{"id":686,"date":"2025-03-05T15:25:06","date_gmt":"2025-03-05T16:25:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/?p=686"},"modified":"2025-03-06T18:22:40","modified_gmt":"2025-03-06T18:22:40","slug":"cortisa-star-from-viral-to-irl-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/05\/cortisa-star-from-viral-to-irl-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Cortisa Star, From Viral to IRL Success"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/assets.rebelmouse.io\/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy81NjYzNTU1MS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTc2NzQzODYwMX0.64LI5_YET4RO-rwcAIirQXud94aMHXy1w8uJmBi_y2M\/img.jpg?width=2000&amp;height=2500&amp;coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C0\"><\/p>\n<p>Furries, video games, Chief Keef songs, Baltimore raves&#8230; welcome to the world of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/killedcortisa\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Cortisa Star<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p><em>PAPER\u2019s<\/em> favorite viral rapper came out swinging last year on her breakthrough single <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=myKH6qlTekk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cFun\u201d<\/a> before following it up with equally distinct tunes like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Ag4z3CG8Nbg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cWhat You Want\u201d<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=eViL6TtGv1c\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cMisidentify,\u201d<\/a> each heavy on the glitched-out sounds of the post-hyperpop generation. Now-legendary producer <a href=\"https:\/\/www.papermag.com\/umru-search-result-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">umru<\/a> worked on her debut EP, and Star plays it coy when asked about other collaborators on the project: \u201cIt\u2019s  a really new sound, especially because the studio area pulled that new sound out of me. It was a space where I could scream as loud as I could.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At times, the hyperpop trappings and blown-out vocals recall emo&#8217;s heyday, now looped around and filtered through the Chromebook production style of Cortisa Star. Can fans expect screaming on the new EP? \u201cYes! Really dramatic vocals.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><img alt=\"\" class=\"rm-shortcode lazyload\" data-rm-shortcode-id=\"4b5b684df37339ff13d8b17289ab9ad3\" data-rm-shortcode-name=\"rebelmouse-image\" id=\"012db\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/img-20.jpg\"><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Often, Zoom Star is fast, witty, and full of quick asides and anecdotes that keep me on my toes. Her lyrics bleed through the conversation, as does her irreverence toward the spotlight she\u2019s found herself thrust into.<\/p>\n<p>Star cuts it straight when asked about the influence of places like Delaware, her home, on her sound. For her, it&#8217;s much as it is for many finding their way from the fringes, she says. \u201cIt\u2019s hard, because I was mainly raised in Delaware,&#8221; she tells <em>PAPER<\/em>. &#8220;And there was no music scene whatsoever&#8230; I\u2019ve always been tapped into the internet and posting. I\u2019m not too social when it comes to real people IRL.\u201d With that came the influence of video games and cartoons, \u201cbecause online was my escape from my small little town. This year was my first time going to a bunch of cities. It was my access to the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><span class=\"rm-shortcode\" data-rm-shortcode-id=\"f722fff25e837a82e399f8f2a0d60112\" style=\"padding-top:56.25%\"><br \/>\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Cortisa Star - Misidentify (Offiicial Music Video)\" width=\"840\" height=\"473\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/eViL6TtGv1c?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><\/p>\n<p>Read on for <em><\/em>Star&#8217;s full chat with <em>PAPER<\/em>, along with backstage photos from her recent Brooklyn show.<\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><img alt=\"\" class=\"rm-shortcode lazyload\" data-rm-shortcode-id=\"e02444fa8aa7a8c2bd1e31a8e4d06243\" data-rm-shortcode-name=\"rebelmouse-image\" id=\"78d9b\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/img-21.jpg\"><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>How are you feeling about your upcoming EP?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m so hyped. It\u2019s already recorded, though, so I\u2019m hyped for it to come out.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What can you tell me about it \u2014 anyone you worked with, features on it?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There is a feature on it, I\u2019m really excited. It\u2019s a really new sound, especially because the studio area pulled that new sound out of me. It was a space where I could scream as loud as I could. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Can we expect screaming on the EP?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Yes! It&#8217;s really dramatic vocals.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How has your life changed since you tweeted: \u201cStraight people found out about me, and they are losing their damn minds, OMG?\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Honestly? My life, other than work and traveling a whole bunch, obviously meeting a bunch of other people&#8230; my life hasn\u2019t changed that much. I usually do the same thing. I take my dog out and hang out with my twin sister.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What\u2019s the dog&#8217;s name?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Zuko, like from <em>Avatar<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>You have a lot of cartoon references, you said that you were inspired by an episode of<em> Adventure Time<\/em>, with beatboxing.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve always been playing video games, cartoons, I always loved anime. I never got outside too much as a kid. <\/p>\n<p><strong>If you could pick a video game character \u2014 like Ivy, from <em>Soulcalibur \u2014<\/em> Well maybe not <em>Soulcalibur<\/em>, I\u2019m an old lady \u2014 but who would it be?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Probably Pearl from <em><em>Splatoon 2<\/em><\/em>.<\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><img alt=\"\" class=\"rm-shortcode lazyload\" data-rm-shortcode-id=\"93503a696a54097a490b17b51be06061\" data-rm-shortcode-name=\"rebelmouse-image\" id=\"5f727\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/img-22.jpg\"><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>Oh yeah, the fashions, I can totally see that. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>And she\u2019s a rapper!<\/p>\n<p><strong>You went viral last year after you did \u201cFun\u201d on<em> 4 The Block<\/em>. When you wrapped that, could you tell that what you had done was really hot, that people were going to respond positively to it?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>No! I wasn\u2019t even gonna upload that song. In the beginning, I was like, \u201cI\u2019m not even gonna upload this song for real.\u201d Because I made that song in 45 minutes. It was supposed to be a joke. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Serendipidous. I\u2019ve talked to a lot of artists who say, I put this down, I maybe wasn\u2019t really thinking about it, I uploaded it, and suddenly my phone\u2019s blowing up. Was that the experience for you? <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Yeah, I had a feeling, because of the shock value of some of the things I said in it, but I didn\u2019t realize that people would be that gagged. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Have you always been a sort of provocateur like that? Always said whatever is on your mind? Or is that something that comes out in rapping specifically?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Honestly, it depends on the situation. If I\u2019m outside and I\u2019m around other people, I don\u2019t say a single word. I wait until people talk to me. But if I\u2019m around, if I\u2019m comfortable, yeah, I just be saying random shit. I should probably put tape over my mouth. <\/p>\n<p><strong>How did you come to rapping and uploading your videos online?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In 2016, I was in the spam era of Instagram, and I was always posting skit videos. So I\u2019ve always been tapped into the internet and posting. I\u2019m not too social when it comes to real people IRL. <\/p>\n<p><strong>You also live in Baltimore, which has such a distinct sound. And you\u2019re from Delaware. What would you say are some of the influences that you absorbed from those places?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Definitely Rico, but it\u2019s hard, because I was mainly raised in Delaware. And there was no music scene whatsoever. The only person I knew from Delaware was Sukihana, and she lived two hours away from me.<\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><img alt=\"\" class=\"rm-shortcode lazyload\" data-rm-shortcode-id=\"5aee69d16d3c77a2620e78c9eb074a90\" data-rm-shortcode-name=\"rebelmouse-image\" id=\"89b91\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/img-23.jpg\"><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>Shoutout Sukihana.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Shoutout!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Do you think that because you grew up in an isolated place like Delaware, you took a lot of your references from online?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Definitely online, because online was my escape from my small little town. This year was my first time going to a bunch of cities. It was my access to the world. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Did you ever expect that music would be the thing that let you see so many different places you\u2019ve never been before, especially so young?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Honestly, no! Before I started making music, I was in high school, but then I dropped out of high school, and I was going to go home to become literally anything. I was either going to be an aerospace engineer or an astrophysicist, a scientist, or whatever situation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>You could have been the first astrophysicist rapper! I think that\u2019s something that you could still do, probably. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ll have to sell my leg for college tuition. [<em>Laughs<\/em>]<\/p>\n<p><strong>Talk to me about dropping out of high school. How did that experience lead into you pursuing this next chapter in your life?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Honestly, for the first year, I wasn\u2019t really making music like that. I was working at an ice cream shop on the beach. I was doing nothing. I am trying to get my ass up, you know?<\/p>\n<p><strong>You\u2019ve become known as a rave queen. You talk often about them, and going to parties. What\u2019s the scene in Baltimore like, or Delaware? Have you even been to a rave in Delaware?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In Delaware there are no raves. I\u2019ve never heard of a rave in Delaware. I\u2019ve never been, unless they\u2019re not telling me there\u2019s secret raves in the water. But in Baltimore, the raves, it\u2019s so beautiful. In Baltimore, everyone is queer, trans, and if they\u2019re not, their sister or their friend is. <\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><img alt=\"\" class=\"rm-shortcode lazyload\" data-rm-shortcode-id=\"0211b7f1a437161b8e5ca6b792ae93f7\" data-rm-shortcode-name=\"rebelmouse-image\" id=\"9a0c5\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/img-24.jpg\"><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>You talked in a recent interview about your dream club, and you mentioned you would want the furries there. Instead of your dream club, I\u2019d live to know who are your dream people to party with?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s at least 12 furries, and they all have a table, and they\u2019re all kind of like, mean, if you\u2019re not a furry, they don\u2019t want to sit next to you. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Okay, so mean, hot furries, first and foremost. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Their fursuits are real nice, like $3,000, and then&#8230; maybe just them. Just the furries. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Is there a big furry population in Baltimore you\u2019re aware of?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Honestly? Yeah. Shoutout to the Baltimore furries, I know y\u2019all, and a lot of them are hidden. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Maybe this year could be the first time there is a furry rave thrown in Delaware, maybe that\u2019s something you can make happen.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>And then three people would show up!<\/p>\n<p><strong>We\u2019ll collaborate, we can find a way to get everyone out there. We\u2019ll have to bus them in from New York or Baltimore. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I threw a little show, my first ever live performance, in Delaware, and it was I think 4\/20, in 2023, and somebody came from Philly. I was gagging. <\/p>\n<p><strong>I live in Philly, and I definitely have known a lot of people from Delaware who come to Philly to party, not necessarily the other way around!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>No, you\u2019re right. That\u2019s why I was like, <em>What<\/em>?<\/p>\n<p><strong>I was reading an interview recently where you described \u201cBitch, Where?\u201d By Chief Keef as a diva-coded song, which I\u2019ve become obsessed with describing things as. What are the qualities of something that make it diva-coded to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Not really elements of the song. It\u2019s when I listen to something or if I see something and I\u2019m like, me being in the area of this is really deep. It makes me deeper, and I feel so much deeper when I\u2019m listening to \u201cBitch, Where?\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><img alt=\"\" class=\"rm-shortcode lazyload\" data-rm-shortcode-id=\"b8cbd5dbf40ba412eb9636048ecf20d9\" data-rm-shortcode-name=\"rebelmouse-image\" id=\"4c1f5\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/img-25.jpg\"><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>Do you have any other songs you\u2019d describe as diva-coded?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cSave Me\u201d by Chief Keef is diva-coded. <\/p>\n<p><strong>So Chief Keef, generally speaking, is diva-coded. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>And they might hate me for that, but you know, there\u2019s divas all around the world. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Let\u2019s get Chief Keef on the next EP, the next album. Maybe he\u2019s on this one!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>God wasn\u2019t too good. [<em>Laughs<\/em>]<\/p>\n<p><strong>You have a new EP coming out. Lots of people are excited for what you\u2019re going to do next. What are you most looking forward to this year?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m looking forward to traveling and getting to perform for more of my fans around the world, because I\u2019m always so glued to the East Coast. My first LA trip was my first time to the West Coast ever in my life.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What did you think of it?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It was scary! There weren&#8217;t that many people there, just because of the fires. It had this weird atmosphere, almost apocalyptic. <\/p>\n<p><strong>I\u2019ve got to run now, I have to go listen to some Chief Keef and get to the airport\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Get to that diva music!<\/p>\n<p><strong>Get to that diva music! Well, for me, that\u2019s Mariah Carey, but I think we\u2019ll find a middle ground there somewhere.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Mariah and Chief&#8230; ultimate diva zone.<\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><img alt=\"\" class=\"rm-shortcode lazyload\" data-rm-shortcode-id=\"75a952c1f9aa11a761c7c16532219626\" data-rm-shortcode-name=\"rebelmouse-image\" id=\"d0413\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/img-26.jpg\"><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><img alt=\"\" class=\"rm-shortcode lazyload\" data-rm-shortcode-id=\"1a18d8c8244d4302a797aba3f1de1955\" data-rm-shortcode-name=\"rebelmouse-image\" id=\"97c75\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/img-27.jpg\"><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><img alt=\"\" class=\"rm-shortcode lazyload\" data-rm-shortcode-id=\"0ac25e4847b1841c801e58cca0d3a4ad\" data-rm-shortcode-name=\"rebelmouse-image\" id=\"75871\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/img-28.jpg\"><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><\/p>\n<blockquote><p>I am trying to get my ass up.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><em>Photography: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/diegourbinav\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Diego Urbina<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Furries, video games, Chief Keef songs, Baltimore raves&#8230; welcome to the world of Cortisa Star. PAPER\u2019s favorite viral rapper came out swinging last year on her breakthrough single \u201cFun\u201d before following it up with equally distinct tunes like \u201cWhat You Want\u201d and \u201cMisidentify,\u201d each heavy on the glitched-out sounds of the post-hyperpop generation. Now-legendary producer umru worked on her debut EP, and Star plays it coy when asked about other collaborators on the project: \u201cIt\u2019s a really new sound, especially &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/05\/cortisa-star-from-viral-to-irl-success\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Cortisa Star, From Viral to IRL Success&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":688,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[10],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/686"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=686"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/686\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":699,"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/686\/revisions\/699"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/688"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.isshicare.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}