By: Jamie Steinberg
Q) How would you describe your sound?
A) For this new EP, my sound lives somewhere between dream pop and synth pop — I want my songs to feel like movies you can listen to. I’m drawn to texture and atmosphere in production and I love how melodies can create an entire universe around emotion. The goal is for the music to live in that same space, to feel like a dream you can dance to: cinematic, beautiful and a little ethereal.
Q) Who are some of your musical influences?
A) I’ve always been inspired by artists who build entire worlds around their sound. I really look up to people like Miley Cyrus, The Weeknd and Dua Lipa — they all have such strong identities in their music. For this era, The 1975, Valley, Sabrina Carpenter, Rosé and Griff have been huge influences. I wanted to blend that sense of nostalgia and storytelling with glittery pop production to create a world that feels new but also timeless.
Q) Talk about the story behind your new song “Only Time Will Tell.”
A) “Only Time Will Tell” is about unfinished business and finding strength, beauty and a sense of reclamation in uncertainty. I wrote it during a time of heartbreak and transition, when everything in my life was shifting. It became a way to process loss while learning to find power in letting go. Adrian [Cota] and I built the song from scratch in just two hours after finding a stem we were both inspired by, and somehow, it turned into the healing moment I didn’t know I needed.
Q) What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?
A) I think everyone has lived through that feeling of waiting — whether it’s for someone, an answer or even just clarity. The production feels hopeful, but the lyrics carry that quiet ache of not knowing. That duality is what people connect to, the idea that love and loss can exist in the same breath.
Q) How does the video for the track play into the message behind it?
A) It’s all about transformation and inviting people into a new world. Kenneth and Giel (Domen and Van de Velde) did an incredible job helping me visually pivot into this new beginning. We built the mood board together — everything from the outfits and colors to the hairstyles — making sure every detail reflected the universe of the song and the era it represents. The goal was to make a statement with this first release and pairing it with those dreamy, ethereal visuals really brought that vision to life. There’s even a little wink at the end of the video that hints at what’s coming next…but only time will tell. [wink]
Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?
A) It really depends on the song. Sometimes I start with a topline or a melody that just feels catchy and other times it begins with a production stem or even just a title. I usually build from a feeling first, after deciding what I want the song to say emotionally. This year I’ve done a lot more collaborative writing, which I’ve loved. There’s something really special about bouncing ideas back and forth and watching a song come to life in a single day.
Q) Adrian Cota lent a hand with production, but how much of a say do you have in the production of your music?
A) Adrian and I work really collaboratively. I’m super grateful for him because the production played such a huge role in shaping this new sound and world of music. From the start we had a lot of conversations about where I wanted the songs to live sonically and the drastic pivot I wanted to make from my earlier releases. When we first met, I made a playlist of sounds and references that captured the world I wanted to build and shared the stories I was living through at the time. He’s incredible at translating those emotions into sound. Before we even hit the studio in LA we were working across continents — he was in Mexico and I was in Asia — bouncing ideas back and forth: lyrics, melodies, stems. What I love most is that it’s always a dialogue, never just a hand-off.
Q) What can you tease are some themes you’ll be exploring on your upcoming EP MANNEQUIN?
A) MANNEQUIN is about identity: the versions of yourself you create to survive and the moment you realize you’ve outgrown them. It explores performance, self-image and emotional distance, but also healing and self-acceptance. At its core, it’s a love letter to the world and to myself.
For so long I was making music that didn’t fully represent who I was and this project became my way of reclaiming that. It came from a place of heartbreak, grief and clarity, but through it I learned how pain can be transformed into something beautiful.
MANNEQUIN is vulnerable, emotional and messy in the best way — it’s the most “me” I’ve ever been. Only time will tell what comes next.
Q) How will MANNEQUIN differ in sound and/or energy from your previous EP’s Untangled and Glitch?
A) Production aside, I think the biggest difference is that I’m really singing in these new songs. Untangled and Glitch had a lot of fun dance-pop energy and more tongue-in-cheek concepts, both lyrically and visually. They represented a slightly younger version of me: songs like “Skirt” reflected my high school experience and played with ideas of empowerment and the male gaze.
With MANNEQUIN, the focus feels more introspective and intentional. While visuals are still a big part of my world, I wanted the music to speak more for itself. It leans more into a singer-songwriter space but still feels grand, cinematic and timeless — a direction that feels true to who I am now. It definitely shows a more vulnerable side of me as an artist.
Q) Where are some of your favorite places to perform and what makes those locations so significant to you?
A) A lot of my performance experience so far has been through college venues since I’m still a student. I love outdoor shows. There’s something so freeing about the energy, the openness and the way the music just carries through the air. Smaller venues are also really special to me, especially at this stage: the intimacy, the connection, the ability to actually see faces in the crowd. There’s something magical about sharing that moment and feeling the room come alive with emotion.
As I keep growing as an artist, I hope the stages and audiences grow with me. My dream is to one day go back to my hometown, Shanghai, and perform at the Mercedes-Benz Arena — that’s where I saw my first concert and it would truly be a full-circle moment.
Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?
A) There are so many! The Weeknd (if he’s still making music!), Joji, Peggy Gou, Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga, Keshi, Bad Bunny and The Chainsmokers are all on that list. I’d love the opportunity to blend different worlds and sounds together — mine and theirs — and see what could happen. Whether it’s something that leans more house or EDM for a festival crowd, a dance-pop moment or even a song in multiple languages, collaborations are such an incredible way to make music feel universal. It would be a dream to share creative space with artists like that.
Q) What artist/musician are you currently listening to and why do you dig them?
A) Lola Young — her new album feels so raw and grand; there’s such honesty in her music that really stays with me. I’ve also been listening to Tate McRae and KATSEYE — their songs are so modern and catchy, and the choreography that comes with them is just addictive. They’re all so authentically themselves, and I couldn’t have more respect for that.
Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?
A) Thank you for growing with me. Every project I release feels like a conversation between who I was and who I’m becoming and it means everything that people choose to listen and stay for the journey. To those who’ve been here from the very beginning — your support keeps me grounded and inspired; you make it easier to keep going every day. And to those just discovering me, welcome. I hope this new chapter of music finds you where you are and becomes a part of your own story, too.