Much like her genre-spanning sound, California indie artist Phem defies all labels — particularly on the subject of her sexuality.
The performer, who blends hip-hop, rap, jazz and pop into one thing cerebral on her debut EP, Can’t Kill Me, refuses to determine or label her queerness. “I don’t identify with anything in particular,” Phem tells Billboard. “It doesn’t have to have a name on it. Just embrace it and make it your own because it’s the truth.” When it involves her personal sexual fluidity, Phem admits she’s in a perpetual state of self-examination, a theme that permeates from the nucleus of her newest single, “Dont Giv Up on Me Yet.”
“It’s kind of me talking to myself,” she shares of the rhythmic monitor, a easy trap-pop hybrid that finds the artist grappling with self-doubt and the necessity for acceptance. “It was written during a dark period where I was just like, ‘What the fuck am I doing with my life?’ It was also written towards a partner that I was with at the time. The person you’re with should support your art and be like, ‘I believe in you, we can do it.’ Back then, I was just like, ‘Please don’t leave, don’t stop believing in me!’”
While the music itself is an emotional, ephemeral rollercoaster, Phem manages to seize the joyful spirit of teamwork within the video for “Dont Giv Up on Me Yet,” premiering Thursday (Sept. 13). The clip, which was self-directed by Phem and her artistic director, Michael Tyrone Delaney, sees the musician wandering the grounds of a highschool whereas a real-life aggressive soar rope squad performs, subliminally talking to themes of seclusion, self-assurance and solidarity. Phem credit the idea to her “weird brain,” in addition to a serendipitous session spent watching a soar rope efficiency whereas listening to music on her laptop computer.
Isolation has been a serious participant in Phem’s private journey, from the 12 months she spent sleeping in her studio and automotive to the tribulations she has confronted as a younger queer lady discovering herself slowly, by feeling round within the darkness of uncertainty. Eventually, the unabandoned embracement of inside fact grew to become the sunshine in that darkness — and it set her free.
“I wanted to make sure the music I was making was as truthful as possible,” she explains. “When you do that you realize your family and friends are gonna hear this, and people might judge you in a certain way. I was just like, fuck it, I’m only gonna live once and I don’t want to live artificially. Being in that dark space and being in solitude and being alone, it helped me figure out the next step. My sexuality played a big part of that too, because even though I was dating women before, I wasn’t talking about it that much. It was almost something I felt kind of shy or ashamed of. I was tired of feeling that way.”
Though her 500,000 (and counting) Spotify streams and upcoming cross-country tour with Lil Xan might point out that Phem has actually arrived, the enigmatic musician’s odyssey of inward self-discovery is way from over. At the second, nevertheless, she’s turned outward, arms outstretched lovingly to anybody who will hear and to anybody struggling to be heard. “The query at all times pops up: ‘Well, I don’t get it… Do you want guys or do you want ladies?’ There wasn’t a music I may actually relate to, and now it’s fascinating as a result of so many individuals have reached out to me being like, ‘This is so awesome, this song means everything to me.’ It helps confirm that you simply’re not alone, and that’s legit.
“I simply need to be there for individuals who want me,” she continues. “I get a lot of DMs, and I get a lot of feedback from people who are going through shit and coming out. I literally just want to be there for them.”
Watch the video for “Dont Giv Up on Me Yet” beneath.
