On 'Blue Violet', CD inks her name into modern R&B

‘Dance’ music is more than ever before, an incredibly broad term. Techno, drum & bass, dubstep, EDM; these are the usual ways that fans of the genre would split up the incredibly broad term that is ‘dance’.

But as dance and electronic music becomes more influential the world over, its sound and meaning becomes all the more broad and universally appreciated. Pop & R&B has, in 2024, had one of its danciest moments yet.

Locals like A.S.O, Acopia, Cherry Chola and many more, are proving that our appetite for ‘dance’ is more eclectic than ever before.

CD, a Naarm-based singer songwriter, is the latest in a series of local artists pushing the boundaries of what we consider dance music to be. Her debut EP, ‘Blue Violet’, is a melding of the many modern sounds that make up R&B.

At such a monumental moment for her, and as the scope of dance music extends even further into 2025, Mixmag ANZ sat down with CD to get her post-release reaction and her predictions of not only her own future, but dance’s too.

Q: Hey CD! Thanks so much for making the time post-release to chat with us. First off, congrats! How does it feel releasing your first EP?

CD: Hii, thanks so much! It feels surreal and even better than I thought it would. I feel like I can finally breathe. The project I’ve put my soul, time, energy and money into for so long doesn’t belong to me anymore. I’ve given it to the world and it feels amazing.

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Q: How long has this been in the works? Before ‘Love Language’, your last single was three years before. Have you been working on it that whole time?

CD: Yeah pretty much. Once ‘Catcha Grip’ came out I started making a lot of new music including these tracks. I was taking a break from releasing to focus on creating freely, so I didn’t have any intention of putting the EP together until about a year later when I realised my goals in music had changed a bit. It definitely took longer to finish than I wanted it to, but I believe everything is unfolding the way it’s supposed to be.

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Q: Can you give me a rundown on who’s been involved in this? Have you got anybody key collaborators on the release, or are you doing everything yourself?

CD: For sure. There’s been a huge amount of people involved in the project as its life span has been so long, but some key/reoccurring collaborators would be Sam Varghese (@samvarghese_), who worked on quite a few of the tracks with me as the producer, Nicholas Di Lorenzo (@panorama_mastering) who mixed and mastered the EP, Khushi Patil (@girlsthatmosh) who’s been super involved in the visual side early on from directing videos to shooting and editing photos, Alexia Matzouranis (@grit.au) my stylist (and bestie), Sully (@lazyfairr) who shot most of the artwork, my two make-up artists Marina and Tali (@talimakeupartistry), and my biggest collaborator for this project, my mum, Hanan (@by__hanan) who made the majority of my outfits by hand for the music videos and photoshoots.

I can’t forget my two amazing female features, PANIA and Ms. Thandi who both wrote and performed such incredible verses and became the glue for the songs they were on. I still get so excited when I hear them. They really ate.

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Q: You’ve said that the EP goes through “your many R&B modes”. Can you explain what those modes are?

CD: On ‘Blue Violet’, even though it’s all R&B, no two tracks sound the same. They all fit into different sub-genres which I love. I was raised on old school R&B, but as I got older I started listening to more contemporary and alternative R&B. I’ve been observing the evolution of the genre and how other artists honour their own musical influences whilst putting their own spin on it. So what I mean by my “many R&B modes” is the way Blue Violet weaves through different sub-genres and is filled with elements from different eras.

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Q: It feels like R&B has always sat in its own zone, separate to a lot of music. Do you think that’s fair to say?

CD: Hmm, partly. R&B is an umbrella term for so many sub-genres. I don’t think it’s completely isolated because it encompasses genres like soul, blues, disco, funk, etc. They’re all part of the same family and it almost feels like a hybrid genre now - something that’s so easy to fuse. But, because of its complexity and diversity, I do feel like it sits in its own zone. It takes the right soul to appreciate it.

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Q: We’re seeing a huge breakdown of what ‘electronic & dance music’ really is lately. Charli XCX seems to have blown the lid off entirely & revealed just how much people want to dance. What do you think the future of “dance” music looks like from your perspective?

CD: I’m with you on people wanting to dance. Part of me feels like things are going back a few years in the best way possible, where people are wanting to live more freely, take every opportunity to go out, move more and make memories with their people. I think because of this, dance music will continue to grow. So many refreshing takes on dance music are arising and it’s exposing people to new sounds, the way music is supposed to. There’s an opportunity for artists outside of the genre to experiment and fuse their own styles with dance music to reach new audiences and be a part of it all. I’m finding more and more artists, including myself, are doing this because of course you want people to dance to your music.

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Q: You recently supported Erika De Caster on her tour of Australia, & I saw you say that she’s your biggest inspiration. How does it feel to release this after such a massive career milestone like that support slot?

CD: It feels like one big blessing after another. I had a big happy cry when I got that show. This year has fluctuated a lot for me in terms of how I’ve felt about my music, but these sorts of milestones are reminders that I’m exactly where I need to be. Erika has been one of my biggest inspirations since I first heard her music a few years ago and to get to support her, meet her and even talk about my EP release with her meant the world to me. It’s all felt very aligned.

Q: ‘Ish You’ is very reminiscent of Erika’s work, particularly in the way you weave breaks throughout it. How do you think she’s inspired you most?

CD: Oh, Erika definitely influenced the creation of ‘Ish You.’ She’s inspired me to experiment more. A whole new sonic world opened up for me when I first heard her. Everything about her music is so beautiful. I love the soundscapes, the way she incorporates elements from her influences and culture into her music and the complexity and skill you can hear in the production.

But after meeting her, I think what’s been most inspiring is her authenticity, not just as an artist but as a person too. The beauty you hear in her music is how beautiful she is as a person. I also feel like she does a lot on her own terms - she doesn’t post too much, she makes these raw, wholesome visuals and she sat on an office chair on stage. I want to sit on an office chair on stage?

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Q: What do you think you wanted to say most with this release?

CD: That I’m still exploring, still developing and I’m just having fun making music without the boundaries of sticking to one genre or sound. The EP isn’t conceptual, nor did I create it with the intention of having a theme for it. It’s just a collection of songs I’ve made over the years and I’m sure listeners can hear that too. I’m so far from finding “my sound,” but with this release I was able to share my curiosity and willingness to try different things.

Blue Violet is only an introduction to me as CD. But now I’m inked in, like a tattoo.

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Q: I hear you’ve got a series of incredible videos on the way too. Why is a video such an important part of a song to you, particularly when distributing that video now looks so different?

CD: I do I do! I think this sits differently amongst different artists, but for me, I’ve always felt that videos are just as important to my artistry as the music itself because of the story you can tell. I want my music to take listeners to another world, and visuals help elevate that feeling.

I also think videos are another opportunity to demonstrate your artistic ability and experiment creatively through a different outlet. I recently realised I actually don’t need a huge budget to make a nice visual. Creativity knows no limits and neither does social media. People LOVE videos. It’s so easy and accessible to post a video and build your brand and it doesn’t need to be in a way that compromises your artistry.

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Q: What are you most excited for in your near future?

CD: I can’t wait to drop the music videos and I’m looking forward to supporting Bahamadia and Kaiit in March. But I’m most excited to be letting the EP go and having a fresh canvas to create on.

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Consider purchasing CD's music via her Bandcamp if you have the means.

Jack Colquhoun is Mixmag ANZ's Managing Editor, find him on Instagram.