You are at a party. The music is loud and you are surrounded by many strangers. The anxiety wave is coming to your body. With Covid-19, we forget this feeling with the craving of socializing, but this feeling of anxiety has always been there. Producer Tsu Nami makes us feel this emotion with her recent song 'Party'. It is not like any other song about partying; it reflects the social anxiety of not wanting to be at a party, and even the energy of the song holds the anxiety. In addition to her music, Tsu Nami inspires other women, especially women of color, who want to pursue a career in electronic music, which is a male-dominated industry. She has some very illuminating ideas on the topic. Currently, Tsu Nami is sharing her music to thousands with the emergence of virtual festivals. We talked to Tsu Nami about her music career, anxiety, sexism, and being normal again. Please read our exclusive interview below to learn more about Tsu Nami.

Where are you based?
Just moved to Los Angeles, CA!

Tell us a bit about your music. How did you first get started, and how have you developed your style?
I started playing piano when I was four, and I’ve been in music all my life. I joined the school band in middle school and that's when I discovered garage band. After that, I was so intrigued by music production and I wanted to dive headfirst into it. I started listening to electronic music around then too, and it’s just something I was, and still passionate about. My style is definitely influenced by those electronic artists I listened to in high school.

Tsu Nami is your stage name, please tell us a little bit about the story behind this name?
I honestly wish there was more of a story to tell. I made this name when I was 14. I originally wanted to be just “Tsunami” but that was obviously taken, so I decided to split it up into two names!

You recently released “Party”, congrats! Can you tell us a little bit about what inspired this track and what it was like creating it during a pandemic?
Thank you! “Party” was a song I wrote about having social anxiety, which I'm sure all of us have slowly developed over the pandemic. I incorporated those feelings of being at an after-party, awkwardly standing with strangers. Your one only friend you know at the entire party is off somewhere, and you're forced to make small talk with people. It’s an experience I'm sure we’ve all had before.

Party is a collaboration with Skyler Cocco. How was the creating process? What made you two decide to team up?
Skyler was an absolute angel to work with. I randomly stumbled upon her on twitter and asked if she could sing on the instrumental I wrote. The instrumental was originally titled “anxiety at the party” or something like that. I told her “you can totally ignore the title and write whatever you want on this song”. And a week or two later, I received those vocals back and she said, “I actually took the title and wrote about it anyway”. And I couldn't be happier with the end product.

“Party” is interesting in that, unlike most songs about partying, your song addresses the social anxiety of not wanting to be at a party. Even the energy of the song holds the anxiety. What is the message behind these lyrics?
I think the song is illustrative of the party experience. Parties are full of energy and liveliness, while somebody with social anxiety is on the complete opposite end of that spectrum. I love the idea of contrast, and I think the lyrics contradicting the instrumental is such a great element.

Do you feel social anxiety isn’t discussed enough?
I think people are slowly starting to become more self-aware, and the topic of social anxiety is definitely on the rise. I would say most people have it without even realizing it.

In the era of covid, where parties seem to be on pause, how is your social anxiety?
Funny thing, part of me kinda misses those parties. I feel like I took every party invite I declined pre-pandemic for granted. Honestly, I’d love to get back to meeting some new people when it becomes safe. Quarantine has been a bit lonely.

Many people are talking about how integrating back to “normal life” of people being social again once things start to open up will be very hard. Do you have any thoughts on this?
People are correct! We’ve all been so accustomed to staying indoors and social distancing, most of our interactions the whole time have been via the internet. I’m interested to see how this all will unfold in the future.

The cover of “Party” is really beautiful and artistic. We learned that it is designed by you. Are you interested in graphic design or other areas of arts?
Thank you! I’ve always been an avid doodler, always scribbling in my notebooks in school. I got an iPad to draw with and I’ve been having a lot of fun with it. Drawing is definitely one of my creative outlets. I’d love to learn more about graphic design and VFX etc. but it seems really complicated. The cover art was just something I doodled up in my spare time. I’ve been making a lot of my own cover art lately.

Your mission is to inspire other “women who want to pursue a career in electronic music, especially women of color,” in a male-dominated industry. What do you think about the male-dominated structure of the music industry? Can you talk about your journey as a woman producer? Have you ever experienced gender or racial discrimination?
I could honestly write a book on sexism in the dance music community. I created an info thread on Twitter.
Women are already the minority in this industry, and women of color are even less than that. As far as racial discrimination goes, I do experience micro-aggressions sometimes and definitely experienced racism outside of music as well.

Jejune loves that you have participated in the many fundraiser Livestream events since the pandemic. Why was this important to you? How different were these from performing live?
I loved doing livestream sets, because I miss playing live music so much. It's obviously not the same, but it brought me a lot of happiness. And I really love the idea of raising money for charity in the livestreams.

You worked with Soul Food Music Collective and Push Collective at these events which donated to fight the climate crisis, Covid relief, and BLM. Can you tell us a little bit about why you chose to work with these organizations?
These collectives are friends of mine! They hosted livestream shows and I was lucky enough to be invited to play them. These are all charities that we are passionate about, and it feels good to know that we can make a positive impact in some way, while doing what we love.

Has the pandemic impacted you and your music?
Definitely. I’m not gonna lie, money has been a bit tough for us artists, because we can't play shows or tour. But on the bright side, without having to worry about playing shows, I can focus on music production. And I feel like I've leveled up since the start of the pandemic. I’m sure other artists can agree.

The pandemic has been rough for many reasons, but one is the increase in violence towards the Asian community. Can you tell us a little bit about your thoughts on this and how others can be an ally?
It’s been so heartbreaking seeing the violence towards my community. Luckily, a lot of my friends have been so kind and considerate. Simply checking in on your Asian friends and seeing how they're doing, is a huge act of support. The best way to be an ally is to just listen.

How are you staying positive during a shelter in place?
As cheesy as it sounds, we just have to look at the bright side of things. Sometimes these adversities have hidden blessings. Sure we can't go out and play music, but we have so much free time to endlessly create.

What is your motto in life?
“Prove them wrong.”

To learn more about Tsu Nami, please follow her via the below platforms:
Instagram: @tsunamimusicx
Twitter: @tsunamimusicx
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3jdMkaMs7875drsoUevvyu?si=WU2UZkCNS7ORNlta0jM2Ew&dl_branch=1
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.app.goo.gl/iDgwahLdy2tydmbe7
Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCo3eD_xZsE0_LCMjqppTouA

Photography Credits: DNZ

Tsu Nami: A Party You Just Don't Want To Be In