This is Cassyette:

“I grew up in Essex. I started my music career as a DJ, and then I kind of transitioned into production and songwriting. Wrote loads of music for other artists and bands, and then I started my project. Well, I kind of drip-fed my project out over the years. Then I took stuff offline and started properly probably about four years ago, maybe it was five. Fucking time flies. Basically through lockdown… and then I started doing TikTok, and it kind of just went from there.”

The rising alternative star recounted the first time she encountered a goth, at age eleven. “I was like, I love that lady’s outfit. I love it so much.” This could be considered the formative moment that initiated Cassyette’s style as it is now. She described it as a moment of being given “permission” to obsess and explore identity. Cassyette’s obsession developed from an “affinity to darkness” and a “curiosity” about the goth community. The rejection of societal norms that the community was built on is what lies at the heart of this love too.

The broader alternative scene is at the core of Cassyette’s music, community, and identity. Since her teenage years, she “always loved” alternative music. One of her earliest obsessions was with hair metal, more specifically, Mötley Crüe. Her taste began to stretch from punk bands like Joan Jett to post-hardcore bands like Bring Me the Horizon. The most influential band in shaping her taste was Slipknot, which got her into heavier music. She described Corey Taylor’s (of Slipknot) scream as the most stylistically similar to hers.

Cassyette’s album This World Fucking Sucks was rereleased with additional songs as This World Still Fucking Sucks in April 2025. It included a cover of Lady Gaga’s unreleased song Disease, which subsequently went viral after Gaga proclaimed she was obsessed with the cover. The foundation of the new album is influenced by the diverse set of alternative bands Cassyette grew up listening to. However, the rawness and emotion of the record come from a much more personal place. The album was “written off the back of a really dark time.” After losing her father and experiencing a breakup with a long-term partner, Cassyette found herself “in quite a tricky situation with drugs and stuff like that.” The opening track is direct about this, referencing “chemical cures,” “being mentally unstable,” and how “the whole world is falling apart,” all layered over an eerie backing track. Throughout the album, nihilistic themes run rampant. But the pain isn’t for wallowing, Cassyette weaponised these emotions to create a project designed to get you on your feet and scream.

This World Still Fucking Sucks is far from your typical alternative album. As a “woman of the music,” Cassyette pulled genres from across her life into this project, which is what makes it so authentically Cassyette. She started her career working in clubs, playing genres like techno and drum & bass. Including the “techno” and “dance stuff” was important, as it marked “an era of [her].” Fused with other sounds, she’s created a record that’s built her niche, recognised worldwide as a genre-defying, boundary-pushing artist.

After moving to Brighton, living a double life like an “old lady” sitting on the beach while also regularly attending gigs like a twenty-year-old, the alternative star launched a new club night, Degenerette, at Revenge. It’s been labelled “a queer/goth club night for the alternative and LGBTQIA+ community.” Exclusive Cassyette remixes are played all night to embody the “expanding musical world of Cassyette.” Sets have included Cassyette x Filthy Pig (where he was her “little gimp in a piggy mask”), Seven Euro, and Zlutz. Cassyette described it as “some amazing pole dancers, drag queens, and really fucking great DJs.”

A few days before the launch, she announced a Degenerette style guide. The guide was inspired by designers like Dilara Findikoglu, old Alexander McQueen, Rick Owens, and kinkwear. She wanted to create “a mini version of what you would see at Berghain… in a really fucking stylish town.” Needless to say, it was a success. Cassyette recalled, “there was a full room” packed with “the most insane outfits.”

Cassyette’s style is a pervasive part of her brand. She’s frequently seen on stage in complex looks, from Mad Max-inspired pieces to full-on goth. Matt King is her partner in developing these visuals, helping create mood boards and sourcing from up-and-coming designers within the alt-fashion scene. Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, and Rick Owens make regular appearances in her wardrobe, no surprise, given their provocative, boundary-pushing aesthetics. Mid-conversation, she paraphrased Rick Owens: “I built this whole company with my own hands. I could fucking burn it down any minute.” She felt inspired by the power of that autonomy, something that mirrors her own attitude toward developing music on her terms.

Cassyette’s career hasn’t followed a conventional path through the alternative scene. With her fusion of genres and creative ventures like Degenerette, she’s setting a new precedent for what alternative music can be. She represents a new era of the genre, dubbed nu-gen. This year has been a defining one for that evolution, from the rerelease of her album to the birth of her club night. And despite an already packed schedule, she’s just announced a run of live dates, supporting both Bryan Adams and Hot Milk, and she’s set to perform at Glastonbury, keeping her momentum going strong.

Photographer: Vic Gore

Stylist: Kate Robinson

Photography assistant: Scott Gibbons

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