Cassa Jackson is an independent artist who demonstrates that rising artists can carve out a name for themselves and achieve significant success without major backing. With 15 million streams under her belt and notable performances at venues like Wembley Arena, as well as opening for The Jacksons, things are certainly looking up for the artist. With a new single just released, I caught up with Cassa to ask her a few more questions.

Congratulations on the release of your new single "Reset Me". Can you tell us a bit about the inspiration behind the song?

Thank you! Yes, ‘Reset Me’ is my first ever ‘love song’ and let me tell you it has been a long time coming! It’s a song about appreciating your partner and thanking them for making you happy every single day. It’s inspired by wanting to celebrate the ‘little things’ and how that goes a long way to making you feel secure and loved in a relationship.

You've recently hit a career milestone of 15 million streams. How does it feel to achieve such success?

I honestly can’t believe it, that is such a huge number it is hard to comprehend. I remember when I first hit 100,000 streams and I was over the moon, 15 million really is a dream come true. Most of those streams will be from my sassy breakup songs, and I always say on stage, it’s shocking to see that so many people have related to songs about being in toxic relationships, but I hope that my fans will have come on this journey with me, learnt their lessons quicker than me and will be able to relate to my happy love songs now.

Your music has been described as relatable and empowering. What message do you hope to convey through your songs?

I hope that people can see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and just because you made the wrong choices in the past in terms of relationships, doesn’t mean that’s it for you. You can respect yourself enough to walk away and find someone who treats you the way you deserve to be treated. I read a quote recently that said ‘your choice of partner is a reflection of how much you love yourself’ and I really resonated with that as I personally love myself so much more now than I did a few years ago and now I am in a happy, secure loving relationship with someone who treats me so well. I guess everything happens for a reason and I hope that people feel empowered and good about themselves after listening to my music. 

From performing at Wembley Arena to opening for The Jacksons, you've had some incredible experiences. How have these experiences shaped you as an artist?

I was certainly thrown in the deep end, my third gig ever being at Wembley Arena, (all because my teacher put my song in a songwriting competition!) and all it made me think was ‘I want to do my own show here one day’, so ever since then I’ve been working towards that goal. I have had the honour of supporting some incredible, established artists and I have definitely learnt a lot from watching them perform, which has made me a more mature artist and has also made me more confident. I will never forget when Tito Jackson told me he thought I was a brilliant songwriter, that really gave me the confidence I needed to continue!

Can you tell us about your upcoming performances at the Silverstone Festival and Mr Gay World? 

I am very excited for these this summer. Opening for Busted at Silverstone Festival will be great fun as I am a huge fan of their music! And Mr Gay World will be wild – I performed in South Africa at an event for them, but this Grand Finale is a much bigger deal with a live TV broadcast too and I’m so happy to be a part of it. John who runs the event is such a wonderful man and I can't wait to see him again! 

You're known for your viral performances on TikTok. How does social media influence your approach to music?

Social media allows me to showcase why I wrote the songs and take my fans through that process. I like to sit in my car and play the song through the speakers and write the lyrics above me, I think this helps people resonate with the lyrics. I never write songs though hoping they will do well online, because I want my songs to have longevity, I just write from the heart and hope that people will relate!

As an independent artist, you've managed to carve out a successful career for yourself. What challenges have you faced along the way, and how have you overcome them?

It has definitely been a journey and I have learnt a lot along the way. I have learnt that no one is going to work harder or care more about the project than you, so rather than relying too much on other people, learn how to do it yourself if you want to get something done! Unfortunately I have come across some people who haven’t had my best interests at heart, this definitely made things difficult as a young naïve singer, as have lots of other female artists I have met along the way, but I have learnt a lot about the industry and music law and certainly won’t be making the same mistakes again! And what do you know, i have even written songs about that which will be coming out soon - silver linings hey! 

Your music has been compared to artists like Tate McRae and Maisie Peters. How do you feel about these comparisons?

I am over the moon with both of these comparisons. I went to watch Tate McRae last night and she was phenomenal. I have been a fan of hers since her very first Ep, so it is inspiring to see how far she has come. Both of these are bold, empowered women who are not only vocal powerhouses, but also very talented songwriters, and I certainly take a lot of my inspiration from listening and learning from their work. My dream would be to one day share the stage with either (or both) of them!

Can you share your creative process when working on new music? How do you approach songwriting and collaboration?

I use songwriting as my diary, so everything I write about is personal to me. Whenever I have a thought about anything, no matter how small I write it in my notes app on my phone (you don't want to look in there!) Then when I get into a session I sit down in the studio with my producer and for a good hour tell him everything that has happened to me recently and sure enough every time within the first five minutes, he says ‘that’s a song title’ to something I've said and then we consult the notes app and just write it as I tell the story. I tend to start with lyrics first and add the melody shortly after, but it varies. My favourite part is how you go into a session with nothing but a few notes on a page and a story and come out with a full on song that people will then be singing back to you at a show later that year - there really is nothing like it!

You've been nominated for an iHeartRadio award for TikTok Songwriter of the Year. What does this recognition mean to you?

It tells me that hard work pays off. I remember when I first started TikTok. I did it in secret and I posted something like 10 videos and ALL of them got zero views, that’s right ZERO. I thought it was broken or I’d uploaded them privately or something…but turns out I just needed to keep going and keep posting. Sure enough one day, I got some views and some engagement! The videos then started getting more and more views as I was consistently posting every day and people were actually listening to my music! Cut to like a year later and I’m in LA for the iHeartRadio Awards premiere having been nominated for ‘TikTok Songwriter of the Year’ …imagine I had given up after those initial 10 videos! It is also obviously very flattering that iHeart Radio nominated me for an Award, what a bucket list moment!

You've managed to balance your music career with your studies at Bristol University. How do you juggle these two aspects of your life?

What’s the saying? ‘Ask a busy person’. I am always at my best when I am busy and it means I am more productive when I go into sessions because I would have been waiting to get there all week! Also having studied French and Spanish, it helps when I get into the studio and want to write something in Spanish, because I can speak it fluently now thanks to the degree! Also being at Bristol I was able to make the most of the live music scene there, which definitely helped to shape me as an artist. 

What advice would you give to aspiring artists who are trying to break into the music industry?

It sounds cliché, but BE YOURSELF. If you write from the heart and don’t try to be anything you're not, then people will relate to you and see your human side and hopefully love your music even more for it. Also, be consistent and keep showing up, Rome wasn't built in a day! You may have listened to your songs on repeat for hours, but for everyone else this is the first they are hearing of it and in order to make someone bother to go and search your name and listen to your song, they need to know they will love it and might even have to see two or three videos about it before they decide to listen! And finally, believe in yourself, you really do have to be your own biggest fan, because if you don't believe in the music you are making, how can you expect anyone else to?

Lastly, have you got a message for your fans and followers?

Yes, firstly thank you. Thank you for supporting me. As an independent artist it is hard to get people to listen to your music, but I have such a loyal fanbase and I want them to know how much I appreciate them. Secondly, I hope my music has empowered you and inspired you. ‘Reset Me’ is where I am currently at in my personal life, but this year I am going to take you through the journey of how I got to this point (through song obviously) and I hope it helps people get through whatever they are going through. I also can’t wait to sing these songs live, as I am currently in the process of planning my own headline acoustic tour -  it will be like group therapy for sure!

Thanks Cassa- all the best for the future!

Author: Andrew Braithwaite

Andrew is the founder and Managing Director of Music Talkers. He's also a keen music enthusiast and plays the guitar.