This post was updated Oct. 9 at 1:24 a.m.

Hasitha Guhan is proving it’s possible to increase representation in music while still having fun.

The fourth-year music industry student from Ashburn, Virginia released her first EP, “Hot Mess,” on Sept. 13. Guhan said she did not initially set out to make an EP when she wrote the song “I Wonder” in summer 2023, but by the time the EP’s title track was created earlier this year, the five-track project had begun to take shape. She said the title “Hot Mess” is conceptual and is meant to encompass multiple themes touched upon across the project’s lyrics, including romance and mental health.

“I was in a place where I was like, ‘I’m not sure whether I want this to be just one emotion,’” Guhan said. “I was feeling a lot of different things, so I wanted it to seem like, ‘Okay, we can be a hot mess in every single place of our lives.’”

Guhan’s passion and involvement in music began at a young age, as she said her mother sings and teaches Carnatic music, a subgenre of classical music originating in India. Guhan said she became heavily involved in musical theater and vocal lessons during middle school, especially after landing the lead role in her school’s production of “Mary Poppins.” She said she shifted toward an interest in pop music in high school, specifically after being inspired by the personas of artists such as Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga.

After several years of writing songs, Guhan said she began releasing music more regularly in late 2022 as a college student. When it came to the “Hot Mess” EP, she said a few collaborators participated in the writing and production process, including alumnus Gavin Hudner, who co-wrote the title track, and Drake Taylor, who co-wrote the song “YCFWM.” However, Guhan said she wants to be known as a songwriter who is deeply involved in her music’s execution despite how audiences might perceive pop music.

“It can be lost – especially if you’re not like a Taylor Swift or Olivia Rodrigo type artist – in the sauce that you’re actually a songwriter,” Guhan said. “And I want to make it known I am very much part of my creative process.”

[Related: Amelie McGrath entrances listeners with vulnerable, relatable lyrics]

One instance where Guhan trusted her songwriting instincts was in the development of the track “FLOP,” her most personal song to date. She said the song had initially been written as a love song and was near completion when she decided to scrap the lyrics and rewrite them to be more honest and reflective of her feelings. Guhan said her songs usually begin with a sentiment or emotion she wants to expand upon, and she frequently puts lyrics or fragments of song ideas in her Notes app to circle back to later.

Sonically, Guhan said the EP was strongly influenced by 2000s artists such as Nelly Furtado and Timbaland, with inspiration pulled from Lady Gaga and Charli XCX on some tracks, although Grande remains her primary vocal inspiration. As a signed artist at the student-run record label Cherry Pop Records, Guhan said she still had creative freedom over the project with help from Cherry Pop’s marketing team.

During a recent performance at Hotel Ziggy, Guhan said she was able to mark the debut performance of some of the EP’s songs while weaving several cover songs into her setlist, including Charli XCX’s “Von dutch” and Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” She said her performances are defined by pink, sparkly costumes and plenty of dancing to complement her music’s electronic and dance-pop elements, as well as a live band consisting of Noah Gotlibowski, Rory Hemmings, Lily Isabella, Dawson Lau and Sarah Solomon.

Solomon, an alumnus and Guhan’s bassist, said she met Guhan last fall when taking Music Industry 111A together. Guhan’s sound, especially her song “The Baddest,” was more influenced by punk, but that Guhan’s shift toward electronic, dance and pop music is a natural adjustment that more accurately reflects the message Guhan wants to bring to the world, Solomon said. She admires Guhan’s professionalism leading a band during live performances and her confidence when receiving negative feedback from haters online, Solomon added.

“It’s really cool to hear someone with so much confidence and it-girl energy also be like, ‘Hey, I’m a human, too, and I’m going through this,’” Solomon said.

[Related: UCLA alumnus Danish Renzu uplifts Kashmiri narratives through record label]

Raj Sivaram, Guhan’s father, said his daughter has faced challenges with audiences accepting her for who she is, especially since listeners have more difficulty getting accustomed to artists who are different from the norm. However, Sivaram said Guhan is determined to be herself and does not want to obtain success in the industry without staying true to her values. He said that when suggesting Guhan make changes to her sound in the past, she has remained firmly on her own path and has continued to release the pop music she wants to create. He said he is proud of Guhan’s authenticity and considers it a strength of her artistry.

Performing at the Troubadour is a short-term goal, Guhan said, with playing venues such as the Greek Theatre and Madison Square Garden being part of her long-term aspirations. She said a more immediate mission is increasing representation of South Asian artists in the music industry. There need to be South Asian pop stars who are not confined to Indian music or fusion music, she added.

“You would be surprised how many people would come up to me and be like, ‘Are you doing Indian music? Are you doing fusion music?’” Guhan said. “And I say to them, ‘Why can’t I just do pop music?’”

Guhan said she wants to be an advocate for young South Asian people and inspire them through her music. Although she is excited to graduate later this school year to be able to focus on her music career full time, she still wants to bring more fun pop music to the UCLA community. She said she wants people to feel confident and empowered after listening to her music, which she said is uplifting even if it is not always extremely emotional and deep.

“I’m not going to sit here and be like, ‘I’m completely different from everyone,’ but what I can say is, ‘I’m being myself, and myself is different from anyone else in this world,” Guhan said. “You’re going to hear my story and what I have to offer, and I hope I can bring a sense of relatability into your life, especially for young South Asian people.’”