Ever try and put Coucou Chloe in a box and she’ll crawl right out again, armoured with a devilish grin. The French-born, London-based artist and producer has concocted a genre-defying sound that avoids easy categorisation. A skittish concoction of left-field pop, skeletal hip hop, deconstructed club music and droning vocals, Chloe’s back catalogue has proved both rave-ready yet underscored with dark, twisted turns.

As co-founder of experimental record label Nuxxe alongside Sega Bodega and Shygirl, the trio have been responsible for producing some of the most exciting music to come out of the UK in recent years. On her latest EP, One – self-released in December – Chloe takes on her signature quirks at breakneck speed – whether it be bubbly opener “Wizz” which charges forward with thundering force, or the sultry “Zero Five Stars”.

Chloe will be testing the four tracks out on a 15 date US tour which kicked off over the weekend in Boston, alongside a slew of new cuts from her next unreleased project. Before she properly hits the road, we grabbed her for a rapid-fire round of questions.

Where did the name Coucou Chloe come from?

“My brother made this little track for my birthday, a birthday song sampling that kid saying ‘Coucou Chloe voilà voilà c’est ton anniversaire’. I loved it, a lot. I was playing it at parties. The Coucou Chloe, it stuck in my friends’ heads and they started to call me like that. It means ‘Hi Chloe’, in French.”

If you had to show an alien one song from your back catalogue to introduce them to your sound, which would you pick?

“I think I would show them “Nobody” because I’d love to see them move to it. It would be so chaotic.”

What’s the best city to play in across the globe?

“I’m really looking forward to performing in Russia again, the crowd’s energy is unmatched.”

You’re an avid gamer. If you could be any video game character for a day, who would you choose?

“I think I’d love to be Kirby for one day, see how it feels to be that cute and be able to float around like nothing matters. But also Lara Croft, she’s hot, strong and has this little mysterious side.”

What’s the wackiest piece of clothing you have in your wardrobe?

“I do have a lot of surprising clothes but nothing compares to the Fifa mascot hat I own. I used to love it but I’m really over it now, I guess every good thing has to come to an end.”

What can we expect from your upcoming US tour?

“I’m gonna perform a lot of new music. I’m excited to share a moment with the crowd. This tour is gonna be adventure time for sure.”

If you could collaborate with a singer that’s no longer with us, who would it be?

“I would have loved to make a song with Daniel Johnston.”

Biggest career milestone so far?

“Being able to put my feelings into a song and having people finding a home for their feelings in it.”

What’s your go-to look for a night out?

“I honestly haven’t found the perfect suit yet, but an oversized pastel blue suit would make me happy. “

What does the rest of 2022 hold for Coucou Chloe?

“More music, more life, more everything.”

Buy tickets for Coucou Chloe’s US tour here.

@coucouchloe