Cacien, also known as Garlica Princess, is a Chinese third-culture artist whose work explores identity, memory, and emotion through the language of sound, taste, and visual storytelling. Born into a Teochew family and raised between different cultures, Cacien’s music reflects the experience of growing up between worlds — constantly questioning where she belongs while embracing the contradictions that shape who she is.

Since introducing her alter ego Garlica Princess, Cacien has built a universe that blends Y2K aesthetics, playful rebellion, and deeply personal storytelling. Her debut project Garlica Princess captured the fearless, outspoken side of her personality, while her latest album FLAVORS marks a new chapter of self-reflection, transforming emotions into different tastes — sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, and the lingering aftertaste of growth.

Moving fluidly between pop, hip-hop, R&B, and experimental sounds, Cacien uses music as a way to document the different versions of herself. Beyond sound, her visual identity serves as another creative language, where fashion, color, and character-building become extensions of her storytelling.

With a perspective shaped by her Chinese roots and global experiences, Cacien creates a world where cultural identity, personal memories, and emotional honesty meet — inviting listeners to discover their own flavors along the way.
Photographer: 

Heritage: Chinese
Location: Shanghai (China)

Connect: Instagram

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3 words to describe you:
unorthodox/pungent/lingering

Describe your sound:
Sweet & spicy at first, numbing after

Tell us about you early music memories and the moment you knew you wanted to pursue music:
My earliest memory of music was sitting in front of a keyboard in kindergarten. I didn’t know the rules of music yet — I just knew I wanted to make noise, create something, and hear my own ideas come to life.

I think that curiosity never really left me. Music became my way of building my own universe — a place where I could be playful, emotional, dramatic, and completely myself.

I never had a single “I want to be an artist” moment. It was more like I kept choosing music even when I wasn’t supposed to. 

How does your heritage impact your art?
My heritage has a huge influence on my music, especially in the way I understand emotions and storytelling. I think a lot of it comes from a subconscious place.

Growing up in a Chinese family, food has always been a huge way of expressing love, connection, and memories. In Chinese culture, flavors are often connected to emotions — a dish your family makes, a taste that reminds you of home, or a meal shared with people you love.

That subconscious connection is actually what led me to the concept of FLAVORS. To me, flavor is not just about food; it’s a way to talk about memories, relationships, and different stages of life.

Growing up between different cultures also shaped the way I see identity. I’ve always carried different influences with me, and that naturally shows up in my music — in the stories I tell, the sounds I combine, and the way I express myself.

What moment are you most proud of in your music journey so far?
I think the moment I’m most proud of was when I decided to fully pursue music.

When I was studying applied psychology at NYU, there was a point where my family situation changed and I had to rethink my path. I could have chosen a more stable direction, but instead I decided to come back to China and seriously pursue music.

At that time, I didn’t know what the outcome would be. I didn’t have a clear roadmap or any guarantee that it would work out. But I knew that if I didn’t try, I would always wonder what could have happened. Looking back, I’m proud of that decision because it was the moment I started taking responsibility for my own life and my own story. Everything I’ve created since then came from that choice.

Your next music goal:
I hope to bring my unique FLAVORS to more people, maybe live with Ca7riel and Paco on grammy and after that we can get Haidilao hotpot together.


If you could collaborate with anyone, who and why?
Björk... What inspires me about her is the way she treats music as a complete universe. She doesn’t just create songs — she builds worlds through sound, visuals, and storytelling.

I admire how she is never afraid to be experimental and deeply personal, while still creating something that people from different backgrounds can connect with.

As an artist who also explores identity, emotions, and different forms of expression, I would love to see what kind of world we could create together.

A song that has shaped you:
“Human Behaviour” by Björk

She is an artist who has deeply influenced the way I think about creativity. What inspires me about her is not only her music, but the way she approaches art as a whole. She reminds me that an artist doesn’t have to fit into a predefined category. What matters is developing your own language and staying true to your vision.

3 songs you're listening to right now:
One day - Bjork
Mean girls - Charli XCX
I Feel The Earth Move - Carole King

Your community shout out:
I want to shout out John Ho (@okjohnhojohnho), my producer and collaborator for FLAVORS.
Working with John taught me that music is ultimately a language beyond words. When we first started collaborating, I shared a lot of my personal stories with him — not just the concepts behind the songs, but the memories, emotions, and experiences behind them. Even though he doesn’t speak Chinese, he has an incredible ability to understand the feeling behind a story and translate that emotion into sound.

One thing I really appreciate about John is that he is such a thoughtful listener. He doesn’t just focus on making something sound good — he cares about understanding why a song exists and what it is trying to say.

A lot of the identity of FLAVORS was built through those conversations and moments in the studio. From finding the right textures and sounds to shaping the emotions of each track, our collaboration was based on trust and a shared intuition.

Anything else you'd like to share:
Fun fact: I sing in Teochew in some of my songs.