From Madonna to The Prodigy: The icons who inspired Cassyette

Who inspires everyone’s favourite Degenerette, Cassyette? Noisy Essex people, nu-metal icons, and pop royalty with “cone-tits”, for starters, she says.

“They’ve always been in my life – my dad would play their music, and I had Kerrang! magazine as a kid. They were a pillar of nu-metal, and I feel like nu-gen is a similar thing in a sense, just applied to this day and age. They created hybrid music, essentially. They brought hip-hop into heavier music, and I love any band that has done that hybridised vibe and thrown out the rulebook. I think that’s the most important thing when it comes to making music: getting your authentic self through.”

“They’re like Linkin Park for this age: hybridising, collaborating with loads of different people, not giving a shit what anyone thinks, and just doing what they want. They put their art first. When I first saw how Oli [Sykes] was making Drop Dead merch, and how creative it was and how cool it fucking was, I always dreamt of being able to do something like that myself – but in my own way. And that’s sort of what I have now with Degenerette. Plus, Bring Me’s live shows are incredible.”

“They’re from my hometown in Essex. I don’t know what it is, but Essex people have what I call ‘The Essex Dog’. It’s like this dog that lives inside of you, and it’s quite feral. And The Prodigy have that thing. I was so inspired by them, and the way Keith Flint would move onstage. When I did my last song, BOOM, Liam Howlett listened to it and added his special touch. It’s so cool that people like that from my hometown have my back.”

“I love Deftones mostly for their melodies. I think their melodies are stunning, and so beautiful. In this next bunch of music I’m putting out I feel like I’ve got into my Deftones feels. Sometimes when you’re writing about something like grief, you need that space to let it breathe, and Deftones do that really well. Plus, Chino Moreno is an amazing singer.”

“She’s fucking sick. She was always pushing the boundaries – especially as a woman being so sexual. And she was always so fashion-forward as well. Like, she did Frozen, where it was this ode to goth culture, but then she also had those cone-tits. People love to wear really safe things a lot of the time, and I think it’s fucking cool to have moments where you push the boat out, and you go a little unhinged. She’s done things that others are too scared to do, so full credit to her.”

This article originally appeared in the winter 2023 issue of the magazine.

Read this next:

• Linkin Park: “We were out to prove this was our band and our style… That’s what Meteora became”
• Cassyette: “You have to earn your stripes – I’ve worked my arse off to get to this point”
• “Metal at its best…”: Our original 1997 review of Deftones’ Around The Fur