Caity Baser: “I’m not going to censor myself for people that don’t like me”

As she’s nominated for a BRIT, releasing her ‘Still Learning’ mixtape and heading on a nationwide tour, Baser explains why she wants to remain a bold new voice in British pop. The week that NME touches down in Los Angeles, the city is in the midst of one of its most engaged Awards seasons in years. The Grammys – usually mired in controversy – have locked in performances from Joni Mitchell and Dua Lipa; The Golden Globes and upcoming Oscars, meanwhile, is the arena where Barbenheimer – 2023 blockbusters Barbie and Oppenheimer – will battle for supremacy. Billboards campaigning for votes tower over Sunset Boulevard and deep into downtown LA.

Nestled in west Hollywood, another bright young starlet seeks to be heard amidst the glitz and glamour: Caity Baser, a bold, colourful voice in British pop. She’s in La La Land for writing camps, the process of nailing down new songs with a variety of songwriters as she heads toward her debut album. How does Caity Baser in the US sound? “It’s quite similar to Caity Baser in the UK to be fair,” she laughs, speaking to NME in a photo studio in one of the city’s southern neighbourhoods. “I don’t think it’ll ever change my sound and how I write music. That will always be authentically me… I hope they like me in that case!”. The signs, then, are promising. In her home country, the 21-year-old is enjoying considerable success. This weekend, she’ll head to the BRITs to celebrate being nominated for the Rising Star award alongside Sekou and eventual winners The Last Dinner Party. On March 15, she’ll release her new 13-track mixtape ‘Still Learning’ and head out on a nationwide tour which flits between student union bars (Cardiff, Norwich) to London’s 5,000 capacity Hammersmith Apollo. This follows a Top 30 hit in the UK last year with the vibrant pop anthem ‘Pretty Boys’.

Baser’s is a large personality, one that seeps into every song – like bawdy new single ‘I’m A Problem’ – and on her social feeds and live performances, one that’s resonating with fans of a similar age. Her journey as an independent artist began in earnest in 2020, jacking in a job after three shifts at the Co-op stacking shelves to chase a dream even if she felt it was a faint one.