ThugPop's meditation

SADBOI wears BRA by LETTONNE, PANTIES by FINLEYS, JEWELRY by MARTINE ALI, STUDDED HAIR PIECE by DANIEL MATVEEV, SHOES LIBERTINE ℅ APICCAPS.

SADBOI wears DRESS by FANCÌ CLUB, EARRINGS by CHRIS HABANA, BOOTS ARCHIVE. 

The Toronto-based artist, born Ebhoni Jade Cato-O'Garro, is coming off a big first half of 2026. As we begin to talk through her upbringing, career, and personal life, she tells me matter-of-factly that she wants to be the biggest. I believe her. Who wouldn’t? Her intensity and poise demand my confidence. She's a versatile cross-over artist capable of both singing and rapping at a high clip. An international model, her strong cheekbones and name-appropriate tear-shaped eyeliner have graced stages like the JUNO Awards, where she recently won the Best Rap Album/EP of the Year trophy. Today she’s sporting all black, her favorite color, with a sleek leather jacket matching her black bangs. With her mother by her side, who doubles as her manager, she speaks to me fondly about how she got to this moment, and who propelled her forward. “The majority of my family is women, and I feel like that’s why I’m so strong… we're all so independent, but we're all very close.” That familial self-sufficiency carries into her relationships, and by extension, her art. 

A discography as eclectic as SadBoi’s could only be the product of a wide array of musical interests. Growing up, her father played hip-hop a ton, and SadBoi would rap along to artists like Big L and Biggie. When her mom ferried her to dance class and school, they would listen to rap, pop, R&B, and everything in between. The first time she ever got drunk, she danced to Death Grips, which makes a strange kind of sense. Fittingly, she shares a similar tendency to reveal beauty within chaos as the experimental rap group, making a point to bring them up, and even saying, “I would love to do a song with Death Grips.” Her music is definitively more pop-leaning, though, one of many complexities in her persona. The SadBoi discography is littered with songs made for the hedonism of the club, yet she is constantly clad in a cross necklace, a contrast she revels in. Despite identifying as straight, her community and fanbase are mostly queer. She's Sagittarius, with a Scorpio Rising, and a Scorpio Moon. “When people meet me, they’re usually intimidated by me. They say I have black swan energy. Which makes sense.”

She makes sure I’m not intimidated, but I can tell it’s a choice. SadBoi’s music is confrontational and unapologetic, balancing introspection with takedowns of opps and exes. The lyrical content is often brash, as she scorns past lovers, expresses regrets at decisions she’s made, and flaunts her beauty and worth, like an embittered outcast cursed with a bewitching vessel and dealing with the consequences of the attention it receives. There’s an undercurrent of contempt in her anthems. Songs that are club-ready bangers are also extremely vulnerable and true to life, with the subject matter of a lovelorn singer-songwriter. They’re often written in her washroom, with a glass of wine in hand. Evidently obscured by the blaring, upbeat context they’re made to be heard in, these are, at their core, love songs. With a laugh, she remarks, “I'm a hopeless romantic.” 

SADBOI wears DRESS by ALEXANDER WANG, STOCKINGS by FALKE, BOOTS ARCHIVE.

SADBOI wears SKIRT by ANA MARGARIDA FEIJÃO, NECKLACE by ALEXANDER WANG, BRACELET by DINOSAUR DESIGNS + MARTINE ALI, BOOTS VINTAGE.

Drama and chaos have been too close for comfort. Her relationships tend to be on-again off-again, admittedly toxic and always passionate. She reflects on this habit, explaining, “I think before I was drawn to bad boys who also treated me bad. But now I want the person that's good. Like, yeah, let's still get fucking wasted, but also, treat me like a princess.” Consequently, growth and maturity are the inevitable outcomes of such experiences, and at 26, she’s entering a new phase of adulthood. As a self-professed late bloomer, her early forays into romance were tempestuous. And as an outsider, it seems like perhaps the emotional highs and lows some young adults experience as teenagers manifested in her early 20’s, and she spoke on her coming of age, saying, “I remember all my friends had boyfriends and were in relationships, and I just didn’t care.” That also could have been the case due to her proximity to older people. As a result of being bullied in school, Ebhoni took solace in online spaces like Tumblr, meeting friends that she described as older, left-of-center kids that were into art, and weren’t too concerned with being cool. The ostracization in school got so bad that her family even considered homeschooling. “I wasn't social until like, two years ago. I did not know how to talk to people. I remember my friends going out with me, and I was just so awkward.” Still, she ended up at Toronto house parties, overcoming her introverted nature and finding herself in some sketchy places. When discussing the rise of The Weeknd, Ebhoni compared her experiences to the brooding music videos of Abel’s early work. Her mom, apparently, was none the wiser.

As a young adult, she started finding herself in more tricky situations. She flashes a wicked smile when she explains her impulsivity, and the trouble it’s gotten her in. Her mother seems resigned to it, and tells me SadBoi has always been rebellious. What’s the craziest thing she’s done for love? “Probably wait outside my ex's house at 3 a.m. to catch him cheating.” She’s learned to raise her standards, and she’s far from desperate for a white picket fence and nuclear husband. Ebhoni still leads with her heart, but her independence is non-negotiable. Still, she thrives in the chaos of it all. “I think drama appears when I want drama to appear.”

There’s a chip on her shoulder, despite her conviction. She changed her name to SadBoi from her given name, Ebhoni, in part, due to an ex-lover. It was also a calculated decision in presentation, a type of designed contradiction. She’s more vengeful than sad, and she’s definitely not a boy. A tantalizing femininity oozes from her subject matter and appearance; she knows she’s hot, and she wants everyone else to know. At school, she’d shun the dress code, as she explained, “I'd wear a miniskirt, and it'd have to be super short. Like, why not? I’ve just always been like that, and it’s never been for attention. It was just so funny to see the amount of people it would make uncomfortable.” This attitude has been evergreen for her, and when we discuss the confines of the music business, she declares, “In this industry, it is so common to run into people that tell you what they think you should be.”

SADBOI wears JACKET and CHAIN by VERSACE, EARRINGS by MARTINE ALI, LEATHER PANTIES by LETTONNE, HEELS by VERSACE / WILLY CHAVARRÍA ℅ APICCAPS.

SADBOI wears DRESS by ALEXANDER MCQUEEN, EARRINGS by MARTINE ALI, BOOTS ARCHIVE.

Not one to pander to the male gaze, SadBoi seems to simply enjoy the thrill of provocation. In her JUNO acceptance speech, she simply stated that everything she does is for the girls. Being naked and put together at the same time comes hand in hand with battling the men who’ve wronged her on record. She also just loves to be naked. “I always go to bed naked.” I ask her, why does she love to be naked? “Because I think I’m hot.” Also, according to SadBoi, is it actually legal to be topless in Toronto? Canadian laws aside, her mother chimes in to tell a story about an event in Paris that gave her pause. In a see-through, latex dress, she was worried her daughter would be judged, only to see how easily it was accepted in an artistic space. They both point out the inconsistencies that the differences in environment posed. Outside, she’s ostracised for being herself without concession, but in a high-art space, nobody batted an eye.

Lady Gaga is a reference point held up to equal esteem by SadBoi as her beloved Death Grips. Her next album, God Forbid I Have Fun, is an appropriately varied exploration of that motley of influences, and she’s enthusiastic about what it means for her artistry. “I feel like this is the most fun that I've had creating a project. I just didn't feel like I had to stick to one thing.” It’s a labor of love. She’s a workaholic, and she struggles to take time off from recording, touring, and performing. Every morning, she’s on the treadmill, and she’s incorporated Pilates into her routine. She’s still headstrong to a fault and brutally honest with her circle. Sometimes, her mom wishes she was a little less honest about how draining her relationships can be. Watching someone you love suffer is difficult, especially when you know that their decisions are those of passion, and not always self-preservation. Nonetheless, SadBoi persists, forging ahead despite the bumps in the road. First and foremost, she trusts herself. I ask her if, despite the ghosts of her past and the betrayal that made great song fodder, she still trusts her instincts. Without hesitation, she leans forward and says, “My intuition’s always spot on.” Not needing assurance, she turns to her mom. “Would you agree with that?” Her mom smiles and agrees. I believe them.