his creativity and productions. His chill vibe made everything flow so smoothly and I felt completely free to embody this piece of work to the fullest. And I really felt like I was watching Chris through my LP’s eyes, seeing his son’s work and passion in real life, and I felt so proud and honored.
Tell me about the making of the video for “Die Hard”?
Damn, where do I start? I guess it began with some back-and-forth story boarding between Chris, his wife Kayla, and me. We went to thrift stores to buy all the props. I had this idea for a dress, so I picked out a bunch of fabrics from Joann’s, and my LP crafted them together with his sewing machine to make the skirt that I wore in the video. We all drove to LA and rented a film studio for a few days. Setting up with only a handful of people was crazy and took about a whole day for both main scenes. But it was so cool to see my family putting in so much work for my project. My LP was my number one fan. He did the main set up of literally everything, and he was constantly checking on me, asking if I’m good or if I need anything. My sister did my makeup, and we were goofing off the whole time I wasn’t filming. My mom came to help, and she was the best emotional support. The absolute most fun part was the paint scene. We poured a bunch of tempera paint and water into a bathtub. It. Was. Freezing. But so fun. I truly felt like a bad bitch. I had to use the pendulum (screwed onto a big piece of metal to make it stronger) from a grandfather clock to go around smashing all these other clocks. Serious hazard wow. And I was dripping wet. So I successfully shattered a few clocks. Glass was everywhere. I went to the next clock and swung at it full force, and the pendulum slid right out of my hand, slicing it open in two spots. I was rushed to the ER where I had stitches. I was mostly worried about not being able to finish filming, but Chris said he could make it work. And he did. It was a rollercoaster but so fun and fulfilling.
The video has already been awarded Best Music Video at the 2021 Seattle Film Festival. Are you ready for the MTV video awards?
I’m ready for anything. I love the MTV VMAs and I can’t wait for the day when my work is recognized by them.
What are your feelings about streaming music?
Streaming music is one of the greatest gifts we’ve ever been given. It’s amazing that we all have access to such an abundance of good music for such an affordable price. And it allows independent artists to share their music with the world without the cost of hard copies. Some might say that streaming has made it harder for musicians to make money, but I say there’s plenty of ways to make a living with your music, and I truly believe people shouldn’t have to pay so much to have the gift of music. And hey as a bonus it eliminates the use and waste of materials.
What song from the past is in your mind right now? Moreover, what is the meaning that song means to you?
Today I’ve had “Say It Right” by Nelly Furtado in my head. The song kind of goes all over the place with meanings about love and life and inhibitions. But to me personally, the song as a whole represents a time where I started to discover hip hop and fell in love with the sounds of the beats. I used to play this song on repeat on my first little MP3 player.
If “Video Killed the Radio Star” do you think that the Covid-19 virus has killed live music?
Absolutely not. COVID may have kicked live music in the stomach hard, but it did not kill it. The single one thing I hear people say they miss most about pre-pandemic times IS live music. We as humans need it. It’s been a part of every culture since the beginning of time—being with a community and enjoying music together. Live music is already coming back slowly and cautiously, and it will continue to do so. There’s no other way about it. It has to or we might just break out into complete chaos. I’m joking, sort of.
What are some of the things you did during your self-quarantine?
I tried to find new places to work out like the park. I started taking walks through my wonderful neighborhood that is the Las Vegas Arts District. My LP and I built a fort on our balcony and brought snacks and tv out there and slept in sleeping bags. We did self-pedicures in our bathtub. We set up a mini basketball net that we hoop on all the time. Lots of songwriting of course, mostly for other artists though.
How did you stay healthy and/or sane during the lockdown?
I found a new love for working out, yoga, meditation, and mindfulness. My diet was constantly improving because I had so much time to read about health.
Did you discover or rediscover any new hobbies?
I, like plenty others, discovered I love plants. I discovered I love Pilates. Baking and cooking. I got really into artsy/abstract makeup. I rediscovered my love for bike riding. Started playing more guitar. Started learning piano.
With more and more live music continuing to open, are you willing to play large concerts and festivals and what precautions would you like to have in place?
I am definitely willing to play large concerts and festivals, and I think temperature checks and negative test results would be great precautions to take.
In the past if a musician stopped doing music, they may look to find a new career. For example, David Lee Roth from Van Halen became a licensed
EMT in NY for 6 years, San Spitz (guitarist for Anthrax) became a master watchmaker, Dee Snider (Twister Sister) did voice over work for SpongeBob SquarePants… If you couldn’t do music, what would you like to be doing?
I think I’d definitely have a sustainable farm and grow food. And I’d be a chef, making like really exotic and innovative dishes and starting famous organic restaurants all over the world.
What or where is your happy place?
Always with my love and life partner. But beyond that my happy places are NATURE NATURE NATURE and studio sessions. I always imagine I could combine the two like somehow put my studio in the middle of a lush jungle and just blissfully create while being one with the beautiful earth.
Now that TikTok is now fully licensed by a few major record companies, and or record companies are looking to the platform to see what is buzzing, will you start using TikTok more?
Yes 100% I’ve already been discussing the kind of content I’d like to create on TikTok. I love the platform. I think it allows the youth to support music in big ways—music by artists that may not have had as big of a chance without TikTok— and I can’t wait to be more present on there.
TikTok is launching TikTok Radio, a full-time SiriusXM music channel going live this summer and will be part of a new TikTok collaboration with SiriusXM and its subsidiary, Pandora, to jointly promote emerging talent. Do you think this platform could become a force in the future of streaming music?
Totally. The ways in which we receive music are constantly evolving for the better. And it is especially changing for independent or emerging artists, and I think the whole world wants to see that. For listeners to be able to hear a wider array of new music and discover new artists to relate to and fall in love with. And for artists to have a platform whose goal is to help elevate their work for everyone to experience. I think that is huge and will inevitably become a strong force in streaming.
Anything you would like to say in closing?
Thanks so much for talking with me and get ready for a lot more because I’m just getting started!!!
