Chloe Qisha is one of the brightest new voices in pop music right now and is being tipped as one to watch by some of the most influential outlets and tastemakers. With her self-titled debut EP receiving critical acclaim for its punchy lyrics and hybrid of genres bursting out of her, Chloe is looking to take her success even further with her follow-up Modern Romance. With a tongue-in-cheek humour injected into her lyrics that becomes infectious, each song is a striking concoction of sonics intensified by her bold lyrics and visuals. In this conversation, Chloe discusses her rapid rise in the music scene, what makes a great song, the process of making her new EP, and more.

The release of your second EP ‘Modern Romance’ is just around the corner. How are you feeling now that your fans will be able to hear it?

Really excited, probably even more excited for this one than my first EP back in November. I think there are so many more people who are anticipating it. I’m the most proud of this project than anything I’ve done so far. I selfishly can’t wait for them to be out on Spotify so I can listen to them there rather than on my files app.

I feel like a lot of artists don’t like listening to their own music—it’s got to be a great indicator about the quality of music that you enjoy listening to your songs.

I hear that as well, and I never understand it. I only write music for myself. A writer once told me that you should only make music you want to hear on the radio. I’ve lived by that when creating my music.

How do you think your creative process has evolved since the release of your last EP until now?

I can’t speak too much in terms of writing to be honest. All the songs from this EP and my previous one were written last year, so kind of around the same time frame. However, I’ve realised with the campaign behind this EP, I am a very visual artist. The visuals are a huge part of my world and the way I approach visuals creatively has evolved. Everything is much more considered, and I like there to be meaning behind the visuals.

For songwriting in general, what do you draw inspiration from?

With me and Rob (Milton), we find that most of the songs come from us joking around. I’m not one of those artists that necessarily comes into the session with ideas ready to go. The best songs come from us just catching up, and one of us will say something really silly, and then hours later we have a song based off conversation which is interesting. I would say there are only 1 or 2 songs that were inspired by real events. With that being said, anything you write about you can find similarities from your own experiences.

Speaking of Rob Milton, he’s very much been a constant guide in your career so far. What is it about your creative relationship that works so well together?

I think we just really push each other. Him being such a talented writer, he has such a vast knowledge of what makes a song work. I’m quite an ambitious person and I think I bring a different energy to the room which allows us to be free in our process and lean into the idea that there are no rules when creating music. That is why there is a tongue-in-cheek humour and a clear identity to each song.

There is a lot of deserved hype around you at the moment, and a lot of major tastemakers are labelling you as an artist to watch. Do you feel any pressure, or do you embrace it?

I think we’ve embraced it. The only pressure I feel is the pressure I put on myself. I want each project I put out to be better than the last. I’m feeling really grateful that people are recognising the hard work we’ve been putting in for the last year.

You recently announced your debut headline tour in October, but you’ve only really started performing live since last year. Have you developed any tricks or rituals for calming any nerves?

I don’t really. I do some vocal warmups, which I find on YouTube, so nothing professional like that. I should start going to a proper vocal coach and learn how to protect my voice. Right before we go on stage, the band will do a bunch of push-ups and burpees. I don’t participate, but that momentarily distracts me.

Are there songs from your set-list that you think always translate well live?

‘Evelyn’ for sure. That song from the first EP always goes down well. My MD, Fin, smashed the arrangement of that—it takes on a new lease of life when it’s live. Also, ‘I Lied, I’m Sorry’. That song hits different. We knew we wanted a live band from the beginning; Fin does an incredible job as he doesn’t rely too much on track. He encourages a lot of the organic sounds you hear to be played live which I think really comes across.

What do you think makes a great song?

I think the audience are gravitating towards more lyric-led songs than ever before. I also think having a great title is a contributing factor. So many people discover new music and you’re competing against thousands of songs being released constantly. A title can really help your song stand out amongst the crowd.

Your catalogue so far has been quite experimental in terms of sound. How important is it for you to not be constricted by genres?

Really important. There were some conversations with my team before the first EP wondering if the music was too incohesive. However, we concluded that even though there are so many different influences and genres interspersed, that is the most authentic version of me. In general, I listen to a variety of music, so it only makes sense that the songs I put out reflect that.

Touching back on your music videos, what’s the collaborative process like when bringing visual ideas to life?

With my last video (Modern Romance) it was a bit different. I work closely with my creative director Lillie (Eiger) who has taken on some of the videos as a director. I usually come into the process with some ideas regarding the tone and concepts, and then she will take that on board and elevate it. With Modern Romance, Lillie was away. I knew I wanted it to be dancing and wanted to work with a male professional dancer. The brief I gave to the directors (bedroom projects) was wet, male and black void. So, this time round I basically took on the role as creative director, which I really enjoyed.

If you could form a supergroup of artists that are out now, who would you team up together?

I would love to see Troye (Sivan) and Role Model—I feel like they would get on well. I would love to see another pop boy as well. I feel like I’m missing my pop boy groups at the moment. I can’t think of any on the spot. My depth of knowledge isn’t where it should be. For now, I need a collab between Troye and Role Model, whatever that looks like.

Obviously, your main focus is this EP, but are you thinking about possibly working towards an album? Or are you taking it all day by day?

I’m definitely taking it day by day. Writing never stops though—there is never a period where I’m not writing. The way we’ve been doing it so far is really good, where we take stock of the good songs we have, and if it looks like there is a potential project, then we move forward. We’ve been so lucky to be rolling from one project straight to the next, which was intentional. We wanted to keep feeding the listeners and strike while the iron is hot. The hope is that I will take stock again sometime this year and then see what we have and go from there.

Even though you’re still a relatively new artist, have there been any career highlights up to this point?

For sure, a lot of them have been very recently. The freshest one in my mind is getting a very lovely shoutout from Chris Martin the other day, which was so lovely. Chris is legendary and I think everyone is somewhat of a Coldplay fan and knows their music. So, to get that nod from him was incredible. Just seeing the songs grow on Spotify—I am a bit of a geek on Spotify—and seeing them hit different milestones in terms of streams, it’s like seeing my children grow. Also, knowing what the future is for touring and being so lucky being able to scale up so quickly in terms of capacity.

What advice would you give to any new and aspiring artists?

Everything has a time and place, and to trust the process. Very vague advice, but something I would have told myself when I got started on this artist journey. If it doesn’t feel natural, don’t force it. I mean that in terms of establishing relationships with other artists and writers. Figure out how best you work and try and find your people—your tribe.

Last question, what are you most looking forward to this year, the rest of 2025?

I am excited for tour; I think it is going to be incredible. I think I already have ideas of what I want to do at my headline show at Village Underground, as it’s such an iconic venue. I’m hoping there will be new songs this year after this EP—I can’t guarantee anything, but I am hopeful. I can’t wait to dig into a whole new world of visuals, I think that will be very exciting.

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