Karencici on staying true to herself: "Do you like your music? That's the only thing that matters"

When we spoke to Karencici back in 2019, she was someone who was on the cusp between being a fast-rising young artist and someone who would carve out a spot for herself in the Asian music world.

Having made a strong first impression on listeners with her 2018 debut studio record SHA YAN and emerged victorious in the Best R&B Single category at the 10th Golden Indie Music Awards, the then 21-year-old Chinese-American singer-songwriter expressed her to keep her momentum going by continuing to challenge herself.

"R&B has always been one of my favourite genres. I just love the vibe of it, but I would never limit myself to just doing one type of music. I love experimenting and having fun with what I do," said Karencici, who also said that shared that she had collaborations, EPs, and albums in the works.

In the time that have elapsed since then, she has kept her career on an upward trajectory through a series of singles, a sophomore studio album (99% Angel), and an EP (Everybody Loves Me) that showcase the different forms she can take — from a vulnerable soul to a sultry Step Up-esque dancer and even a savage pop-rock princess. 

And if that is not already impressive enough, the 'Bad Girls Behave' singer has also joined TEAM WANG's hip-hop supergroup PANTHEPACK, which includes Jackson Wang, J.Sheon, and ICE, as its only female member and released a 10-track debut album with her collaborators. 

In an interview before her performance at One Love Asia Festival Singapore 2023 last month, Karencici spoke to Bandwagon about her single 'Bad Girls Behave' and its Step Up-inspired music video, discovering who she is as an artist, and responding to her critics. 

Hi, Karencici! What are some songs that are on your playlist right now?

One album that I would recommend right now would definitely be The Love Album (The Love Album: Off The Grid) by Diddy. It's a very, very good album featuring a bunch of R&B soulful artists, so [I] highly recommend [it]. 

Your single, ‘Bad Girls Behave’, has a different vibe from the songs that were featured in your EP Everybody Loves Me, which was released earlier this year. How did this track come to be? What were some things that you did differently for this release?  

My newest single 'Bad Girls Behave' is definitely very different from my last release, Everybody Loves Me. Everybody Loves Me was a very pop, commercial-focused EP because, at that time, I just wanted to create something that was light, bright, and playful for the audience. So, yeah, I did a super pop album. But throughout my career, I've been exploring different types of sounds and genres. I always find myself falling back to R&B. So yeah, from now on, I definitely want to explore more of the R&B side of me. So you guys will be seeing a lot of R&B stuff for sure. 

‘Bad Girls Behave’ is accompanied by a music video, in which we see you dancing alongside a motorcycle crew. How does dancing help you to express yourself as an artist? 

‘Bad Girls Behave’ is a very 2000s R&B type of track. When I was writing, I just saw this image in my head. I saw the movie Step Up — like the wet floor, the wet hair, and a bunch of girls dancing in sync to the music. And I told my producer/director kvn this thought I had and we came up with the concept. I feel like we did a really good job. The colour, the tempo, the wardrobe, the dance — everything was super on point. So I think this is definitely one of my favourite music videos of mine. 

You blend English and Mandarin lyrics in your music. Does this come naturally to you or is it something that requires time to get right? How does writing in two languages differ from writing in one? 

Writing in two languages for me is not that different because what matters to me more is definitely the melody. I feel like for my songs, lyric-wise, I've just never taken lyrics seriously (laughs). In my career, I'm not a lyricist. I just write what I feel, and sometimes it could be very, very direct. And some people might not like that, but that's just the way I write, and I'm going to continue to do that because that's how Karencici writes (laughs).

When we spoke to you a few years ago, you told us that your 2018 debut album SHA YAN showed how you “view this world and [your] life as a 20-year-old girl”. Five years on, does SHA YAN still accurately reflect who you are personally and artistically?

SHA YAN is not very Karencici at all because that was my first album ever. I did not have a lot of say creatively and musically. I was just doing what everybody else was telling me to do. And my writing (everything) was not mature enough yet to be released. I feel like I was just put on the spot. It definitely does not reflect who I am now personally and artistically. Definitely not. I feel like throughout my career, I've been experimenting with different types of looks, sounds, and styles. I'm still trying to find my sound. I feel like I'm getting there, but I definitely need a little more time and I just need to try to do more stuff.

When an artist like yourself makes songs that are honest and unapologetic, they are not going to be received positively by everyone. How do you respond to the more negative receptions to your music?

I don't respond because I feel like as a creator and artist, I write songs and create music for myself. If I'm happy with it, that's all that matters. Because no matter how good you are, there's always going to be negative comments because that's just how life works. You know, everybody [has] got their own personal preference, and there's nothing wrong with that. They don't have to like your music. Do you like your music? That's the only thing that matters. So yeah, I don't respond.

Lastly, is there anything that you would love to explore in your music or stage performances moving forward? 

I would love to definitely explore more dancing. For my stage performances, this time for One Love, I will be dancing. Yes, but not throughout the entire set. But I did prepare a section that's just filled with a bunch of choreo and stuff, so I'm excited [about] that. Yeah, basically, that's dancing. [I] want to learn more and be better at that.

Listen to Karencici here: