A Guide to Sensitive-Girl Catastrophes: An Interview with Egee

Let’s be real; most interviews with musicians start the same way: "So, how would you describe your sound?" Cue an awkward genre mash-up like: "Jazz meets punk meets existential dread.”. But when Egee answers, she just laughs and calls it "catastrophe music for sensitive girls." And suddenly, it all makes sense.

Whether she’s channeling the giddy panic of a new crush like in La Mer or the exhausted sigh of Disappointed but Not Surprised, Egee’s songs feel like late-night conversations with your most dramatic (and insightful) friend. She’s a water sign who writes in waves; bluesy, loud, and unapologetically emotional. But behind the electric guitars and theatrical flair lies an artist deeply shaped by her Southern roots, her adopted Austin community, and an unshakable love for the drama of it all.

In this candid interview, Egee opens up about her creative process, the red flags she’s learned to write songs about, and why sensitivity might just be her greatest superpower.

Lucas: First of all, thank you, Egee, for meeting with us! And for those who may not be familiar with you and your music, could you just introduce yourself really quickly and tell us a little bit about your music?

Egee: My name is Egee, I'm from Louisiana, originally. I grew up a little bit north, a little bit south, and summer's in the middle. So, I like to say Louisiana at large is where I'm from. I moved to Austin about four years ago to pursue music; although I've been writing my whole life, but just started in earnest about four years ago, and lately, I'm making what I like to call rock and roll cabaret in Austin, Texas with my full band.

Lucas: You already talked a little bit about the genre and your sound. It's been described as a bold genre, a fusion of Jazz, Blues, and also a little bit of rock, certainly. But would you be able to describe your style of music or your music to new listeners in just a few words?

Egee: I like to call it catastrophe music for sensitive girls. Okay, so certainly, growing up in Louisiana, I had those jazz and blues influences, but sonically, I do think it fits best in the alternative rock category, somewhere between Lana Del Rey, The Marias, a little classic rock like Joan Jett even a little bit of Miley Cyrus, Billie Eilish. I don't know, with genres everything's fusion lately, so it's kind of hard to pinpoint.

Lucas: The phrase catastrophe music for sensitive girls. What does that mean to you?

Egee: My zodiac sign is a cancer. So, I'm sensitive. I feel very deeply. And I think sometimes there's a tendency to when you're sensitive. People think you like sad music to cry to, but I get so upset that I get angry, and, hence, me leaning towards electric guitars more so than piano ballads. So, catastrophe music, I think, lends itself to rock and high energy and sensitive girls is kind of the sentiment.

Lucas:  You're very fashionable. Is that also an outlet you use to channel some of your energy and your creative spirit?

Egee: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I grew up doing theater. That was kind of what my outlet was at first because my mom found a local community theater before she found me anything else. So, I feel like I do my best performance when I'm in some semblance of a costume. So, I've kind of developed this look to amplify the self-expression and also lock into the character that the music calls for.

Lucas: Like you said, you're originally from Louisiana, and you had these influences of bluegrass. So, in your music, does this still carry some of the essence of your home state? Or would you say it's now more shaped by your experiences here in Austin?

Egee: Definitely both. I think the way I sing is pretty bluesy, and I have a real appreciation for jazz and its ingenuity, but I found that I really like going to hard rock and metal shows here in Austin, and that made me want to rock out a little bit more. I mean, I've always been really drawn to rock music and loud music, but I think certainly where I've landed today has a little bit to do with how I like to move in Austin, but I can't obviously shake where I'm from, so I'll always be a little bluesy.

Lucas: So you're not just fusing the genres, but also your background and where you are now.

Egee: I think anybody's music is like an amalgamation of their experiences. I think that's hard to shake. Luckily, I like where I've landed.

Lucas: Just a few days ago. You released your new single. La Mer, can you give us some insight into the lyrics and perhaps the creative process behind it?

Egee: I wrote the song last summer when I was excited about entering a new relationship. I wrote it kind of before it was maybe appropriate to write it, but I guess that's what I mean by catastrophe music for sensitive girls. The inspiration was being so excited about something that you could hardly stand it. The verses are kind of about the way you play it cool on dates, very polite, very demure. And then the choruses are about being a little wine-drunk in your room and being like: “Oh my god, I'm so excited about this, I could throw up”. It's kind of that push and pull of the waves, if you will, of the beginning stages of a relationship.

Lucas: Is that why it's called La Mer?

Egee: Yeah, it just came to me, and then my grandpa pointed out that we used to listen to La Mer, you know, the French song? so maybe that was shaking around in the back of my head too. Also, again, I'm a water sign, so I'm always writing water metaphors. And then I think, by the time I got to write that last bit of the chorus, I had already kind of picked up on the push and pull. I actually wrote the second verse first, in which the first lines are: “And that’s so me, can't escape the tides. I'm changing slowly.” So, it’s supposed to symbolize the ocean, and the beach is kind of the verses that are tranquil and vibey, and then the choruses are the sea, all the violence and the depths and the crashing of wind.

Lucas: Did you draw some inspiration from your home state, with the sea, or is it just your general theme for the song?

Egee: it's just a more general theme. We have the Gulf, but we don't really have the sea in Louisiana. I think that just lends itself to the kind of drama that I like to bring to my songs, like theatricality, like what is the most dramatic version of events that could take place.

Lucas: You already kind of went into the lyrics and the creative process behind your new song. Now, is there any particular line you'd like to talk about in La Mer or one that stands out to you as a favorite?

Egee: I think the kind of question that lingers in that song is in the second verse, and there's an interesting chord change that my guitar player and I worked out during the line. But I’d say the line “Will I lose my grip if I take your hand? Debate I can.” stands out because it describes the beginning stages of a relationship where you are excited and overwhelmed, and you know that it's going to be big and grand, like the sea, but at the time, I was really starting to, for lack of a better phrase, get my shit together with the band. And so, it's this balance of, can I afford to dive into this new relationship that I'm so excited about? Will I lose the grip I have on my life? I think we've all gotten lost in a relationship before. I certainly have. So that was kind of the one interesting question I think that comes up in the song.

Lucas: So, a mix of excitement and uncertainty? 

Egee: Sure, I mean, with every bit of excitement, there's also fear, right? I feel like those are the two different sides of the same coin.

Lucas: As an emerging artist can you talk about some of the challenges that you face in your musical journey and also within the industry?

Egee: I don't have any familial connections. I'm the only musician in my family, more or less. So, a lot of it was just trying to figure out the landscape of the industry. For the first couple of years, I had some bad experiences with people trying to poach me early on, which really threw me. People promising fame and fortune and quick fixes. That was really intimidating. I mean, I moved here when I was 22, so very young, and I knew I had a lot to learn about the industry. I mean, I knew it was going to be messy based on what I saw on magazine covers growing up. I mean, even Taylor Swift got, got, and she had to re-release all of her songs. Luckily, I found a really warm community in Austin; people are not gatekeepers, and they're very willing to speak candidly about what's going on. They’re honest and helpful, which meant the world, and still means the world. And now, I hope that I can be an open book to anyone who needs to know things. Luckily, I started working at a recording studio about two years ago, and that helped me kind of get a grip on how the sausage gets made.

Lucas: I’d like to maybe go a little bit more about the Austin music scene. Can you speak a little more about your experiences coming in?

Egee: My roommate, who I moved here with, started dating someone pretty soon after we moved, and he was from Austin. So, he introduced me to all his musician friends that he knew growing up, and that was what really started it. My friend Lily Hickman, who's in a band called Next of Kin, was kind of my first friend, and they were always inviting me to shows and trying to introduce me to people. That was really the genesis. It’s a big, small town, so if you want to meet someone, you're probably already two degrees removed. I think the name of the game is just showing up, going to the shows that you seem interested in, saying hello, saying nice set, following them on Instagram. Just speak up and show up, really. And then by the third time, someone’s seen your face, they're like, “Who are you?” and then you get to tell them.

Lucas: Let's talk a little bit about your other song Disappointed but Not Surprised. Can you share the story behind that title or the song in general?

Egee: That song was about a relationship I was in when I first moved to Austin, and the person basically gave me all the hints that they were going to disappoint me, but I'm stubborn, and I was trying to make it work. I wrote a lot of songs about that relationship, but that was the finale to that relationship. I remember, even when we were ending things, I was like, “I'm not mad at you; I'm mad at myself that I landed myself in this position.” So, it's a song that I feel is an outlet for frustration about that kind of sentiment. Red flags that you willfully ignored, which you do when you're young and excited about something. And every time someone's like, “I love this song. I can really relate.”. I'm like, “Sorry,” but I'm glad I made a song that helped you get some of your anger out, too.

Lucas: Do you have any other artists that you would say you draw inspiration from or that have influenced your music?

Egee: Yeah, I mean, it's hard to say I'm not inspired by every song I've ever heard, every song that I've ever resonated with. I love Lana Del Rey. I love kind of the energy that Janis Joplin brings to her music, and she spent a lot of time in Austin, so that's really special because I'm in the same geographic location. Who else... I mean, like I said, Joan Jett. The first-ever album on my iPod was the Shrek soundtrack on Apple Music. Actually, my parents preloaded that on there because they knew I really liked that movie. And she has a song called Bad Reputation that really lit something up within me. I love Miley Cyrus's Plastic Hearts album. I think she does a great job of rock and roll in that one. And then classic jazz like Ella Fitzgerald. I've been really listening to a lot of French music recently because of the new song. So that's been fun. Jane Birkin, I think, is really fun. Obviously. Bridget Bardot. But, yeah, I try to stay open to influence because you never know what can change things.

Lucas: Do you speak French?

Egee: I do not. Well, we took French in elementary school, kindergarten through fifth grade, and I did not retain a lot. I ended up picking Spanish, when I had to pick a foreign language which feels a little bit more appropriate for where I ended up. I did go to Paris because my grandparents lived there in the fifth grade, and I was so excited I wore a beret every single day because I was 12. So, I have that memory, but no, I do not speak French.

Lucas: Now, before we wrap up, you already talked about bigger artists like Lana Del Rey and Miley Cyrus that inspired you. We have a special artist recommendation playlist at The Unseen Magazine, where we also highlight music that deserves a little more attention, perhaps people who are trying to get out there. Do you have anyone else that you really want to put out there or anyone whose music you really like?

Egee: Yes, I think Grace Womack’s album is really good. She's located in Austin. I think she recorded that album in Nashville. It's adjacent to, like, Lake Street Dive, if you're familiar with them. Funky, Jazzy. There's, like, a brass section. I think the whole album is fantastic.

Lucas: Could you name some of the songs?

Egee: Yellow Cowboy Hat and Miss Tennesse are really fun.

Lucas:  Well, thank you for this amazing interview, and it's been amazing getting to know you more and talking about your music.

Listen to Egee's picks on our Artist Recommendation Playlist:

Picture credit: Marissa Kaye

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