INTERVIEW: CAIN CULTO
BY OLIVIA LEON
Self-professed “technicolor witch pop” artist Cain Culto is definitely an artist to watch out for. With two EP’s, ORDINATION I and ORDINATION II, released in just the last year the artist’s debut has certainly made a mark. Each song is an experience, each video a world of creativity. Take a dive deeper into their music and identity as an artist as we chat about everything past, present, and future with Cain Culto.
Photo By Omar Alvizo
Your music debut was just last year! What made you decide to start putting out music? And what was that process like?
Previously, I was in a band making christian electronic music. After coming out as queer at the beginning of 2020, I decided to start over and create music that represented my new perspective. This first EP focuses on my religious trauma and the journey to fully accept my unfiltered creative expression. To be honest, the transition was difficult because at first, I faced a lot of backlash for coming out, but now it feels good to finally begin creating a new space for people like myself through my art.
Your latest EP, ORDINATION II, just came out a couple months ago and it is such a stunning listening experience from start to finish. What went into creating that EP?
Thank you! It was a collaboration with my friend Nicky who is a phenomenal producer and visionary. For us, the process was a ritual of sorts- we set the intentions to create something that would challenge us to confront our fears and then channel it into the work. I see Nicky as a spiritual mentor of mine and his energy gave me permission to express in a way I had not before. I feel like you can hear this journey in the songs. The ones we wrote at the beginning had a certain heaviness to them, and the ones we wrote last have more resolve.
What was the experience of releasing this EP like for you? Did you have a particular song or part of the EP you were particularly excited to put out?
It’s always an odd experience releasing music for me. In some senses, I feel so far removed from the version of myself that wrote it because usually the songs get released far after the time I did actually write them. The songs off of ORDINATION II were written in 2020 and it wasn't released entirely until the end of 2022, so a lot of time had gone by. On the other hand, It’s nice to go back to that headspace and see how I’ve changed. The single I can still relate to the most off this EP is Witchyman.
What is your artistic process like in creating music videos? Each of your videos have such unique and expressive concepts!
I had a lot of fun creating the videos for this EP. I got to collaborate with different friends of mine to make them come to life. Everything from the costumes to the set design to the choreography was a team effort. I drew a lot of inspiration from Alejandro Jodorowsky’s work. His book ‘Psychomagic: The Transformative Power of Shamanic Psychotherapy’ informed a lot of my own process creating the scenes for each video. I had a lot of fun playing with hermetic symbolism and esoterica in general.
All throughout this EP and the last, your music bridges so many different styles and genres. If you could describe your music in three words what would they be?
Technicolored Witch Pop
Photo By Omar Alvizo
Are there any artists you take particular inspiration from?
I adore artists that have a really strong visual identity alongside their musical perspective. I love Indie Sleaze artists like Santigold, M.I.A., MGMT, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Kid Cudi. I’ve noticed that I’m also really inspired by really empowered women that perform with a sort of spiritual transcendence like Florence Welch, Lorde, Beyonce, Rosalia, or Sevdaliza. I like artists that aren’t afraid to confront their own darkness in their writing and performance.
And along similar lines, I love hearing what artists are listening to — do you have any current music favorites? Songs, albums, artists, or maybe even recent shows you’ve been to?
Recently, I’ve been getting back into Madonna’s discography- getting more familiar with the deep cuts. A smaller up and coming artist that I’m really into right now is Spilltab, I think her production is really fresh. Hemlocke Springs is another exciting artist to watch come up.
I also saw you’ve had a few live shows recently! How has the experience of performing your music live been? Would you ever consider going on tour?
I’ve been opening up for other artists and it’s been really cool to see different people experience my music for the first time. I do want to go on tour! Hopefully if everything pans out, I’ll be touring with other artists in the next year or so.
Finally, what are you most looking forward to in the upcoming year? Is there anything you can tease about any upcoming plans for 2023?
I have an EP coming out this year and I’m featuring on a really exciting project, but I can’t say who the artist is yet. This coming EP is gonna be pretty different from my last body of work. It’s more aggressive, chaotic, and political than my last EP. I’m stoked for it. The first single off the EP comes out next month.
Photo By Omar Alvizo
