When
you're not prepared to accept the barriers that may lie ahead, there's nothing
stopping you from achieving your greatest dreams. Set your goals and shoot for
the stars.
Cassie Davis has done just that. She's a courageous musician,
determined to speak her mind and make music on her own terms while drawing power
and inspiration from the line of talented and skilled artists hailing from her
native Western Australia.
Cassie's debut album, 'Differently', encompasses
everything she is as a musician, songwriter, producer and a woman. She's sassy,
driven, multi-talented and has a true passion for creating songs and bringing
them to life.
"In my music, my life, fashion - I do everything a little
differently," she says. "I don't do things just because other people
think that's the way it should be done. That wouldn't be staying true to who I
am. I've always been like this. I like being a bit odd and the odd one out."
After
paying dues in local Perth bands, Cassie decided that if she was going to make
it big, she needed to go straight to the top.
With her sister Emma in tow,
Cassie spent years shuttling between Perth and New York and set up their own record
label, 12 Stones. Emma, who manages her younger sister, is also co-owner of 12
Stones.
Early pre-production on 'Differently' happened in Perth but Cassie
later went to LA to finish off the rest of her debut album. She worked with and
gained valuable advice from the likes of Rodney Jerkins (Michael Jackson, Britney
Spears, Beyonce), Printz Board (Black Eyed Peas musical director) and Wayne Wilkins
(Beyonce, Kylie, Natasha Bedingfield, Pink) who has come to be a big influence
on Cassie's writing. 'Differently' was mixed in LA by Brian Paturalski and Dave
Pensado.
Not content to be simply a singer and songwriter, Cassie is studio-savvy,
knows her way around the boards and is her own producer as well as a multi-instrumentalist.
"I've always thought, 'yeah, I can do that', then I go do it."
Almost unheard of for a debut artist, Cassie has produced Differently.
"I
never really believed I could produce. I always thought it was a boy's job because
that's only who you ever saw doing it. But one day I decided that I could do it
too.
"Women are so creative and as songwriters they have that emotional
thread but in production we have just stepped back. Yet production is such an
emotional thing and people need to be able to feel that as part of the music.
I love it when you hear a guitar lick in a song and think 'that's amazing' because
it touches you."
Cassie's first single 'Like It Loud' has surpassed
gold status and grabbed fans with its infectious, stand-up celebration of genre-hopping.
Now with her album, 'Differently', it's time to discover the other sides of Cassie.
The album's title track, 'Differently', was written and produced with Printz
Board in LA. "We agreed we wanted a song which people could bop their heads
to but the theme was that everyone has a way of dealing with things and what's
important to them. It's about finding your individuality and the things that make
you different.
"It was one of the last songs to become part of the
album and we weren't even looking for a title. After it was done, we realised
what a cool title it would be and it really served to pull everything together."
Cassie's
second single 'Differently' features Gym Class Heroes' Travis McCoy as guest vocalist.
He was attracted to the song because of its overall sassiness and says it's refreshing
and totally appreciates someone doing things a little differently.
"I
don't model myself on anyone and I think that's what gives artists longevity and
makes them stand out: when they don't follow what's cool and step outside the
box," says Travis.
Also featuring on 'Differently' is drummer Phillip
'Fish' Fishbone, founding member of the seminal ska/metal/funk band Fishbone.
He's worked with a long list of notables including Justin Timberlake, 50 Cent,
Rihanna, George Clinton, Pharrell, Q-Tip and even Cirque du Soleil.
While
there's no doubt Cassie has influences, she's filtered them through her own world
view to come out with a hybrid which treats pop, rock, punk, ska, urban and gospel
like favourite shirts she can't choose between. Depending on the day, depending
on her mood. Whatever!
"When I am writing or producing a song, I naturally
love this style or that but don't always know which way to go. So I just use them
all, so I can have my cake and eat it too!"
Cassie's musical influences
span styles and decades with Aretha Franklin, Mahalia Jackson and Brenda Fassie
and MIA at the top of her list. She loves them because you can feel their singing
deeply, to the core of your being. It's something Cassie has incorporated into
her own music. 'Like It Loud' is one of those examples - an urban pop piece of
heaven which is a perfect entree to Cassie's vocal power and stylistic dynamism.
'Amazing'
is a healing tonic for the soul. Written during a family holiday she didn't want
to be on, Cassie spent most of it inside with her treasured keyboard composing
this powerful ballad about never holding anything back when it comes to a relationship.
Cassie's
childhood best friend is from Ghana and music in her house pricked the young music-maker's
ears to the rhythms of Africa. Listen hard and you'll hear the infusions in songs
like 'Hero' and 'Necessarily'. She also injected that influence into 'Do It Again',
a song about having a night out which takes its base from traditional Ghanaian
rhythm and throws in some chugging guitars.
Cassie's journey to 'Differently'
has unquestionably been about "throwing my whole self into it and letting
go of everything around me".
"I have never been scared to write
about things that are real to me, which includes the album's darkest song, 'Mess
Of Mine'. I was going through some really heavy stuff and I talked about it and
let it out. In that song, I wanted the feelings to match the production and didn't
try and lighten it up."
The road to 'Differently' hasn't been easy,
but for Cassie Davis it's been an adventure in which she's learnt plenty about
herself as a young woman and an artist. Arriving in LA two years ago not knowing
anyone was daunting and lonely but Cassie found her feet. She forged amazing relationships
with some of music's coolest identities who very naturally started to sing her
praises. Their encouragement and support along with Cassie's own determination
and vision got the album finished.
"'Do What I Do' was a direct result
of that time, whether it's habits or people in your life that you need to let
go of, somehow you keep going back to the same thing. It's a bit of a serious
topic but I wanted to lighten the mood with the production, give it a Motown feel
and put in some trumpets to counteract it.
"There are few songs on
this album where I discovered something I wanted to fix or change in my life.
But that's what happens through the song writing process - you come to terms with
what's happening in your world and realise it's not the end of the world and you
can get through this. That's always how I come out at the end of a song."
Cassie
Davis is a home-grown talent determined to forge her own path in music as a triple
threat: singer, song writer and producer. With 'Differently', she's proven to
have an astute and creative handle on it all.
To Cassie Davis, 'Differently'
isn't just a word - it's a state of being.
'Differently' track listing:
1. Don't Wanna Dance
2. Like it Loud
3. Reset
4. Criminal
5.
Do It Again
6. Nothing You Can Do
7. Differently
8. No More
9. Mess
Of Mine
10. Do What I Do
11. Necessarily
12. Amazing
13. Hero
Bonus track-
14. Differently feat Travis McCoy
www.officalcassiedavis.com
Cassie
Davis' debut album, 'Differently', is available now.
