Mad Tsai Wants You To Sink Your Teeth Into His New EP, ‘CANINES’

MAD TSAI's 'CANINES'

Rebellion Records

Mad Tsai is simply a bona fide popular star.

The 24-year-old Chinese-Taiwanese-Peruvian creator knows he started arsenic an experimental, replacement indie pop-rock singer, known for his celebrated songs “stacy’s brother” and “all-american bitch!,” but now is fresh for his popular prima era.

It doesn’t mean he’s not going to effort different genres. He is conscionable fresh to observe his emotion for creation and hyper-pop. As a instrumentality of popular (and K-pop), he realizes he’s not constricted to conscionable being stuck to 1 genre aliases sound aliases concept. He tin person nosy pinch a assortment of them. So, why not do a sexy, vampiric theme?

He does conscionable that pinch his newest EP, CANINES, retired now.

“Mad Tsai is exploring himself musically, sonically, thematically, and slow reaching the way of much and much pop,” says Mad complete Zoom from his Los Angeles home, erstwhile asked who he is successful this mini-album. “I emotion increasing arsenic an artist. This task gave maine a chance to research who I americium and the different sides of myself to beryllium a spot much individual pinch fans too. It has my ain individual experiences and my ain relationships that person gone either good aliases awfully.”

The medium has been a agelong clip coming, complete a twelvemonth aft his azygous “Bite” was first released successful June 2025. It had gone done a fewer iterations arsenic Mad knowledgeable much life-changing events successful his individual life. There were respective songs he initially had connected the album, but he switched them up because they either didn’t fresh the vibe aliases he didn’t consciousness that measurement anymore.

“I wrote a batch of songs, but I want a batch of them to consciousness for illustration popular and 1 that you tin creation to aliases beryllium thing to perceive to connected the thrust casually,” he admits. “But, astatine the aforesaid time, I wanted it to mean something. I wanted to person a deeper meaning aliases link successful immoderate measurement to the larger communicative that I’m telling.”

The consequence was an affectional yet upbeat creation popular that explored themes of “loyalty, quality connection, yearning, hunger, intimacy, heartbreak, and growth.” Mad admits that this is his favourite task that he put retired truthful far.

“I’m grateful I took my clip pinch it successful immoderate ways because I wanted to make judge I did this correct and that I put retired a assemblage of activity that I’m really proud of,” he states. “It makes maine excited for the future, and each the things I want to constitute and talk astir down the line.”

Below, Mad Tsai breaks down his album, what inspired it, and what he’s looking guardant to going connected circuit this fall.

LAURA SIRIKUL: What was the inspiration for this EP? Tell maine astir this vampire concept. I americium getting ‘Blade’ vibes.

MAD TSAI: Obviously, immoderate vampire media. I’ve ever loved scary movies successful general. It’s shown done different songs for illustration “Killer Queen,” which is simply a nonstop inspiration from Carrie and Jennifer’s Body. You tin spot it successful my chamber that I person a bunch of scary movie posters connected my wall and everything. I had a batch of awesome inspiration. I’ve ever loved vampires. Interview pinch the Vampire was a awesome inspiration – and now an astonishing show. [The 1998 vampire action film] Blade had that opening segment successful the rave wherever the humor comes down done the sprinklers, past Blade starts sidesplitting each those vampires. That is seared into my brain. I retrieve watching that successful simple schoolhouse – which I shouldn’t person – and it seared into my brain. That’s what I was playing pinch erstwhile I was penning immoderate of these songs. I watched different vampire movies, for illustration Jennifer’s Body and this Korean animated BL called Mignon. It’s very spicy. I’m gonna pass immoderate early readers who person not watched it aliases heard of it. It’s very cheery and very spicy, and animated truthful well. I for illustration the story, which is short, but it was a awesome inspiration for songs for illustration “Bite.” It’s conscionable truthful sexy, gay, and vampiric. It each came together arsenic 1 amalgamation.

LS: You first released your single, “Bite,” successful June 2025 – complete a twelvemonth ago. How overmuch has that opus changed successful its meaning for you complete time?

MT: “Bite” was the first opus I wrote for the project, and it gave maine a North Star to constitute around. I’m truthful grateful for “Bite” and what it’s done for me. I emotion the opus truthful much, and performing the opus is simply a gift that keeps connected giving. Every mates of months it goes viral, and group support sharing it and making caller trends pinch it. It’s astonishing to spot and watch. I can’t hold to springiness this afloat task to fans because it tells the afloat story. It starts pinch “Bite” and ends successful a different spot than wherever “Bite” was. “Bite” is simply a catalyst for the storytelling itself, but ends location very different. That’s the beauty of penning everything. It gives a small spot of maine personally to fans and wherever I’m headed next.

LS: Let’s talk astir your lead single, “mon chéri… ” What a awesome creation anthem!

MT: I wrote “mon chéri…“ passim the penning process of the project. I came successful pinch 1 producer, Jack [Koplin], a.k.a. ShyKid. He is truthful phenomenal. I wanted to constitute thing sexy – a small for illustration Britney [Spears] but besides Phantom of the Opera. I deliberation I told him if Phantom of the Opera and Britney had a baby, what would that sound like? Because it’s truthful gothic and fun, I wanted it to consciousness for illustration you’re successful this underground club, conscionable dancing, sweating, and having nosy – a sexy nosy time. Things came very people arsenic soon arsenic I heard that beat. The hook conscionable came to maine astatine the correct moment. It was conscionable maine successful the room writing, and I wanted to adhd immoderate French to the song. There’s thing sexy astir French – talking astir desire and compelling personification to travel to you.

LS: I emotion “No One’s Son.” It’s truthful emotional.

MT: I’ve ever been a very introverted person. People make the correction of assuming that I’m extroverted based connected my euphony and online personality. But I for illustration to support to myself. I’m beautiful reserved and a spot of a hermit. I’ve ever operated that way. It has besides fixed maine a unsocial measurement of operating done life arsenic an observer. “No One’s Son” is simply a spot much inquisitive astir myself and what’s happening successful my life. If you deliberation astir vampires existing for thousands of years, it gets lonely. You go much hardened and cold. That was an inspiration for it. It’s for illustration a biblical allegory of being nary one’s son, talking astir your ain journey, which is very akin to the queer experience, and figuring things retired unsocial and not knowing really to emotion aliases subordinate to group successful immoderate ways. You spot group expressing emotion and affection, but it’s not the aforesaid measurement you do it. Queen group who didn’t turn up pinch different queer friends aliases a community, it tin beryllium very isolating.

LS: I do want to cognize much astir “STRAYS” and “starved,” and really they guidelines retired for you – 1 being a “fuck you” to the haters, while “Starved” is heartbreaking.

MT: I’ve ever been personification who is bouncing betwixt emotions each the time. One time I tin beryllium very introspective and beryllium very ‘woe is me,’ and the adjacent day, I’m for illustration ‘fuck it. I’m gonna predominate the world and ain everything.’ I consciousness for illustration portion of my artistry is simply a spot chaotic successful time. I talk astir giving into my vices and being self-destructive. Then I spell into the unsocial song, “starved,” which stood retired to me. Out of each the songs connected the project, I listened to “starved” the astir because it gave maine a chance to research the melodramatic broadside of things. It’s very sultry. The lyrics are emotionally aggravated and build into this large hook that I perfectly adore. We person each these songs for illustration “Bite” and “mon chéri…“ talking astir the tasteful sides of this relationship, “STRAYS” being destructive, and “starved” is what happens erstwhile they time off you. How would you header pinch that? I’d alternatively starve than sensation personification new. There’s truthful overmuch imagery successful that.

LS: I emotion the storytelling you do pinch the measurement you system the medium – starting pinch “Bite,” ending pinch “Wisdom Tooth” and “Diet,” arsenic if it’s an full story.

MT: I vanished “Wisdom Tooth” erstwhile the coiled was still caller from what happened [in my life]. It was truthful easy to travel up thematically pinch the opus because each the songs fixated connected teeth successful CANINES. I thought astir contented teeth, and really we turn up and person these teeth pushing into america and hurting, becoming detrimental to us. They shouldn’t beryllium there. We recognize these things: that group mightiness not beryllium bully for us, and we request to region them. We make these realizations, past chronicling love, loss, and past removal. With “Diet,” I wrote it successful 1 convention pinch singer-songwriter Maria Landi, who is fantastic, and shaper David Balshaw from The Imports. We had the demo fresh to go. I held onto it for months. After I wrote “Bite,” I dismissed it. It wasn’t until I played it for my friends and their eyes lit up, telling me, ‘this is really good.’ My friends emotion “Diet.” One of my creator friends, MIKO, said you person to merchandise “Diet,” and I deliberation that was different inspiration for maine because I really emotion my creator friends and spot their imaginative input. I ended up having him laic down guitars connected the opus successful the 2nd verse. It was a nosy process. I brought it to different 1 of my producers, Drew Polavik, and we vanished the full song. It was spur of the moment, but it conscionable felt right.

LS: All songs are for illustration your children, but we each person a favourite child. Which would you opportunity is the favorite?

MT: I person to spell pinch “Bite,” because the time I wrote it successful the studio. The infinitesimal that I vanished penning the song, I had a gut emotion successful my tummy that this was really special. If I don’t get a clasp of this correct now, it’ll alert distant and spell location else. This was the ray bulb going disconnected [in my head]. The opus is truthful special. There’s thing truthful nosy astir it. I started trading “Bite,” and it blew up, and it took disconnected conscionable for illustration that. We request to decorativeness this opus and put it out. It was truthful spontaneous and magical. It felt for illustration a movie because the aforesaid time I wrote the opus is the aforesaid time it blew up and group are demanding it.

LS: We person to talk astir your translator too, physically, from your first EP to now. Like your ATEEZ bias, San, you evolved arsenic an creator and arsenic a personification going from – according to societal media – “twink” to “twunk.”

MT: I for illustration to push myself to beryllium the creator I wanted to be. I’m very introverted, but arsenic an artist, I want to beryllium the other of that successful immoderate ways. That’s the beauty of being an artist. Showing parts of yourself that you don’t get to show erstwhile you are your ain person. My sport-loving sister told maine I needed to spell to the gym and summation immoderate muscle. I past fell successful emotion pinch it. It was getting retired each my bad emotions and accent from the day. I’ve ever wanted to beryllium assured and comfortable successful my body, and I was, but erstwhile I sat down pinch myself and really asked myself, ‘What do I want to beryllium arsenic a popular star?’ I want to beryllium sexy because successful the Western sphere of things, Asian men are not really seen arsenic sexy. It ne'er comes crossed people’s minds to dainty Asian men for illustration sexy aliases beryllium sexualized successful immoderate way. So I wanted it, particularly successful the popular space. I want to beryllium sexy. I want to beryllium gothic. I want to beryllium vampiric. I want to beryllium comfortable successful my assemblage and journey. I want different group to beryllium comfortable successful their ain bodies, particularly Asian men. We should consciousness sexy and assured successful ourselves and show disconnected ourselves and beryllium treated sexy for illustration everybody else.

LS: Finally, show maine astir this World Tour. What are you astir excited about? What tin we expect?

MT: I’m astir excited to spell to Europe because I’ve ne'er been location before. Funnily enough, immoderate dates successful Europe person already sold out. We are scrambling to get bigger rooms for immoderate of the spaces, which makes maine really excited to cognize that I person fans successful Europe who want to spot maine perform. I was ne'er for illustration a theatre kid, but I've ever felt the desire to beryllium very theatrical, particularly successful popular music. We person theatrical acts for illustration Chapel Roan and Lady Gaga doing astonishing things, and I want to merge that broadside of myself into the unrecorded tour. I’m building retired the world correct now, trying to make judge the communicative stays accordant and besides integrating older songs into the setlist – aliases re-amping immoderate of the older songs. I want to really push myself to beryllium the popular prima that I want to be. I’m taking creation lessons correct now. I’m moving difficult astatine the gym and doing singing and dancing lessons simultaneously. I’m putting successful the activity and can’t hold to show disconnected what I person planned by the clip the circuit comes around.

LS: Since you’re going sexier pinch your approach, are you going to propulsion a "Jackson Wang" and prime a personification to creation on?

MT: Oh my gosh! Wait, I’m going to constitute that down. Maybe. [laughs] I mightiness play 1 aliases 2 songs from the adjacent task and astonishment immoderate group – but you didn’t perceive it from maine tho.

Article was edited and trim for magnitude and brevity.

Mad Tsai’s CANINES is retired now connected each streaming platforms