CLIP is never one to hide her emotions. The NY-based internet rap princess popped on the scene with her 2020 smash “Sad B!tch” and has since dominated her lane of genre-fluid alt-pop. Since then, she’s graced a 2022 PAPER cover, released a trove of music that expanded her sonic universe and became a fashion darling.

The staggering heights of her rising star status were clarified on the road this summer when she toured with Montell Fish and Homixide Gang. She played packed stages and shared her truth for fans and new converts alike. But even with the glitz of all those flashy lights, she still had moments of insecurity and exhaustion. The highs and lows of touring mayhem provided a moment for her to reflect on her music career, and to see how far she’s come.

“I’m really grateful that I got the opportunity to not only go on tour, but go on two tours back to back. I met so many different types of people and saw, like, all of America,” CLIP tells PAPER. “I did a tour with Rico Nasty when I was first starting out, but I was so disassociated and depressed, and I couldn’t really experience it and be in the moment because I was worried about so much shit,” she reflects. “These tours — I was so anxious and scared. But I got the best advice ever before I got on my flight: ‘Have fun, rock out.’ And that’s literally what I did.”

CLIP took PAPER behind the scenes of her whirlwind summer of touring. From an emotional return to Texas, to a friend-filled stint in Los Angeles, to a hometown hero moment in NYC, it was a time to remember. Where better to take a walk down memory lane than PAPER Magazine?

My first date on tour with Montell Fish. I was really nervous because it was a complete vibe change, because I was just on tour with Homixide Gang, and I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t really know what his audience would fuck with, but they ended up really vibing with me. So I got really happy, and I just got off the stage and started dancing with them. It was a really intimate, cute moment. They set the tone for the rest of the tour with Montell.

On the Homixide Gang tour, I was mosh-pitting and turning up. But this one (the Montell tour), I was able to be intimate and sing my emo songs and really just vibe with the audience.

This was at a Homixide Gang show. I was actually in Texas, and it’s crazy because I never thought I’d go back to Texas — ever — after I ran away when I was 16. I used to live there for a bit. But this picture was actually in Houston. I love Houston. The crowd was amazing, and I had a rockstar moment there. That was the first Homixide Gang show where I really, really, really felt the love. So many people in the crowd knew my lyrics. The guys were being so nice to me. The whole tour they were being nice to me, but this show specifically. So I had to go down there and bond with them. There’s a girl in the background screaming my lyrics, and I didn’t even notice until I saw the picture. It’s crazy.

I didn’t even think I was going to make this show. We drove in really late. I was tired and sad — something had happened earlier. I didn’t really have my clothes. My hair wasn’t done, I was all bummy. I just threw on glasses and a hoodie. But it was a vibe, honestly. I ended up having fun because the audience cheered me up. Someone screamed, “You look so beautiful!” randomly, and that was this moment in the picture actually. It’s so funny that someone captured it. I thought I was so bummy — I felt so bad — and I wanted to give a good show, but I wasn’t feeling myself. It was just one of those days, and everyone was just being so nice. I don’t know, I just felt important and loved.

This was my LA show. I used to live there. I was so nervous to come back, but I did it. It was the first show where I had my visuals. Me and my friend DIY’ed my cover and my visuals, and it ended up being really cool, just to see it in real life like that. It was a really important show for me, because the friends I made in LA popped out for me and surprised me, and my friend styled me. It was a full-circle moment as fuck. This was the first time I stage dove, and it was so amazing.

This is from Montell Fish’s last show. Like sold-out, huge as fuck. We’d just drove in that day too, and as soon as I got there there were amazing vibes. I completely forgot that I was going through anything. That picture is so cute, because that girl knew all my words, and she was singing back to me. That made my whole life. It was a good way to end the tour.

The picture after is me and Montell from that night, and I was talking to his family, and we got to bond. It was beautiful — that night was iconic. It was in a church, and I’d never performed in a church before. Me and my friends drove six hours to Pittsburgh for that show, and then we drove back to New York the next day.

This was in New York, my hometown show. I had my little cat ears. I just had my cat ears and a dream. I was performing one of my favorite songs and they made the vibe really intimate for me. Anytime I played “NEEDMYFIX,” the crowds ate it up. They made it dark for me, brought their lights up, and just let me be in my zone, and they would sing along with me. It was really beautiful.

This was in Chicago. She’s wearing a shirt underneath her jacket something from my first merch drop ever that’s not available anymore. So she made her own version of it and brought it to Summer Smash. It was my first ever Summer Smash, and I was so scared. And she was front row, and it was amazing. She even got bruised from the pit, because everyone was moshing. It was so fun. She told me her car broke down and she couldn’t make it to my show because she had to pay for her car, so I added her to the guest list. And it was really nice to see her, and she drew me something really cute, and she gave me the sweetest words of encouragement. I love her so much.

Photos courtesy of CLIP