Caturday with Cookiee Kawaii
August 28, 2020
Culture & Music
Words:
Donna Salek
Donna Salek
Anyone with a smartphone has probably heard of Cookiee Kawaii, and anyone with TikTok has most definitely heard of her. Contagious and upbeat, her track “Vibe” is firmly on the soundtrack of 2020 and has brought Jersey Club to the fore of everyone’s attention with its euphonious dreamscape and commanding lyrics. Cookiee has made it her mission to shed light on the genre, which is characterised by its bouncy pace and use of short chopped sample loops, and she’s realised this using her social media platforms where she has amassed a legion of dedicated fans – her Cookiee Monsters. Hitting viral status in the modern era is a great achievement afforded to a select few, and maintaining popularity, followers and critical acclaim following this is even more so, and Cookiee has done exactly that.

DS: Hi Cookiee! It’s a strange and overwhelming time right now – how are you feeling? Are you keeping well?
CK: I’m blessed, can’t complain. Quarantine is a little boring but I’ve been writing a lot and just working on new music – that’s been keeping me well.
DS: How did you come to naming yourself ‘Cookiee Kawaii’?
CK: My name coming about is pretty simple: I really love soft-baked chocolate chip cookies, so that’s where Cookiee came from – I just added an extra ‘e’; and ‘Kawaii’ means ‘cute’ in Japanese, and that comes from my love for anime and manga.
DS: The first time I head your track ‘Vibe’ was on TikTok where it gained traction astronomically – do you remember the moment where you found out it had gone viral?
CK: Usually, when I’m working on a new song, I listen to a ton of different instrumentals and I just begin my writing process. It doesn’t take me long to come up with something if I really like the production. I remember the exact moment I found out my song was going viral. One of my friends, Legacy, DM’d me on Instagram and told me my song was doing well on TikTok, so I instantly made an account and jumped right into promoting it. It feels great to have this opportunity because I have a huge spotlight on me and I want to bring more attention to Jersey Club music and the culture.
