Photograph by Collin Schreiber
With a start on the millennial cyber-stage of YouTube, 26 year-old singer [Andie Case](https://www.instagram.com/andiecase/) rapidly amassed 1.25 million subscribers with her brazen, diaristic pop lyricism. Gaining an audience through her YouTube covers, Case has now moved on to producing original content. With a neon-pink mane and a bubbly attitude, Case approaches her work with fearless honestly. In a recent single, “Be Myself,” she embraces her openly bi-sexual identity, while her latest track, “Bubblegum and Cigarettes,” tackles modern romance with a sense of humor and an affirming, femme-forward, celebration of sexual autonomy.
Flaunt stopped by Case’s recording studio to sit in on a session and talk with the pop sensation about her entrée into music, Seattle vs. Los Angeles, and the life of a hopeless romantic Gemini.
**When did you move from Seattle to Los Angeles?**
I am actually still based in Seattle, I just try to come out here as much as possible just to collab, write, and create. I love Seattle so much, it’s home for me. It’s nice to go home and to just breathe and get out of the LA lifestyle and chill. That’s where I like writing a lot.
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When did you start singing, and when did you realize you wanted to make a career out of it?**
I’ve always loved to sing, since I was I kid. Sang all the Disney musicals – shit like that. It became such a therapeutic thing at such a young age when shit was going down, if I was unhappy, or if I was getting bullied. I would just sit in my room and just sing for hours.
Then I got kicked out of high school, and at that point I had just turned 18 and I was like ‘Oh fuck, I need to figure out what I want to do now’. So I ended up meeting up with some musicians in the same town, like Ajay, and we’ve been working together ever since. I hit him up, and that was when I really started to really hone in on being a singer and getting into writing music. That was the first time I realized I needed to make this \[music career\] happen and that there was no other option.
**What’s the music scene like in Seattle?**
It’s interesting. There is an indie, folk vibe there. There is a whole variety—you got Macklemore, you got Allen Stone, very old school vibes. Not much of pop though.
**Who were your influences growing up?**
I grew up listening to so many different kinds of genres. I grew up very conservative, and as a kid I wasn’t allowed to listen to secular music. So I relied on Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Billy Holiday, and The Beach Boys. That was what I was allowed to listen to.
The older I got, I started sneaking and listening to more music and getting a little edgier. I remember when I was 10 or 11, I listened to Linkin Park for the first time and I lost my shit. I was like, What is this music? This is incredible—there is so much angst, so much feeling. Just growing up on a lot of classics: I love Marilyn Manson, Korn, went through a metal phase, but I mainly look up to strong female vocalists. Demi Lovato, Amy Winehouse, Christina Aguilera, all of them. Very empowering and strong in their art.
Photograph by Collin Schreiber
**You have a band with you, who is in your band?**
Ajay and a few other musicians in Seattle. We do videos and live shows up there.
**When did you guys form and meet?**
Ajay and I met in 2011, so we have been playing music since. He introduced me to his friend Naph. We have all been working and writing together for the last 8 years
**I just watched your “Bubblegum and Cigarettes” music video. It was so fun! Tell me about creating that.**
We were going for a poppy vibe. I got all my close girlfriends into it and a couple of my hot guy friends. I was like, ‘Can you wear these tiny little shorts for me? Cool!’ We blew up this big-ass flamingo that is meant for the lake. We put it in the living room and filled it with a bunch of balls, finished an entire liter of Jack Daniels, and we just got crazy. It fit with the vibe, it was really fun.
**How did you find your voice as an artist since doing covers on youtube?**
I think it’s a process that is never-ending, especially as an artist I am always learning more about myself and finding myself. Doing covers was a way to find myself, learn about my voice and what I can do, and the styles that I liked. All the songs I have covered on YouTube are songs or artists that I love and really look up to. It’s been an ongoing progression for sure. Writing is the best way to find myself. Writing down my feelings and putting those out. And trying things like “Bubblegum and Cigarettes.” Five years ago, I would never have released that, but in the moment I fucking loved it and I related to it. It was just a part of me that I wanted to show.
**Does your music reflect what’s going on currently in your personal life?**
Everything is a true inspiration, everything is from real life moments. Sometimes it’s current moments, sometimes it’s things I’ve had to face in the past. Music is therapeutic, it’s how I get over things, and how I can grow from situations like fuccbois, broken hearts, and relationships ending. Everyone loves writing about relationships and that is where I am right now. “Bubblegum and Cigarettes” was written about the fuck boys in my life. “Be Myself” was to let everyone know: I didn’t graduate high school, I smoked weed, I drink, and I’m bi-sexual. This is who I am.
**How has your sexuality influenced your music?**
I am actually working on a new original, it’s going to be out soon. It’s called “Mysterious”. It’s all about a girl who I have a crush on. Just having those questions like ‘Are you flirting with me?’ or ‘Do I make a move’. This has been such a big step for me because I have never written a song about a girl.
**Do you consider yourself a hopeless romantic?**
I am. I wear my heart on my sleeve. I am an emotional person but almost every artist wears their heart on their sleeve. Plus I am a Gemini, I’m crazy as fuck!
**What message do you want to get out to your fans?**
I just hope they stick around for the ride, I’m just doing me and putting content myself out there, and I hope they like it.
**What are your long term goals?**
I am working on a single now with Prince Fox that is going to be out next year and I have my single “Mysterious” coming out soon!
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Photos by [Collin Schreiber](https://www.instagram.com/collinpschreiber/)
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