Singer CASHFORGOLD has been crafting tracks with ethereal vocals and pairing them with trance like beats to create a sound of her own. A wandering soul, she has spread her life over two continents, basing herself out of Berlin and Detroit. Rather than conforming to the skill set and knowledge most artists insist is the key to success, CASHFORGOLD has made her own key; using her influences from theatre, EDM, Jazz, and much more to create songs that fit the mold of the underground, but push it’s boundaries.
UU: How long have you been creating, and in what mediums? What is your earliest memory of performance?
CASHFORGOLD: I’ve been singing since I can remember. Choir and theatre were my main outlets as a kid. I didn’t have the easiest childhood.
My dreams of being a singer carried me away from reality.
When I had friends over I always wanted them to play “American Idol” with me and I’d do Britney Spears karaoke (at the age of like 7). Performing gave me a safe space to be myself. My theatre friends and I were definitely an island of misfits in high school.
Did you always want to be an artist?
Yes, but I fought it for many years.
Who has inspired your sound? What musicians did you grow up listening to that you find yourself emulating?
My mom raised me on artists like Erykah Badu, Norah Jones, and Carole King. The first song I ever had on an mp3 player was Let Me Love You by Mario and I would listen to it on repeat. I was super into 3LW, TLC, and Ciara in middle school. My voice teacher showed me “Roads” by Portishead when I was like 15… she was like… “Jackie, this is you…you need to listen to this,” so that’s how I got into trip-hop.
I got into the “edm” scene way later… I started going to shows and all that. Mainly dubstep. ‘Sleepless’ by Excision, Adventure Club’s remix of ‘Crave You’ by Flight Facilities, Skream’s remix of ‘In For The Kill’ by La Roux were a few of my early favorites. I think my ‘sound’ was created by my love for jazz/soul/rnb, the trancey vibe of trip-hop, and bass music with more “ethereal” female vocals.
What genres do you associate with? You’ve taken elements from several areas of music, and kind of shaped your own sound. Do you have a name for it?
I’ve been inspired by trip-hop, hip hop, pop, jazz, rnb, witch house, wave… I can’t put a label on my stuff. At least not yet.
Do you remember the first song you ever wrote? What was it like, and how has your music changed since then.
I wrote some songs as a kid, but I was 17 when I wrote my first serious track. I went over to this kid’s house that I met over Myspace… I wanted to start a band with him. I wrote a super stream of consciousness trancey vocal over a chillwave/dreampop beat he made. My lyricism is super similar now, but I’ve gotten more structured with melodies, and I feel like my sound is still evolving to have more soul in it.
You’ve mentioned in a previous interview that a lot of your upbringing with music involved your grandmother, a jazz singer. Tell us more about your relationship with your grandmother, and how she’s inspired the artist you are today.
My grandma was just a huge badass honestly. She was super raw… very emotional. She didn’t really care what people thought of her and always said what was on her mind. She died when I was 15 so I didn’t have as much time with her as I wish. She got really sick and wasn’t able to go to the musicals I was in in high school. I remember being really sad that out of all people she couldn’t see me onstage. I like to draw on her candidness and confidence.
I wear her ring when I record sometimes, and when I’m feeling anxious while singing/recording I like to channel her energy to help calm down.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BdAveuyAMAp/?taken-by=cash.forgold
You’re located in Berlin and Detroit. How have you balanced life in two different countries, and what is the best part of each place?
I’m very much a hermit – I feel like I’ve been in an antisocial vortex of creating music since I moved back to Detroit from SF in late 2016. So whether I’m in Detroit or Berlin it doesn’t feel much different. I’d like to have more free time again to explore and do stuff, but I’m on a mission at the moment. The best part of Detroit is longtime friends and family closeby, and the best part of Berlin is having Tim around and seeing some new places.
Where else have you lived, and where would you like to live?
I’ve lived in Chicago and San Francisco. I’d like to try out LA or maybe Austin. I really can’t handle winter anymore.
How has traveling become such a big part of your life?
I’ve always been kind of a nomad. My parents got divorced when I was really young and my mom worked a lot… I was always going back and forth so I was used to not staying in one place. In college my friend and I somehow got this research grant to go to the west coast and live in some co-ops. I ended up loving the Bay Area so I kind of impulsively moved there when I graduated.
What is the difference between the Berlin music scene and the Detroit music scene that took getting adjusted to?
CASHFORGOLD: Everyone knows Detroit and Berlin are both famous for Techno… but Detroit has a proper bass music scene too. You literally cannot find bass music in Berlin. I ask people where I can find dubstep and they look at me like I’m insane. I did get to see Moderat at a stadium in Berlin which was epic to see one of my favorite bands (with live vocals) in their home country.
How long have you been making music under the name CASHFORGOLD?
Just over a year.
What inspired your current stage name? Are there any other monikers you have gone by while creating? How does this best describe the artist you are at this point?
I shunned music while I was in college and focused mostly on philosophy. I got super into postmodern philosophy and studying the effects of capitalism on art/the commoditization of art.
The idea of wealth, the idea of giving things (art) value based on exchange rather than inherent qualities… that’s what CASHFORGOLD is about. Objectify me, commoditize my art… it’s ironic.
The majority of the music you’ve released has been with producer Tim Schaufert. How did the two of you come to work together, and what’s kept you two working together?
I slid into his DMs on Soundcloud! We have a great synergy. I’ve started a number of collabs with producers (some with “bigger names”) and nobody ever follows through… Tim is responsive, communicative, hands on during the writing process, and actually finishes projects. I think a lot of musicians suck at finishing projects, but Tim is great at it.
Though the two of you don’t consider yourselves a formal duo, have you considered it? Why has it been important to remain as soloists?
We just want to keep the door open to work with other people, maintain our own sound, and have 2 different identities. Maybe in the future we’ll release something as a duo like a side project.
Would your music sound similar without Tim’s production style? Or has making music with him had an influence on your overall sound?
Hard to say. He’s really versatile and we like to experiment with a lot of different styles together. One day he’ll send me a super dark wave track, and the next he’ll send me a lofi beat.
What do you hope to achieve this year?
I’d love to start to do some more serious live shows. I’ve been working hard with a really talented bellydance troupe based in Detroit and have some visions about incorporating that into my live show. I’m ready to bring it fully to life.
What has been your most proud moment during this process?
‘Gold’ getting on SuicideSheep was a pretty cool moment. And ‘Taking Flight’ hitting 2 million plays on Spotify.
I read on your website that you also do belly dancing, as well as fire fans and hula hoops. What peaked your interest for these things, and how have you incorporated it into your life as CASHFORGOLD?
I was super into the festival scene for a while, and going to some underground bass shows and stuff… Burning Man… that whole community. Hooping is just a natural thing that occurs there. To me, some of the sexiest performances are girls eating fire, spinning hoops with fire on them… belly dancing with fire props. I was a dancer in high school and I felt inspired to start belly dancing. I’m definitely still somewhat of a novice, but it’s really fun to learn and practice a new skill. I’ve been working with a super talented dancer in Detroit named Heather and her troupe ‘Mandali’… it’s somewhat of a sisterhood. I definitely miss them when I’m in Berlin. Heather is so talented. They all are. I can’t wait for things to start picking up with live performances so they can join me onstage.
You have a theatre background if I’m not mistaking. What would be your dream role on the stage? Do you think that theatre has had an impact on your music?
Theatre was my life for so many years. I’d love to play Diana in Next to Normal. Theatre was an escape from reality but also had a bit of a negative impact on my life/confidence because of the culture behind it (constantly competing for roles, backstabbing within the community, feeling the need to sing a “certain way” etc). Theatre drove me away from singing for a long time.
If you weren’t a vocalist, what would you be doing with your life?
Going to grad school to be a philosophy professor or something like that.
What do you consider your message, as an artist? What do you want audiences to take away from your music?
It’s okay to have mental health issues. It’s okay to have issues with substances.
You have to confront your darkness… bring it into the light in order to heal.
Sweeping things under the rug is not healing.
Who do you hope to collaborate with in the future?
Hard to say specific names. I’m more focused on trying to develop myself as a solo artist. You’ll see a solo project from me in the future. Bassnectar would be a dream though.
Do you have anything in the works you can tell us about?
So many tracks in the works! We’re going to be releasing like 10 tracks over the next few months.
What is one thing you cannot create without?
Coffee… [Laughs]. I was off it for a few months, but whoops, I literally need it.
Is there anything else you would like to include? Do you have anyone you would like to shoutout?
Hi mom!
