Lil Mariko

Katherine Mariko Zhang (born March 1, 1996), known professionally as Lil Mariko, is an American rapper. Her first single "Where's My Juul??" released in 2019 as a collaboration between herself and producer boyfriend Jared Soule (known professionally as Full Tac), became a viral internet hit with over 23 million views across YouTube and Spotify.[1] Her debut self-titled EP, Lil Mariko was released in 2021.

Lil Mariko
Birth nameKatherine Mariko Zhang
Born (1996-03-01) March 1, 1996
OriginNew York City, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)Rapper, songwriter
Years active2019 (2019)–present
LabelsFour Loko
Websitekatmzhang.com

Early life

Katherine Mariko Zhang was born to a Chinese father and a Japanese mother in 1996. Her family lived in Taipei for a while before permanently moving to Houston, Texas, where she would spend most of her childhood. Zhang played violin in middle school and graduated high school in 2014. As a child, Zhang and her family moved a lot due to her father's job but always came back to Houston.[2]

Career

2019–2021: Initial success and Lil Mariko

The collaborative single "Where's My Juul??" was freestyled by Lil Mariko as a joke in August 2019 using a beat made by Full Tac. The track benefited from Zhang's heavy metal past and love of 1990's rave music. Guitarist Russ Chell provides the metal riff on the track. Despite being made as a joke, Zhang took serious influence from Mindless Self Indulgence and The Prodigy. The music video for the track was released on December 18. Lil Mariko's vocals were also likened to Poppy.[3] The single was thematically compared to the 2006 viral hit Shoes by Liam Kyle Sullivan.[1] It would later reach a wider audience through the video sharing social media service TikTok, becoming a trend where users would lip sync to the song before transforming into creepy characters after the breakdown. The trend was comparatively similar to the clown check trend where users would do the same but to Insane Clown Posse songs instead.[4] The music video for "Where's My Juul??" was also temporarily removed from YouTube after receiving a copyright claim from Stevie Emerson, also known as Slappers Only on YouTube, disputing the use of the phrase "where's my Juul?" but was later reinstated.[3]

The couple's next single was "Don't Touch" which received similar viral acclaim, released on April 20, 2020. Later followed by a remix of Dorian Electra's track "Sorry Bro (I Love You)" on June 22 with a music video later uploaded on June 26.[5] Their third release of 2020, "Shiny" was released on September 3 with its music video uploaded on March 20, 2021.[6][7] Lil Mariko featured on Dorian Electra's album My Agenda on the track "Ram It Down" also featuring vocals from Mood Killer and Lil Texas. "Ram It Down" was described as hyperpop with a distinct metal flair.[8] Lil Mariko and Full Tac performed together during Dorian Electra's My Agenda Online Twitch stream on October 24, a fundraising event for Black Trans Femmes in the Arts.[9][10]

Lil Mariko's self-titled debut EP was released on March 18, 2021, and featured her previous singles "Don't Touch" and "Shiny". The track "Disgusting" featured guest vocals from Zheani.[11] The EP received a positive 4 out of 5 review by the student newspaper The Globe.[12] On April 3, Lil Mariko performed for Chester Lockhart's Chester's Bday Party live-streamed event. The event also encouraged donations to The Okra Project and Red Canary Song.[13]

2021–present: Upcoming studio album
Lil Mariko performing at the CTM Festival. February 2023, Berlin.

On May 1, Lil Mariko collaborated with Full Tac and Rico Nasty on a new single "Simp". The single was produced by Full Tac like usual, but with additional production from Russ Chell. Mariko's friend Sebastian Bidegain was featured in the music video dressed in a full gimp suit.[14] On July 16, Lil Mariko released a new single "Boring" featuring Full Tac. The single was released under the new record label created by Four Loko. A music video accompanied the single's release.[15] On the same day, Lil Mariko also appeared on Recovery Girl's mixtape Recovery Girl & Friends on the track "Feels So Good" featuring the additional vocal talent of Diana Starshine, GFOTY, and Space Candy.[16] In August, Lil Mariko announced her plan to relocate to Los Angeles to record her debut studio album. Mariko also revealed that more collaborative singles were to be released in the near future also.[17]

Personal life

Zhang attended Pratt Institute School of Art in 2015 and later graduated in 2018.[2] Zhang lives in Flatbush, Brooklyn and has been dating producer boyfriend Jared Soule, also known as Full Tac, since 2018.[1] Zhang recalls their meeting as Soule direct-messaging her on Instagram after she followed him and asked her to model for him. After initially getting along well, they ended up dating shortly afterward.[2] Zhang is also an avid vaper, and states her favorite flavor is cucumber.[1] Zhang's artistic talent includes; drawing, digital, photography, sketches and sculpting.[18]

Zhang revealed that she suffers from social anxiety and the idea of live performances frightens her but she is not completely opposed to it, theorizing she would get over the initial shock once she was actually on stage.[2]

Discography

Extended plays
List of extended plays
Title Album details
Lil Mariko

As lead artist
Title Year Album
"Don't Touch" (featuring Full Tac) 2020 Lil Mariko
"Shiny" (featuring Full Tac)
"Simp" (with Full Tac and Rico Nasty) 2021 non-album singles
"Boring" (featuring Full Tac)
Title Year Album
"Where's My Juul??" (Full Tac featuring Lil Mariko) 2019 Non-album single

Other appearances
List of non-single appearances
Title Year Artist(s) Album
"Ram It Down" 2020 Dorian Electra (featuring Mood Killer, Lil Mariko, Lil Texas) My Agenda
"Feels So Good" 2021 Recovery Girl (featuring Diana Starshine, GFOTY, Lil Mariko, Space Candy) Recovery Girl & Friends

Remixes
List of official remixes, with year released and original artist(s) shown
Title Year Artist(s)
"Sorry Bro (I Love You)" (with Full Tac) 2020 Dorian Electra

Music videos
Song Year Director
"Where's My Juul??" 2019 Jared Soule
"Sorry Bro (I Love You)" (Lil Mariko & Full Tac Remix) 2020
"KK Metal" (K.K. Slider cover)
"Shiny" 2021
"Simp"
"Boring"
"Hi, I'm a Slut" (featuring ppcocaine) [Full Tac Remix] 2023 Alicia Afshar

References
  1. Dunn, Frankie (January 23, 2020). "Lil Mariko & Full Tac, the couple behind cursed anthem Where's My Juul?". i-D. Vice. Archived from the original on November 5, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  2. Steebee Weebee (October 1, 2020). "Lil Mariko on The Steebee Weebee Show". Retrieved April 15, 2021 – via YouTube.
  3. Song, Sandra (December 27, 2019). "'Where's My Juul??' Is a Screamo E-Cig Bop". Paper. Archived from the original on February 4, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  4. Spence, Sade (April 2, 2020). ""Where's My Juul?" Trend On TikTok". Stayhipp. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  5. Full Tac (June 26, 2020). "Dorian Electra – Sorry Bro (I Love You) [Lil Mariko & Full Tac Remix]" – via YouTube.
  6. Full Tac (March 20, 2021). "Lil Mariko – Shiny feat. Full Tac". Retrieved April 15, 2021 – via YouTube.
  7. Simon, Noah (September 12, 2020). "Lil Mariko Is Screaming Her Way Into The Cultural Consciousness". Sparky. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  8. Chaudhury, Aliya (April 14, 2021). "Why hyperpop owes its existence to heavy metal". Kerrang!. Wasted Talent. Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  9. DORIAN ELECTRA (October 31, 2020). "Lil Mariko and Full Tac – Live at My Agenda ONLINE" – via YouTube.
  10. "Archive of online event "My Agenda ONLINE" celebrating Dorian Electra's new work released". Avyss Magazine. November 4, 2020. Archived from the original on December 6, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  11. Turmero, Carlos (March 23, 2021). "Lil Mariko, la reina del screamo de ascendencia japonesa que la rompe una canción a la vez" [Lil Mariko, the screamo queen of Japanese descent who breaks her one song at a time] (in Spanish). Mor.bo. Archived from the original on March 23, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  12. Wittman, Zachary (March 24, 2021). "Tracking New Music Releases with Zac Wittman: Lana Del Rey, Justin Bieber, Lil Mariko, Mare Cognitum, Ringo Starr". The Globe. Archived from the original on March 24, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  13. Lockhart, Chester [@chesterlockhart] (April 2, 2021). "UR INVITED TO MY BDAY PARTY 🎂 April 3, 12-2 pst twitch.tv/chesterlockhart live girlbossing by @0311asaki • @DORIANELECTRA @HANAtruly • @chaseicon @Miss_Benny • @umru_ @cartierchain • @moodkillermusic @katmarikoz • @ravennagolden @PetalSupply • @westonallen64 + many more 🧐" (Tweet). Archived from the original on April 15, 2021 – via Twitter.
  14. Moen, Matt (April 30, 2021). "Lil Mariko, Full Tac and Rico Nasty Link Up on "SIMP"". Paper. Archived from the original on May 12, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  15. Moran, Justin (July 23, 2021). "Lil Mariko, Full Tac Release "Boring" With Four Loko Records". Paper. Archived from the original on July 25, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  16. "Recovery Girl & Friends by Recovery Girl". Bandcamp. July 16, 2021. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  17. Kahihikolo, Ronald (August 6, 2021). "Lil Mariko is a Meme Queen". Office. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  18. "Kat Zhang". Katerine Zhang. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
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