Erika de Casier

Erika de Casier is a Portugal-born Danish singer, songwriter, and record producer. She began her career performing as half of the R&B duo Saint Cava. After the duo disbanded, she independently released her debut studio album, Essentials, in 2019. She signed to British record label 4AD in 2020 and released her second studio album, Sensational, in 2021.

Erika de Casier
de Casier in 2023
Background information
Born1989 or 1990 (age 33–34)[1]
Portugal
OriginCopenhagen, Denmark
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
Instrument(s)Vocals
Years active2014–present
Labels
  • Independent Jeep
  • 4AD

Early life

Erika de Casier was born in Portugal[2] to a Belgian mother and Cape Verdean father. She attended Catholic school until 1998 when, at age eight, she and her family moved to Denmark.[upper-alpha 1] She mostly grew up around her mother. She was unable to speak Danish when her family first moved, and was bullied at school due to her and her brother being the only mixed race students. She spent time painting and watching MTV throughout her adolescence.[4] At age 16, she spent a year living with a host family in the United States. Upon returning to Denmark, she joined her school's choir and band and began producing her own beats. After graduating from school, she moved to Copenhagen.[3] Before performing as a solo artist, she worked at a kindergarten.[5]

Career

2014–2019: Saint Cava and Essentials

Starting in 2014, de Casier performed with Andreas Vasegaard as part of the R&B duo Saint Cava. The duo performed at the Roskilde Festival in 2015 and released a string of singles through Danish record label Forbandet Ungdom before eventually disbanding.[5] During this time, she also worked with the Danish electronic collective Regelbau after meeting Natal Zaks, a member of Regelbau, in Aarhus.[3][1]

In 2017, de Casier released her debut single as an independent artist, "What U Wanna Do?", and released her second single, "Intimate", the following year.[3] She released her debut studio album, Essentials, on 16 May 2019 through her own label, Independent Jeep Records, which spawned the two prior singles as well as the singles "Good Time" and "Do My Thing".[6][7][8] Essentials was well received by critics, and appeared on several lists of the best albums of the year from publications including Vice,[9] Crack Magazine,[10] and Gorilla vs. Bear,[11] which also named Essentials as one of the best albums of the 2010s.[12]

2020–present: Sensational
de Casier performing in 2022

During the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, de Casier experienced writer's block, but was later inspired by the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement to begin writing her second studio album, Sensational. She wrote and produced demos for each song independently before working with Zaks, who produced under the name El Trick, to complete them.[1] Her April 2020 remix of English singer Dua Lipa's single "Physical" appeared on the remixes for the song after Lipa reached out to her.[13][4] She performed a set for Boiler Room's Streaming from Isolation series in May 2020.[14] In October 2020, she signed to UK record label 4AD and released her first single with the label, "No Butterflies, No Nothing", which also served as the lead single from Sensational, with a music video.[15][2] The Fader named the single as one of the best songs of 2020.[16]

In March 2021, de Casier released her second single from Sensational, "Drama".[17] She announced the title of Sensational and its scheduled release date, and released her third single from the album, "Polite", in April 2021.[18] The fourth single from the album, "Busy", was released in May 2021.[19] Sensational was released on 21 May 2021 through 4AD. It was described by Mixmag's Patrick Hinton as "bolder and more assertive" than her debut album.[4] In November 2021, she released The Sensational Remixes, a remix album of Sensational.[20] "E-Motions", her single with British record producer Mura Masa from his 2022 studio album, Demon Time, was released in September 2022.[21]

De Casier co-wrote several songs on K-pop girl group NewJeans' second EP Get Up, released July 2023, including the singles "New Jeans", "Super Shy" and "Cool With You".[22][23]

Artistry

De Casier's music is mostly pop,[1] contemporary R&B,[4][3] and experimental pop,[24] and has taken inspiration from music of the 1990s and early 2000s, incorporating genres such as G-funk, bossa nova, breakbeat, and trip hop.[8][5][4] She has listed Avril Lavigne's 2002 album Let Go, Brandy and Monica's 1998 song "The Boy Is Mine", Craig David's 2000 album Born to Do It, and Aaliyah's 2001 self-titled album as influences on her music.[25] She has cited Sade and Destiny's Child as groups that shaped her sound, while stating that Portishead, Tricky, and Mariah Carey influenced her vocals.[1] She sings, writes, and produces much of her music.[26] For Sensational, she developed an alter ego, the "fabulous", "Hausfrauen" Bianka.[4][20]

Personal life

In 2021, de Casier earned a master's degree in Music Creation from the Rhythmic Music Conservatory, and presented parts of Sensational as her final project.[4] She has described herself as "not a spiritual person at all".[5]

Discography

Studio albums
List of studio albums with selected details
Title Details
Essentials
Sensational
  • Released: 21 May 2021
  • Label: 4AD
  • Format: LP, CD, digital download, streaming

Remix albums
List of studio albums with selected details
Title Details
The Sensational Remixes
  • Released: 12 November 2021
  • Label: 4AD
  • Format: LP, digital download, streaming

Singles
List of singles, showing year released and album title
Title Year Album
"What U Wanna Do?" 2017 Essentials
"Intimate" 2018
"Do My Thing"
"Good Time" 2019
"No Butterflies, No Nothing" 2020 Sensational
"Drama" 2021
"Polite"
"Busy"
"Someone to Chill With"
"E-Motions"
(with Mura Masa)		 2022 Demon Time

Guest appearances
Title Year Artist(s) Album
"Relax & Run" 2022 Blood Orange, Eva Tolkin Four Songs EP
"Crush" 2023 Shygirl Nymph_o
"You're Not Alone" Courtesy, August Rosenbaum Fra Eufori

Remixes
Title Year Artist(s)
"Physical" 2020 Dua Lipa

Songwriting credits
Title Year Artist(s) Album
"New Jeans" 2023 NewJeans Get Up
"Super Shy"
"Cool with You"
"ASAP"

Notes
  1. While an interview with Crack states that she moved to Aarhus,[3] interviews with Clash and Mixmag state that she moved to Ribe.[1][4]

References
  1. Hussain, Shahzaib (27 May 2021). "Astral Realm: An Alternative Roundup #2". Clash. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  2. Hatfield, Amanda (20 October 2020). "Erika de Casier signs to 4AD with new single "No Butterflies, No Nothing"". BrooklynVegan. Archived from the original on 30 January 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  3. Cliff, Aimee (15 May 2020). "Erika de Casier: Quietly confident". Crack Magazine. Archived from the original on 29 January 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  4. Hinton, Patrick (June 14, 2021). "Fired up: How Erika de Casier grew into an R&B sensation". Mixmag. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  5. Reed, Matt (17 March 2020). "Erika de Casier". Metal Magazine. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  6. "Stream Erika de Casier's stellar debut LP Essentials". Gorilla vs. Bear. 16 May 2019. Archived from the original on 27 January 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  7. "Video Premiere: Erika de Casier shares intoxicating new single "Good Time"". Gorilla vs. Bear. 3 May 2019. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  8. Goldner, Sam (15 May 2019). "Erika de Casier's R&B Feels Like Hitting the Club with an Old Friend". Vice. Archived from the original on 31 January 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  9. "The 100 Best Albums of 2019". Vice. 12 December 2019. Archived from the original on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  10. "The Top 50 Albums of the Year". Crack Magazine. Archived from the original on 12 December 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  11. "Gorilla vs. Bear's Albums of 2019". Gorilla vs. Bear. 3 December 2019. Archived from the original on 29 January 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  12. "Gorilla vs. Bear's Albums of the Decade". Gorilla vs. Bear. 20 September 2019. Archived from the original on 30 January 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  13. Beaumont-Thomas, Ben; Snapes, Laura (1 January 2021). "Irish drill, jazz violin and supermarket musicals: 30 new artists for 2021". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 21 January 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  14. Sherburne, Philip. "The 7 Best DJ Mixes of May 2020". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  15. Rettig, James (20 October 2020). "Erika de Casier – "No Butterflies, No Nothing"". Stereogum. Archived from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  16. "The 100 best songs of 2020". The Fader. Archived from the original on 20 December 2020. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  17. Ihaza, Jeff (March 2, 2021). "Song You Need to Know: Erika de Casier, 'Drama'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 16, 2021. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  18. Darville, Jordan (April 13, 2021). "Erika de Casier shares 'Polite,' announces new album". The Fader. Archived from the original on May 16, 2021. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  19. Rettig, James (May 12, 2021). "Erika de Casier – 'Busy'". Stereogum. Archived from the original on May 16, 2021. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  20. Whiteley, Caroline (7 December 2021). "First Things First: Erika de Casier". Electronic Beats. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  21. DeVille, Chris (September 9, 2022). "Mura Masa & Erika de Casier Share New Song "e-motions": Listen". Stereogum. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
  22. Delgado, Sara (July 21, 2023). "NewJeans Continue to Write Their Own Playbook With "Get Up"". Teen Vogue. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  23. Kim, Joshua Minsoo (July 24, 2023). "NewJeans: Get Up EP". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  24. Corcoran, Nina (20 October 2020). "Erika de Casier signs to 4AD, releases new single "No Butterflies, No Nothing": Stream". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on 10 January 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  25. Dunn, Frankie (26 November 2018). "10 things you need to know about copenhagen musician erika de casier". i-D. Archived from the original on 29 January 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  26. Martin, Felicity (June 4, 2019). "Erika de Casier sounds like pop's past and future at the same time". Dummy Mag. Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
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