INTERVIEW
Alice Gee | 26/06/2026
Having built a devoted audience through her deeply honest songwriting, THERA is finding her place in the world. Fresh from supporting Jason Derulo and preparing to release new music with a live album in tow, THERA joins me from her London hotel room as she wraps up her last day of PR. As we sink further into deep conversation, THERA finds her footing and confidence as she opens up about music being of a healing nature, how her relationship with music has changed over time and the stories behind her upcoming album. But it’s authenticity that drives her, the importance of each and every song coming from her; it’s almost like reading pages from her personal diary, combining vulnerability with dark-pop production as she continues to evolve and step into a new yet bolder era.
Alice: I feel like a lot of your songs feel like pages from a personal diary. How do you decide what emotions and experiences go into your songs, what you may want to keep to yourself personally, and how do they take shape and form for you?
THERA: I think I don't necessarily decide. It kind of just comes from writing constantly. You know, I could be in my room thinking of a situation, or going through something, or just have a random idea pop into my head and that’s when I start writing. It happens very naturally, but I think choosing which song I end up putting out depends on if I am ready to share that experience or story. With my debut album it was different, it was truly a diary. I wrote a song, we produced it and it ended up on the album, because I didn’t really know what I was doing. It was a chapter of my life that I wrote about, and didn’t originally think was going to ever be released, because I wrote them when I was 12-14. I’m still very vulnerable and honest now, but I think I tweak the songs a bit more to fit for anyone. Since I do write about my experience as a teenager, my experience of growing up, I feel that my fans resonate with the lyrics, because they’re going through the same. As scary as it can be to be so open and honest in the lyrics I write, I know it’s important to remind them that they’re not alone, and a lot of us go through things that we don’t necessarily share, but I can through music. So, I would say as long as the song feels right to me, that’s when I know I’ll release it.
A: I think you’ve got incredible awareness, especially as someone who is 19 years old. Your teen years are so formative, but I will say your 20s,, I think, are even more so. I think they're rollercoasters in themselves, but everything has a time and a place. I think as you get older, you recognise things come out when they need to come out, so I resonate with the process of you being open and vulnerable. Is there a song that you've written that has had its meaning change, whether that's because you've performed it, or you've come back to it after you've written it?
T: I think I would say “guardian angel”, which is my most popular song currently. I wrote that song about my first love, who is no longer a love in my life, so that meaning has changed the most personally. But now it holds true for almost anyone in my life, specifically, my family, best friend and friends. However, when we get to play it on tour, it’s always aimed at my fans. They are my guardian angels, because I get to do what I've always dreamt of doing since I was little with their support, so that is why they are also called “angels”.
A: I mean, it's so relevant, especially when you talk about first loves, because when you're in it, it is so intense. Once you've had a bit of time, especially with first loves, those emotions almost hit differently; they are still special, but maybe you carry them differently. I imagine your music has evolved since then. Where do you see it going tonally? And what evolution do you hope it might take?
T: I feel that my music is growing with the way that I’m growing. It started as a personal diary in my room during COVID, where it was very experimental for me. Those tracks helped me process what I needed to, and I never expected this to come of it. However with this second album, it took a bit longer to figure out what I wanted to say and how. I didn’t really know at the time when we started writing where I wanted to go with it, because I felt there were so many things I could explore. But after starting, I realized I just wanted to keep it true to me. Meaning writing about what I was going through as a teenager who’s slowly transitioning into a young adult, learning who you are, and all of the things you experience during those years. So I would say the music is more mature, and more raw, since I am older and can express emotions and words better than at the age of 13/14. I'm also very excited to dance and to explore the more feminine side of myself and music. There’s a whole different side of me that I feel like I was very scared to explore at the start, because I didn’t want to be judged and also was much younger. However, now I am ready, and I can’t wait for it.
A: I know you mentioned on the shoot that you love the sounds of Tate McRae and Ariana Grande, and you’re hoping to go in that direction. How do you see your sound kind of transforming,
T: I think the way it's transforming is a really nice question. I’d say the sound is quite similar in terms of a dark pop atmosphere, as well as the lyrics. Personally, I could never release or perform a song that wasn't written by me, because I don’t think I could truly put my all into it. But I would say the sound has changed in terms of maybe how harsh it is, and the energy. With the first single, which is called “heartless romance”, that's coming out in September, I really wanted it to be a jump from the moment that someone listens to it. So it's a lot more pop and dance, but at the same time still dark. The whole album is going to be a combination of sad pop songs that make you feel heavier emotions, and also tracks with more of a dance element. I would say it’s also evolved vocally. I've grown; I’m not a baby anymore compared to when I was 12/13.
Dress, Bananhot. Shoes, Steve Madden.
A: You’re releasing a live record from your recent shows on tour. Live albums are my all-time favourite. What excited you to record your performances and combine them into a live album?
T: I knew from the moment that I got the call we booked the tour that I wanted to record it. Almost for a selfish reason, because these shows are crazy. It was me performing for 20,000 people every night, so I kind of wanted a memoir of it, a memory that I could go back to. When we were making the set list, I realised how different the tracks were compared to what you might hear in the studio versions, and I thought, why not release them? Why not give people this second version or third version of some, and they could almost relive it as if they were there.
A: It was done across different venues, right?
T: Yes, every track comes from a different venue.
A: Which is special. I think emotions attach to different places, different sounds and environments, so it's quite nice to listen through and notice all the differences and the things that you love.
T: It was especially fun because when we had to actually choose which track was coming from which show, you have 15 30-minute sets to listen through. I remember having specific moments from each show where a track stood out to me for various reasons while performing. It was nice listening through and hearing those emotions as well. The main track off of that EP is rewind (live), which we took from the Prague show. That was my home country show, and I even speak Czech in that track, so it was such a wholesome moment, and I love that I have that memory forever.
A: I think it makes it, the little things in between, the imperfections, conversing with the audience. You said songwriting helps with processing your emotions. Has there ever been a song that's been difficult to finish, maybe because it was so emotionally close?
T: There is a song that we just wrote that was very, very difficult. It wasn't necessarily difficult to finish; it was difficult to start. My grandmother passed away earlier this year. I know she's in a better place, so I'm more okay with talking about it now. However, while everything was happening, writing lyrics was helping me process this unknown grief. I knew I wanted to write a song where I could add her in somehow with a voice note or something. Just to have her voice and memory kept somewhere safe. When we were in Sweden working on the album, I knew that one day I wanted to focus on making this track. It was difficult to finish in terms of figuring out what to say and making sure I said the right thing. It’s probably my favourite off the album, as of right now. It's called “a world with you”. Honestly, I think I adore the songs that are more difficult to write, and maybe more difficult to write for me lyrically, because I think that's when you're the most vulnerable, and that's when you're the most truthful in a song, and I think the people can feel it.
A: There's such beauty in that. I often think I build things up, and I have so much anxiety that starting often is the biggest hurdle for me, and then when I do start, I'm like, oh, that wasn't so bad, but it's such a tricky thing to open up about. I think people can feel it.
T: It’s a very strange thing. I think, for me, the most important thing when writing music is that I really want to feel comfortable with the team that I have. I recently started working with producers Jakke Erixson and Tor Eimon, who I instantly connected with from the first moment that we met. It was really funny because we wrote and produced one of our first songs together in an hour and a half, and we only knew each other for about 2.
A: Wow!
T: When we were in Sweden this time around, it felt so easy. We’ve really found our flow, and it’s been really nice to see their trust in my skill. I remember when writing “a world without you”, Jakke told me to just sit for a bit and write from my heart, that I write amazing lyrics. It was really nice to have their support and hearing that, especially from someone who’s made so much music in their life. I truly loved our whole process.
A: When I was writing growing up, and you're pouring your heart, some of the most vulnerable moments, it's so important to have a safe space and to trust the people you're working with. How has opening up about those conversations maybe made your life easier or helped you understand yourself? How's that affected you?
Dress, Rat & Boa. Shoes, Steve Madden.
Top & Shorts, Nadine Merabi. Shoes, Steve Madden.
T: I got diagnosed with PTSD at such a young age. I didn’t know what was going on with my body. I didn’t know why I was having mental breakdowns. I wasn’t sure why these things were happening to me because I was a kid, and you don't understand it. When I finally got help, I was able to figure out how to breathe, how to cope with it and how to do all of those things. I’ve always loved music. I started writing, and I realised that it was easy for me to pour my heart out to a beat or a melody, and it really helped. However, I never thought people would heart the tracks. That's the first thing, I wrote those songs about such intimate and personal things, that I never thought it would lead to me becoming an artist. I remember playing it to a couple of people - my family and my friends, and then suddenly I started releasing them. There's not always positive feedback, and not everyone is gonna like the music. I especially hate saying that I want people to relate to my music. It feels like such a horrible thing to say: “I hope you guys relate to all of the sad stuff I've written.” But I think it almost helps me in a way, knowing I'm also not alone in some aspect, and that we all go through things. Things aren’t always easy, and there are hurdles in life, but you can get through them.
For the past year, I've been going to schools in the UK and talking about my PTSD openly. I’ve kind of made a music career out of writing about it in some crazy way, like the butterfly effect, but I think it’s important. It's something I've gone through, and you know it's something I still deal with. It doesn't just go away, but because of music, I've really learned how to be myself and how to kind of deal with it without it overwhelming my life. If I went through it to help people with my music, I'm completely fine with that, and I think it's okay. I'd rather help than be in a dark space because of it, if that makes sense. I think my life would be very different without music.
A: I think it's one of those bittersweets, because, as you say, you don't want someone to have gone through something that's so traumatic to resonate, but also I think there's a huge comfort in knowing you're not on your own with it.
T: I think for me, in some way, shape, or form, I don't know if I want to say that I'm grateful it happened at a younger age (diagnosis), but because we were stuck at home, I didn't really have much of a choice of what I wanted to do or not to do. It allowed me to record covers, which thankfully aren't on the internet anymore. But when I used to do that, I realised how much music helped me. I don't know if I could necessarily say that PTSD was the reason why I was able to be so vulnerable, but I felt that the melody and lyrics were easier to make and help explain what was going on in my head. “rain”, which is the first song that I actually wrote about my PTSD, performing that in arenas and having so many people react to it, it's such a what am I doing feeling. I went from crying in my room and writing about it, to these panic attacks that were happening, and then singing it in a room full of strangers, 24,000 strangers who are putting their light up for you and acknowledging you. I think that that's also so beautiful, which is why I'm trying my best to talk about PTSD and get more people to understand it. I feel like it's such an easy thing for people to experience without even knowing, and that is why I feel that it should be talked about more.
It's weird to say that maybe my PTSD led to my career, but in some way it kind of did. It allowed me to find songwriting, and it allowed me to find myself. That's also one of the biggest reasons why I will never give up songwriting, and I will never release a song that isn't mine. I don't want to fake it to the people. I think the really beautiful thing about being a singer/songwriter and singing to these people is you are connecting with them through something in any and every emotion: crying, potentially laughing or screaming their hearts out too.
A: I'm really big on authenticity and being true to yourself, and I love that you're authentic to who you are and what you believe. We do have to talk about what it was like being on tour with Jason Derulo?
T: I think I went a little crazy and decided to jump in front of 24,000 people (laughs). I still don't know how I did it, if I'm gonna be honest. It’s funny because everyone kept on telling me how it's less intimidating than smaller shows because you don't see anyone in the audience, but I saw everyone. I don't know who lied to me, but I saw every single face in that arena. If anyone ever tells me that statement again, I will know that they're lying to me. However I loved it. I was telling myself the whole tour from my first show in Glasgow, "You are nervous, you don't want to mess this up, but also go enjoy this, because this has been your dream since you were little.” So I just kept on telling myself to enjoy it, and I really did. The feeling of adrenaline and excitement from the moment that our setlist intro would start playing, it was like a switch in my head, and suddenly there was no fear or nerves. It was so much fun on that stage, and I think that also has to do with the fact that my band are genuinely the three most amazing players and humans in general. We all had the time of our lives playing together, and I loved the little rituals we made during the set.
It gets intimidating when 24,000 people put their phones up, but it was genuinely such an amazing experience. I loved seeing how many people were at each of the shows. However, the whole tour does feel a bit like a fever dream for me. I only found out 6 weeks before that we booked it, and had to manage mock exams during a tiny break in between.
I cannot wait to go on tour again.
Creative Alice S Gee @alicesgee
Photographer Chloe Maylor @chloemaylor
Styling Natalie Fajer Wood @nataliefajerwood
HMUA Kristina Pavlov @kristina_pavlov
Movement Director Lee Jay Hoy @leejayhoy
HATC Alice s Gee @alicesgee
Top, ASOS, Jeans Sandro. Shoes, Steve Madden.
