A DJ and producer with a penchant for dance music, Kitty Ca$h has spent most of her career spinning other artists’ music. This month, though, she officially released her first EP, Handle With Care—and now, she's on tour to share the tracks she's been working on for a year. Reaching career milestones that were once mere goals, Ca$h is playing at some of her favorite venues (Public Records in Brooklyn is a staple, after all) and collaborating with artists like Rico Nasty and Kilo Kish.
Below, the DJ—who's previously been tapped by artists including Rihanna, Thundercat, A$AP Rocky, and Migos—tells us about her dream of Alaïa dressing her on tour (making her feel like “the ultimate lady, but also just fab") and the excitement of finally playing her own music.
Here, photographer Hannah Sider portrays Ca$h as ethereal and otherworldly, creating a cinematic narrative with her subject in the starring role. Dressed in Gucci, LaQuan Smith, and Puppets and Puppets, Ca$h kicks back in Los Angeles and invites us into her technicolor universe (you can guess what's on the soundtrack).
Dress: LaQuan Smith; Shoes: Acne
Coveteur: You’re touring now for your debut EP, Handle With Care. How long did you work on this EP and what are you most proud of on it?
Kitty Ca$h: “I've been working on this for about a year, and it's crazy to think it's only 20 minutes long. It's been a labor of love, and I am most proud of committing to myself, having a vision and sticking it through, and not really settling in any direction in terms of the artwork, in terms of the features, in terms of the amount of time that it takes to make it happen. I think that was the most beautiful part of the whole thing. You're like, ‘I cannot force this, and I just have to let it be and let it happen.’”
Was there anyone you turned to for advice?
KC: “I have a whole friendship circle that I lean on so much because this was my baby. It's my first actual EP, and you overthink every part of it. A lot of my close friends are artists and creatives. Having that community and support is so important because it is a taxing process, and they definitely helped. We had little therapy sessions all the time.”
What goes into the venue selection process?
KC: “I wanted to do venues that I love, and Public Records—I think it's such a staple. It has a great sound system. It's for music lovers, and that really speaks to my audience. In Miami, we're doing Floyd. [The venues are] places I actually go to and I enjoy being at, and I love the [artists] they pick. I talked to my team about being in spaces that love music and [aren’t] afraid of exploring different genres and different styles, but just have a deep love for music. [The audience is] there to dance, and that was the priority. This is about dancing the night away, celebrating, and just having a good time.”
Full Look: Gucci
Look: JW Anderson; Shoes: Kendal Miles
What are you most excited about for this tour? What feeling do you want the audience to leave with?
KC: “This is my first Kitty Ca$h tour where I'm also playing all of my music, be it unreleased songs, edits, [or] songs from the EP. I got to tease a lot of songs on my previous tour opening for Thundercat, but this is my tour. You feel the growth in moments like, ‘Oh, I did the thing that I talked about months ago or last year.’ I'm just so excited to play my own music and see people's reactions and see how it's received. It's always fun to see how [my music] lives in the actual spaces that I DJ.
At the end of the day, it's always [about] making sure [the audience] remembers that a Kitty Ca$h set is that set you need to be at. You're going to sweat, you're going to dance, you're not going to look at your phone, and you're just going to have time.”
What’s your go-to snack on tour? Any habits you’ve developed on tour that you would never bring into your everyday life?
KC: “What's funny, actually, is I think it's the opposite. Because I've toured so much, I've learned to bring my habits on tour so I'm more balanced. Before, when I’d get home, I’d be like, ‘Why am I breaking out? I'm exhausted. I feel crazy.’ So now, I actually bring a candle or I have my flowers there. I have the things that make me feel a bit more centered. And I think that has come over time. A tour should actually be another safe space because I'm doing what I love here.
And okay, wait, my favorite snack. I have a lot of snacks. Oh my God, I'm about to sound so healthy: dried mango. Before, I was just all over the place, but now I've learned, ‘Oh, you don't have to be a hot-ass mess on tour.’ You can actually just keep it together.”
Tell me about the hot-air balloon in your "Time Machine" music video with Thundercat and James Fauntleroy—what was it like being on the balloon while filming, and what was the symbolism behind the visuals?
KC: “Filming was scary as hell. Every time I moved, they kept saying, ‘Make sure you're moving, so we get some movement.’ And I would feel the entire hot-air balloon shaking, and I was like, ‘God, I committed to this, but I don't know. Should I just sit down?’ That was actually terrifying and I had to do it twice at the crack of dawn. At 5:30 a.m. I had four coffees, and I was like, ‘We're going to get the shot and we're going to do this.’
All of the visualizers that I made I took from the different elements of healing. I have one that is focused around water, fire, dirt, and air, and I've interpreted those [elements] in my own ways. I actually had an experience on a hot-air balloon on a date with someone that just didn't turn out that well. And I was like, ‘You know what? I need to start using all these experiences in my art.’ It was a moment that felt really special and I thought, ‘Okay, this is going to be a thing.’ And then it just wasn’t. It speaks to being handled with care. This was such a vulnerable moment, and right after, there was a plot twist where this thing didn't work out. So I drew from a lot of my personal experiences with all of those visuals, but just not on the nose.”
Full Look: LaQuan Smith; Shoes: Kendall Miles
In an interview with Flaunt a few years ago, you said that a “primetime R&B plot-twist song” is your favorite type of song to drop in a set—what about that experience do you like? Since then, have you discovered other favorite genres or unexpected go-to songs for your sets?
KC: “I mean, I still love it. It could be R&B, it could be soul, it could be anything, honestly. What I love about that is it just speaks to crowd control. It speaks to you taking the audience on a journey and them actually being on that journey with you.
No matter what turn I take, you're with me because you're just in it. And that's one of the most fun parts of DJing where you're like, 'Wait, I never would've expected you to do this right now, but it works and it feels so good.'
I still love a plot twist, and I still love something that's just like, 'This is my shit. I didn't expect to hear it—be it an acapella, an edit, or an actual normal song.' I think it's always so fun to challenge yourself and experiment with music in that way. Now, my new go-to songs are my songs.”
How has your experience as a DJ influenced your own music?
KC: “What I loved about this process the most was being able to make songs and then playing a festival and testing it out. That part of it has been so sick because you can sit in your studio all day and say, 'I think this is amazing.' But being able to actually go out into the world again and get real-life feedback—that definitely allowed me to make certain tweaks, change jobs, change tempos, even change the energy of a song. You get to have your own case studies in real-time.”
If you could have any designer dress you for your entire tour, who would it be and why?
KC: “To be honest, my dream wardrobe would be full Alaïa. Sheer dresses, all of the new Alaïa looks. I would just pull up and be fab. I feel like you’d be the ultimate lady, but also you're just fab.”
Rapid-Fire Questions
What's the most ridiculous thing you've ever splurged on, and do you regret it?
KC: “The most ridiculous thing would be these Schiaparelli shoes that I bought. Ridiculous. But I never regret a splurge. Worth it.”
What's the most unusual item in your closet?
KC: “All my fucking cat hats. I have so many.”
What was your “it’s not a phase mom” moment?
KC: “Oh, DJing, actually.”
If you could collaborate with anyone (dead or alive) who would it be?
KC: “I would collaborate with the Gorillaz. Alive.”
Art Director: Smiley Stevens / Managing Editor: Hilary George-Parkin / Casting Director: Yasmin Coutinho / Executive Producer: Marc Duron
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