Earlier this year, I named UK pop newcomer Chloe Qisha as the artist to watch after spending considerable time with her 2025 EP, Modern Romance. Following a first full listen to her 10-track mixtape, Fantasize, arriving Oct. 30, that prediction feels increasingly justified. Across the project, Qisha pairs sharp, tongue-in-cheek songwriting with disco-inflected pop production, building a collection that moves from carefree desire to the complications of heartbreak.
First teased with “So Sad So Hot” last fall, Fantasize feels like a long-awaited introduction to the full scope of Qisha’s evolving sound. Following her self-titled debut EP in 2024 and Modern Romance in 2025, the singer-songwriter continues to establish a distinct identity rooted in vibrant melodies, witty observations and an unabashed embrace of the messier sides of young adulthood. Her music draws from disco and early-2000s pop while maintaining a contemporary sensibility, balancing dance-floor appeal with a lyrical perspective that is distinctly her own.
Described as a journey from “horny to heartbreak,” Fantasize wastes little time establishing its premise. Opener “YDH” sets the tone with playful irreverence before revealing its central refrain: “Can’t a girl be young, dumb, and horny?” It is a fitting introduction to a mixtape that finds humor in desire without reducing its subject matter to a punchline. Qisha understands the appeal of a catchy confession, and her ability to turn candid, sometimes chaotic thoughts into memorable pop hooks is one of the project’s greatest strengths.
That sensibility continues on “Question of the Day,” co-written with Julia Michaels. Over a flirtatious pop arrangement, Qisha poses the question, “Do me in the coffee shop? Do you feel the way I want?” The track captures the impulsiveness and uncertainty of attraction, delivering its provocative observations with a wink. Rather than presenting romance as something polished or predictable, Qisha finds inspiration in the awkward, unfiltered moments that make it compelling in the first place.
On “Baby Girl,” however, the narrative begins to shift. Built around the question of whether one wants to be someone or be with them, the track explores the increasingly blurred boundaries between admiration, attraction and comparison. Produced with Oscar Görres and Caroline Ailin, the song pairs buoyant melodies with funk and disco influences, creating one of the mixtape’s most immediate pop moments.
Qisha has described the track as an exploration of how easily admiration can become attraction, drawing from her own experiences of comparing herself to other women and questioning where she fits within the modern pop landscape. That introspection gives “Baby Girl” an added dimension beneath its infectious production. What initially sounds like a carefree club track becomes a celebration of female admiration and the realization that the person you want to emulate might also be the person you have a crush on.
As Fantasize progresses, its shift from flirtation to heartbreak becomes increasingly apparent. “Surprise Surprise” is among the most vulnerable entries in Qisha’s catalog, finding her confronting the end of a toxic relationship. The slower, more reflective arrangement marks a notable departure from the mixtape’s earlier exuberance, but the transition never feels disconnected from the world she has established. Qisha retains the melodic instincts that define her uptempo material while allowing the emotional weight of the song to take center stage.
“He Likes Boys” pushes that vulnerability further. Produced by Rob Milton, the pop ballad captures the frustration of falling for someone who is not attracted to women, pairing an emotionally complicated premise with polished, carefully considered production. Milton’s contribution is particularly effective in giving the track room to breathe, allowing its melodic and emotional elements to work together rather than overwhelming the song with unnecessary embellishment. The result is one of the mixtape’s most affecting moments, demonstrating how Qisha’s pop sensibilities can serve a more vulnerable narrative just as effectively as her cheekier material.
Milton’s production also helps define the sonic identity of the mixtape’s closing stretch. Alongside “He Likes Boys,” “Cry About It” and the title track form a particularly strong final run, highlighting the interplay between Qisha’s expressive vocals, sharp songwriting and meticulously crafted arrangements. The production maintains the energy and polish expected of contemporary pop while giving each song space to establish its own mood. Rather than relying on a single sonic formula, Fantasize moves between dance-floor-ready rhythms and more emotionally exposed moments without losing its cohesion.
With “So Sad So Hot” also contributing to the project’s broader narrative, the mixtape ultimately feels more reflective than its provocative premise might suggest. What begins as a playful collection about lust and youthful impulsiveness gradually becomes a portrait of an artist learning to navigate attraction, insecurity and disappointment. The humor remains central to Qisha’s writing, but it increasingly sits alongside a more mature understanding of the experiences she is documenting.
There are moments throughout Fantasize when Qisha’s melodies recall Lady Gaga’s early pop era, particularly the theatrical sensibility and infectious hooks associated with The Fame and Born This Way. That influence is especially apparent on “POSSESSED” and “Cry About It,” where larger-than-life pop melodies and a nostalgic early-2000s sensibility meet contemporary production. Yet Qisha brings enough personality to these influences to keep the music from feeling derivative. Her writing is conversational and direct, with a knack for making even the most specific romantic dilemmas feel universally recognizable.
What makes Fantasize such a promising release is Qisha’s ability to balance those seemingly contradictory qualities. She can be playful without sacrificing substance, vulnerable without abandoning her pop instincts and self-aware without losing the emotional stakes of the stories she tells. The production, particularly across the mixtape’s final tracks, reinforces that versatility while giving her room to develop.
After two EPs and now Fantasize, Qisha remains firmly on my list of artists to watch. The mixtape builds on the promise of Modern Romance, revealing a songwriter with a clearer sense of her artistic identity and an instinct for turning the complicated realities of young adulthood into sharply observed pop.
Pre-save Fantasize here! The mixtape releases October 30.
