Sophie Cates Just Wants to Be 'Nasty'
Music

Sophie Cates Just Wants to Be 'Nasty'

Sophie Cates gets straight to the point on her new single. “I want you to touch me, baby, I just want to be nasty,” the Los Angeles-based artist sings on “Nasty,” a blazing guitar-pop track that opens up her next chapter of music. Previously known as Silver Sphere, 22-year-old Cates is newly independent and letting it all out on her forthcoming EP, Basement Party, due out later this year.

“I was sitting in my childhood bedroom in the middle of the pandemic, and I fantasized about being at a bar and flirting,” Cates says. “As I met my boyfriend, the song became more specific. ‘Nasty’ set the stage for the entire project, because it’s super confident, straightforward and mature. There’s electronic drums, guitar, and reverbed folky vocals.”

Basement Party dives into the chaos of Cates’ life thus far, reflecting back on her childhood in Boston before dipping into her memories at raves in Chicago’s grungy basements. She addresses the tumultuous ups and downs of a toxic music industry (having previously signed with RCA Records) and sings about all her experiences with love, both past and present.

In the “Nasty” music video, premiering today on PAPER, Cates takes over an abandoned resting stop in the desert, joined by a guitarist and drummer that all give similar energy to Freaky Friday’s Pink Slip a la 2003. She does donuts, dances wildly in the glow of her car’s headlights and ends in a foggy auto yard — a raw, nostalgic treatment to accompany Cates’ honest lyrics.

“I fell in love with my favorite artists because they made me feel like I wasn’t alone in my experiences,” Cates continues, speaking to the way in which she hopes Basement Party holds nothing back from listeners. “I could relate to their words. I’d love for somebody else to feel the same way.”

Watch the "Nasty" music video and stream Sophie Cates' new single, below.

Fashion

Coolest Person in the Room: Jacques Agbobly

Story by Andrew Nguyen / Photography by Diego Villagra Motta