Bantug is an artist, producer, and songwriter based in Nashville, TN. She grew up jamming with her dad in the basement of their home in Lilburn, Georgia, which led to writing her own songs and performing at coffee shops in high school. When Bantug moved to Nashville, Tennessee in 2012 at age 19, she didn't see herself in the folk-dominated indie scene. So she got a part-time job serving pancakes, played gigs here and there, and continued writing. As Nashville expanded its appetite for experimental pop, so did she—eventually finding her place in a thriving scene of standout songwriters who were bending the soundscape.

After opening for artists such as Men I Trust, Halfnoise, and Hovvdy in 2018, Bantug built a loyal following. While fans fell in love with her carefree stage presence, they stuck around for the existential hooks. As the pandemic rolled through in 2020, Bantug hunkered down in her home studio. Producing new songs became a grounding exercise—a way of staying connected to other artists while continuing to evolve her own sound.