“I can’t really be creative in front of people,” Cece Natalie tells me while calling in from the bedroom she just moved into in L.A. Her entire music setup is right behind her. A single mic and an interface next to her bed, beneath pictures tacked to her wall. Mia Ferrentino, the soft-spoken musician behind Cece Natalie, likes to keep things personal, and will be the first to tell you she needs to do things on her own terms. Over the past year, her music has taken off faster than she can quite keep up with (she now averages 1.5 million monthly listeners), which means more and more people have started trying to decide exactly who Cece Natalie is. Is she indie sleaze? (She hates that.) A pop princess? (Not interested.) Or, following a recent run of shows with PinkPantheress, a reluctant live performer whose stage presence has become its own source of fascination? But when we called up the 21-year-old earlier this month, she seemed to know exactly who she was: she’s still entirely self-produced, she still hates being on stage, and she’s narrowing in on the kind of career that she calls “mainstream-niche.” She also hates capri pants and loves tarot cards. Just after she wrapped filming the music video for “Exitin,” pop’s newest enigma opened up about Britney Spears comparisons, escaping survival mode, and her complicated relationship with being in the spotlight.
MONDAY 1 PM AUGUST 3, 2026 LOS ANGELES
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EMILY SANDSTROM: Are you on a label now or are you still independent?
CECE NATALIE: I’m signed to a major and I fuck with them.
SANDSTROM: Cool.
CECE NATALIE: It’s not what I expected. A lot of artists like me have this big fear that it’s like, “Big label man, he’s going to make me make Cocomelon music.” But it’s not like that. They only make you do stuff if you don’t know how to do it already.
SANDSTROM: For sure. But I also feel like there’s a point where you get so famous that you do have to do Cocomelon for them again.
CECE NATALIE: I feel like a lot of those artists who are super famous are very expressive and creative. You can see it shining through, but you can sense what part of it was watered down by someone else and what part of it was them.
SANDSTROM: 100%.
CECE NATALIE: I want to be mainstream-niche. I don’t want to be a pop-girly.
SANDSTROM: I love mainstream-niche. What’s your relationship with the music industry like?
CECE NATALIE: Everyone that I’ve talked to that’s in the actual industry, I honestly feel really seen and understood by them. There was a certain point where I felt more seen and understood by the label people than my fans.
SANDSTROM: Yeah.
CECE NATALIE: But now, everyone’s kind of coming around. I wasn’t really out there long enough, so I couldn’t expect people to get it in the way that I wanted them to.
SANDSTROM: Are you in New York right now?
CECE NATALIE: No, I’m on this island. [Mia’s Zoom background is of a beach] [Laughs] No, I live in L.A.
SANDSTROM: Oh, when did you move?
CECE NATALIE: Back in December. Honestly, I like it here more. I’m here for the weather.
SANDSTROM: Do you feel like it’s easier to make music over there?
CECE NATALIE: My mental health is better. When I was in New York, I lived in a really depressing apartment. And when I get depressed, I turn into a vegetable. I can’t really get up and make music. I have no motivation. But that’s the only thing that makes it easier. It’s pretty much the same. Let me take off this background so you can see my setup.
SANDSTROM: Okay.
CECE NATALIE: It’s literally just me and my mic and my interface. I can do that anywhere.
SANDSTROM: Nice. So you have a really simple setup.
CECE NATALIE: Yeah. If I was in a studio, there’d be better sound quality, and I have more access to stuff. But if I’m in a place that’s not just my house or apartment, I tense up. It’s almost like selective mutism. Not actually.
SANDSTROM: It’s selective what?
CECE NATALIE: Selective mutism.
SANDSTROM: Oh.
CECE NATALIE: Symbolically, in essence. Because I can’t do stuff in front of people. I can’t really be creative in front of people. Even if there’s no one there, if I feel like there’s a ghost or lingering presence there.
SANDSTROM: Would you describe yourself as shy?
CECE NATALIE: Yes. I’m not a social initiator. I don’t like performing. Everyone that knows me knows that.
SANDSTROM: Really?
CECE NATALIE: Miserable. I always have. It’s so cathartic to say it.
SANDSTROM: I was going to ask you about touring, because people were talking a lot of shit after the PinkPantheress shows.
CECE NATALIE: Yeah. I don’t look myself up for that reason, but I feel like some stuff was so prominent that I found out about it against my will. I don’t want to see people talking shit, but it wasn’t surprising because I don’t like performing. I’m bad at it, and I’ve always thought that. That’s just not my skill set. When I found out it was controversial and polarizing, I was like, “That checks out. What I already know can’t hurt me.” But what I found really annoying is people saying that I was drunk and on drugs. It’s funny, but also it felt like, “Why can’t I just be awkward?” Me being awkward and bad at performing automatically means that I’m an alcoholic? I’ve never been drunk onstage.
SANDSTROM: I mean, performing seems terrifying.
CECE NATALIE: I do enjoy meeting people after the show, but the actual act of performing in front of people just brings me fear and embarrassment, lowkey.
SANDSTROM: What kind of vape do you have?
CECE NATALIE: California Cherry.
SANDSTROM: Oh, cute. I want to know, what do you think is cringe?
CECE NATALIE: I think a lot of things are cringe. I feel like sometimes I’m too harsh on things or trends. Actually, what I’ve been thinking about recently is that I hate capri pants. I don’t know why everyone’s wearing them now. I get angry when I see them. I think they’re atrocious, but don’t listen to me.
SANDSTROM: This is funny.
CECE NATALIE: I don’t know why I’ve been thinking so heavily about capri pants.
SANDSTROM: I mean, they are everywhere. That’s so funny.
CECE NATALIE: That’s not the only thing I think is cringe.
SANDSTROM: What about a capri legging?
CECE NATALIE: No.
SANDSTROM: No, okay. Just checking, but heard. What do you think is cool?
CECE NATALIE: I think a lot of things are cool, just as much as I think things are cringe.
SANDSTROM: You said honesty before.
CECE NATALIE: Honesty is cool. I think tarot cards are cool.
SANDSTROM: Nice.
CECE NATALIE: I like to do readings for anyone that comes to my house.
SANDSTROM: What about that tweet you did that was like “Don’t ever call me indie sleaze.”
CECE NATALIE: Yeah. I lived in New York City at the time, where that whole aesthetic is like a pandemic.
SANDSTROM: How would you describe it?
CECE NATALIE: I would describe it as very internet-based and chaotic in a fashion sense, just putting shit on. It’s always been one of my least favorite aesthetics. People tried to put me into that category, and it kind of irked me. When your image and your music is like your child, you’re super defensive of it.
SANDSTROM: Yeah, for sure.
CECE NATALIE: There’s no harm in indie sleaze. They’re not hurting anyone. But personally, I don’t like the aesthetic and I don’t really know what it was about me or my music or my style that made people associate the two.
SANDSTROM: Earlier you said that you wanted to be mainstream-niche. Who’s mainstream-niche to you? Like PinkPantheress?
CECE NATALIE: This really occurred to me, actually, when I was on the same lineup as Marina. I’ve always loved her. I was so excited to see her live. I feel like I don’t even really enjoy watching shows because it’s overstimulating, but I was like, “I’m going to stay here for three hours and wait for her set.” It occurred to me that I want that to be my place. She’s fucking huge and successful, but it’s not like your grandparents are tapped in to her.
SANDSTROM: Yeah.
CECE NATALIE: She retains that coolness. The more known you are and the more people you appeal to, the more you lose your cool.
SANDSTROM: How did it feel watching your work take off? Because now you’re at 1.5 million monthly listeners.
CECE NATALIE: It feels like a lot of things. At times it’s distressing and anxiety-inducing, but the parts that are rewarding are extra rewarding. At first, I was like, “Fuck, I’m having a come-up and no one really sees how I’m trying to portray Cece Natalie.” But that’s just how it happens. No one’s going to immediately pick up what you’re putting down. But when people did start to see it more, it started to feel extremely rewarding and actually made me happy.
SANDSTROM: That’s really nice. Did you come from a creative background or go to a creative high school?
CECE NATALIE: I went to an alternative school in high school because the main high school was so loud. It was so crowded and I couldn’t take it. I was so anxious all the time and I switched to a school with 100 people in it. That definitely made me feel like it’s okay to express myself.
SANDSTROM: I read from one of your previous interviews that, at some point, you were sleeping in your car. Was there a specific moment that you remember where you were like, “I’m not in survival mode anymore”?
CECE NATALIE: It’s on and off, honestly. I’ve been in survival mode a lot of my life, and it’s not something that just goes away. It’s very easy for that to get triggered again. But there are moments where it does click on a fundamental level, and that’s when I’m the most creative. When I’m in survival mode, my emotions go very numb. I’m a very emotional person at my core, and I love being emotional. I don’t think it’s vulnerable or embarrassing to talk about your feelings. Anyway, I know that I’m safe, but my soul doesn’t feel it.
SANDSTROM: Was that a high school experience?
CECE NATALIE: No, the car thing was after I graduated. I was living with other members of my family and they turned batshit crazy. I had to run away. My mom’s landlord was originally like, “No, there’s only one person allowed on the lease.” So I couldn’t live with her, but then she changed her mind and I got to live with my mom.
SANDSTROM: Nice. I’m glad to hear that things are more steady, and it’s cool that you’re in L.A. now.
CECE NATALIE: Definitely.
SANDSTROM: I know people compare you to Britney Spears a lot. Is it all of her music?
CECE NATALIE: No, they say Blackout. And now it makes sense to me because I feel like I’ve always looked up to Britney, I’ve always loved her. But I think I’ve been very open about not wanting to be categorized as a pop star, and she was a pop star. At first, I was like, “Oh, you don’t get it.” But actually, they do. I feel like that album just has this essence to it.
SANDSTROM: Yes. It’s so not a pop album, in ways. It’s something else.
CECE NATALIE: It just had this very unique vibe to it. Now, I think it’s such a fucking compliment.
SANDSTROM: Nice. Do you have any crazy fans?
CECE NATALIE: What kind of crazy are we talking?
SANDSTROM: I don’t know, people sending you crazy stuff on Instagram, or doing weird stuff at the shows, or haters?
CECE NATALIE: Only a couple. I’ve had experiences with people who don’t respect boundaries even if you set them, and it borders on harassment. But in general, I feel like I love my fan base more over time.
SANDSTROM: Do you want to talk about the new album?
CECE NATALIE: Yeah. I don’t think it’s what a lot of people are going to expect. I consider it marketable, but I think a lot of people are going to be like, “Huh?”
SANDSTROM: In what ways is it different?
CECE NATALIE: It just has a different vibe to it. Part of my goal is to not be seen as a future pop star because of what that means and how you’re kind of confined. This new album is making it clear that I am niche.
