Karen Dió hasn’t had time to stop and think in a very long time.

Of course, as an artist, you want to be as busy as you can possibly be. But since the release of her debut EP ‘My World’ back in the Autumn of 2024, Karen’s calendar has been stacked, to say the least. From playing shows with her heroes to making her name in every country that will allow her to high-kick there, it’s been one hell of a journey. But every dream needs the chance to sink in, and when things are going faster than you can process them, it can all end up a bit blurry in your mind.

That’s where new EP ‘Fugaz’ comes in. Directly translated from Portuguese to mean something fleeting or passing by quickly, you can see where Karen’s mind is currently residing. The result is a sound that builds on the rambunctious, snotty, energetic foundations she has already laid, with a new slick, sentimental charm. It is still chaotic, but with plenty of space for her to fit in whatever reflection she has been able to grab onto.

To find out more about where she is right now and where ‘Fugaz’ fits into that, Rock Sound caught up with Karen in some downtime at home.

Rock Sound: How do you feel things have changed for you in terms of where you are now and where you were 18 months ago around the release of ‘My World’?

Karen: I haven’t really had much time to process. The thing is that I really like to be honest with who I am, and I think that’s how I want people to connect with me. And I really like to be on, too. I’m on stage as well. I’m not trying to be cool. I’m not trying to be anyone else. When I came back with this project, I really wanted people to like me for who I am, not for whatever image they think I should be.

So now, I try to be very honest and very silly. That is who I really like to show when you come to see me live, too. I know what it’s like to be upset when you have liked someone and then find out who they really are; that person isn’t who you thought they would be. So I try to be as honest as I can so there is no miscommunication. It doesn’t matter what I’m doing, if it’s just posting a video on social media or actually writing my songs, people can see me through those things.

RS: How do you feel writing in that way came out in this new EP, then?

Karen: I feel like through the last couple of years, so much shit happened. And the thing is that I was releasing songs like ‘Cut Your Hair’ and ‘Bexy’ that I had already written quite a while ago. So not that they don’t represent me, but I was much more into this vibe of all the songs I have now, which I feel is a more mature phase. When I released ‘My World’ was when I was giving myself reason to do whatever I wanted, you know what I mean? And now, I’m like, ‘Oh, okay, now I have the liberty to do whatever; how do I feel about it?’ 

Before, I had this urge to sound as traditionally punk as I could, but now I’m allowing myself to be punk still while exploring feelings that aren’t as traditionally punk as before. That’s where I was working more in this EP. I was letting myself explore all the things I like within punk rock, but also aligning with my feelings much more.

RS: How has that come across in the songwriting on ‘Fugaz’ specifically, then?

Karen: ‘Crawling’ is one of those songs where I’m talking more about social media and how I get stuck going back and forth in this weird relationship of seeking validation, which is fucked up. Then you have ‘Rat Race’, which is almost a dance song about how everybody is just trying to win, especially in the music industry, but it’s so fucking hard. It was a really nice challenge to explore things in that way,  

And I thought I wouldn’t scream so much in this EP, but I ended up screaming quite a lot. Because I was being really open, I felt like some of the bits in ‘Crawling’ or ‘Choke’ had no other way apart from actually needing to scream it. It was the only way that I could show the pain or how furious I was or how frustrated I am.

RS: A lot of this new EP feels like you are pointing outwards in your feelings, too. That it isn’t just about where you are and what you are doing, but about society as a whole. Coming from a place where you were trying to show off everything that you stand for, how does it feel to make such a stand?

Karen: In the beginning, I had to be seen as that, so people know exactly who I am. On ‘My World’, I was like, ‘I’m Brazilian, I’m an immigrant, I’m a feminist’, as those are the things that I value the most. But I didn’t have to prove that, because I am an immigrant. I am Brazilian. I am female. And I am proud of all of that. That’s the flag that I will always carry with me. But now, I’m not presenting myself. I’m more in this phase where I just want to make sure that I’m questioning what the fuck’s going on around us on a human level. A lot of things are changing very quick, and I have no idea where any of it is going to take us. But whatever is happening, I’m going to try my best to have like a happy life and do the right things. It doesn’t matter where we’re going. I’m going to enjoy life as much as I can with the people that I love and be nice to each other. That’s what feels important to me.

RS: And so how do you feel as though all of the time spent on the road has affected the way that you approach things? Because you really have been non-stop when it comes to ticking off bucket list moments.

I definitely feel like the way I approach touring has changed a lot, especially now that I have good professional people helping me build it. Initially it was basically just me. I’m trying to be more strategic with touring and avoid overexerting myself. I’m still learning, even just with basic needs like hydrating myself. Because when things are this busy, the first thing that I’m neglecting is myself, always/ I appreciate a lot more when I go back home, like how I see my cats and how I view being there through a different lens because you’re not there all the time.

But I would say the experience of being out on the road is what has changed me and made me more mature, and as an artist, I don’t think touring changed how I write that much. I think life has just made me feel more comfortable going that way.

RS: It feels like a lot of what this period of time has been defined by is you trying to catch up with yourself. Less re-evaluating, and more making sure everything you are doing is relevant to the person and artist you are right now.

Karen: When I wrote this EP, I just finished the last tour of last year. I played my last show, and I had a small gap, so that’s why these songs are very fresh from November and December last year and January this year. That’s how fast everything is going right now. So I’m glad everything we’re doing now still feels super fresh, too.