Cassie Dasilva hits hard with her relatable lyrics; she just knows how to find her own way to make something her own. In her new song, "Part of the Club," she turns her go-to breakup songs into a love song that hangs on her ideas of cynicism disintegrating. We caught up with her to talk about relationship myths, timelines, and her artistic process.
Tell me about your new song?
Cassie Dasilva: I'm the breakup anthem queen, but I wanted to write a love song; it's kind of about how I'm really opposed to traditional relationship norms. I wanted to make my version of a love song and how when you meet the right person, you understand why people do all of this.
Now, we have to talk about relationship norms. I feel like people push certain timelines.
Cassie Dasilva: It was last summer, and I had seven weddings to go to, and it was the summer of weddings. I love a wedding, don't get me wrong, but it's just not for me. Is it not just about the person you're with? Why does it have to be a big production? I'm a little cynical, and now I'm in love, and maybe I can come around to a few of these things.
A lot of people get married to get married, and I think they kind of settle for people.
Cassie Dasilva: There's a big to-do list that's inherited. I have not followed that for anything; I'm a musician, and I've never done anything that's been expected of me. My boyfriend is a musician, too, and we're not following any conventional paths. Probably the Aquarius in me that can't just do what other people are doing.
I feel like people think they're wasting time, and I'm like, there's all the time in the world.
Cassie Dasilva: I get that, and I think I approach things day by day. We're on the same path today, and until the day we're not, then that's great. I think it's easy to get caught up in that. I can't wrap my head around the crazy weddings. People would always say, "When is it your turn?" And my response was always, "If I get a wedding, then how can I afford all these other weddings." There's a line in the song that's like, "Can't even afford all my best friends weddings, but maybe we'll fly to Vegas and get drunk enough that we'll say yes."
I love going to a wedding, but I can't spend that money on a wedding. It's one day.
Cassie Dasilva: I feel like the standards keep getting raised, and I love a party and hanging out, but it is like I have bills to pay. I'm happy for people to be happy. I've kind of turned my nose up and all of these things. I don't want it, but I do love this person, so maybe I would. I'm not saying "no" anymore. It's such a me love song because I'm so not a relationship person who happens to be in a relationship.
Are you on the "divine feminine" TikTok, and they say, "If you're not engaged in a year," you're not a high-value woman?
Cassie Dasilva: I hate that stop telling me what to be. I have always been super independent. I don't like to feel tethered to anything, and that's the internal struggle of this song. I so badly want to be that, so why are you so awesome? I'm never going to be this outspoken, independent, do my own thing, go my own way type of person. So if someone is along for that ride, then that's perfect.
It's about finding a person that fits you.
Cassie Dasilva: To each their own! My personal goal isn't to have a family by this age; I" 'm more career-focused. If your goal is different, that's fine. There's a lot I want to do first. When I see those TikToks, I just skip past them; it's not speaking to me. I hope people aren't getting their worth from relationships; it's just not a place where I come from. I have a bit of a cynical view of relationships, but I'm still a hopeless romantic. All my writing is about relationships and heartbreak, and I long for that love and that feeling, but I'm not going to compromise myself for that.
Was it hard making that shift from breakup songs to a love song
Cassie Dasilva: Not really; I still have a lot in that pipeline. I write about personal experiences, but sometimes, it takes me a long time to process them. When I put out a breakup song and people think, "Oh, are you guys okay," it's like, "We're fine. This is just something I went to, and instead of going to therapy, I send it out to the whole world." It all comes down to the experiences and the relationships you have. Every relationship is affected by the last. That's the reason I'm cynical and why it's hard to write a love song.
What has been the biggest challenge you've been facing in your career lately?
Cassie Dasilva: This song was the song that kicked off my next project in terms of where I wanted to go directionally. Getting everything done was quite a hurdle. Some things weren't clicking. They weren't right. I put a lot of pressure on myself to get things done fast, and some things just need time. It needed time to figure out what it was going to be. I know it's a business, but it's my art. The most important thing at the end of the day is that I need to be happy with it before I care about what anyone else thinks. I had to trust my own instincts.
I feel like people need to let songs marinate.
Cassie Dasilva: I think what's getting lost is the artist's vision. I think people forget that at the end of the day, it's about what you want to make. That's what hits me. That's the stuff I keep going back to listen to. I'm happy where it came to be, but there was a lot of inner struggle and push and pull to make the songs what they are now.
Keep up with Cassie on TikTok, Spotify, and Instagram.
Emily Treadgold
