Artist Spotlight: Kayowa

Kayowa is nothing short of a creative visionary. Based in South-London, her enigmatic presence is difficult to ignore. Her newest album 'Cyberflexx' envelops a dynamic array of styles and messages through a personable looking glass. From hard-hitting trap songs to more introspective trip-hop, her ambition and confidence know no bounds. Following the success of her latest singles ‘HarmonE’ and ‘Michiko<3’, her approach to futurism and self-expression using Y2K aesthetics continues to make its mark.

I was fortunate enough to talk to Kayowa about her new album, her broad creative arc, and her plans for the future.

So, how does it feel to have Cyberflexx out there?

I mean, I’m really excited. I just can’t wait for it to touch the airwaves because it took a lot out of me. I didn’t really expect it to be as taxing as it was, but I’m really happy that it’s finished. It’s sound because my first album had a very different theme and a different approach to how I do music, so it’s nice that it’s going to be with everyone soon. 

I imagine you’ve been sitting on it for a while.

A while. It’s just been there on Soundcloud gathering dust and it’s only me who listens to it! It’s like my little secret. I’d say I’ve been working on it from the beginning of this year. I received a lot of the beats that I used last year, but I struggled to write to them. So, pretty much as soon as King K was finished, I had a month off and then went back to creating.

Well, it shows. It’s a really versatile project and I can tell you’ve put a lot of thought into it. I saw that you performed live for the first time in quite a while, how did it feel to perform again?

It feels good, the stage feels like home. Whenever there is an open mic, I try my best to put myself out there, even if I’m shy that day. My friend had a birthday party the other week and, beginning with poetry, she opened the floor up to everyone who wanted to perform. Stuff like that pushes me forward, so I did it. It was scary because I knew everyone, and it was so intimate which is very different to a venue with hundreds of people. It’s not as personal as when you’re with people who actually know you and you care about. So yeah, it’s nice performing again. It’s really wholesome. 

Did you play anything from Cyberflexx?

I did! Both songs I played were from Cyberflexx. It was my way of testing people’s reactions and see how people would take to the new material. Everyone’s responses were so shocking because the album is so different to King K, so I was kind of nervous at the beginning, thinking “Oh no, do people expect this of me?”. But everyone loved it and I felt an overwhelming amount of support; it was beautiful. 

It’s obvious to me that you have a lot of fun making these songs. They’re full of personality and honesty and I can see that you’re experimenting with different vocal inflections and attitudes. What made you decide to go so off-track from King K?

I’ve always been an indie kid. I’ve always listened to all types of music, and I’m still stuck in my emo phase. I say this all the time: “I’m not leaving these phases!”. The more I grow, the more I take these influences with me, and I feel like King K was more about sticking to a certain style. But I think Cyberflexx is a lot more about my evolution as myself and as an artist as well. A lot of it was very introspective and fun but at the same time deep, so I’m just doing what I know and what feels most truthful to me. I think with my first album I stayed in a box, but with Cyberflexx, I said no, I don’t have time for that, I need to express myself. It was like a fire that I couldn’t contain within me. I just had to blurt it out, you know.

Absolutely, I can see your confidence has grown and you were willing to push the boat out and it’s paid off.

Thank you so much for recognising that.

Speaking of genre, do you that they’re still considered a concrete thing or is it more fluid than that?

It’s so fluid. When people ask me what kind of music I make, I stutter all the time because I can never answer it. When I think of my influences, I draw inspiration from every artist I listen to, and I listen to a lot of music. When I put on a playlist, people are always surprised because it’s never what they expect. Even in life we tend to label things in order to be comfortable, but we need to stop doing that and just let ourselves exist doing whatever we want to do.

I completely agree. So, songs like Raw or Riz(la) contain features and I was wondering what made you decide to choose these specific guests and why not have this album be exclusively your own?

So, I’m very collaborative with my work and I really enjoy working with other artists. My friend Vice, who actually made Raw or Riz(la), I just wanted on the beat because I knew he would shell it. If you listen to his other music, he is just amazing, so I thought why don’t you just be on the song? It’s the same with my friend Marcelina who’s based in Dubai, Molly who’s based in Kent, and Yanis who’s based in DC. It’s so nice knowing that I have people around the world, not just England, who are willing to collaborate with me on a project and everything we do just works.

I feel like it’s definitely something that’s founded on respect, and that came across in the album.

Thank you, I like that. I think you can tell when a collaboration has been a little forced, not really genuine, or the chemistry is not there. I’m really thankful to have people in my life that are very music-centred and creative and I’m also thankful that I have the luxury of working with my friends. I feel like if it wasn’t that way, I would find it harder to collaborate with people.

Speaking of production, you’re often heavily involved in the mixing/production aspects of a song. I feel like today, self-produced songs are a lot more personable and easier to identify with. Do you feel like this new sphere of autonomous bedroom production will continue to thrive?

Yeah, because it’s authenticity and nothing can beat it. My friend, PinkPantheress, is doing so well for herself and I’m so proud of her. She does everything in her room and if you meet her, she is such a normal and kind girl who is so fun to be around. Her story is proof that DIY is taking over, and labels need to definitely watch out because they’re realising that we don’t need them as much anymore. It’s shaking up the industry and art always speaks for itself, rather than numbers, I think. 

I also wanted to talk about your music videos because you’re in charge of the creative direction and fashion for them. How important do you think the visual aspect of a song is?

I feel like it really depends on the artist, because some artists have music that speaks for itself and that allows you to create the visuals in your head. But I think with me, I want people to perceive my music in a certain way. I want to have the power and autonomy to create a certain picture. For example, with Michiko<3, the song is about doing things in your own time and chilling. I tried my best to portray this in the video with a bunch of us walking up and down the road or something as simple as that. Had I taken the professional route with a team, I feel like the message received by the audience would have been a lot different because of how high production it would have been.

It’s interesting hearing your take on visuals because I’ve heard that one of your inspirations in this field is Björk?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I love Björk! Army of Me is my bad b***h anthem. Whenever I’m walking down the streets of London, I’m listening to that song. She’s hard, and I love her visuals too. When I was younger, I watched Venus as A Boy on MTV in the early 2000s and remember thinking how quirky she is. As a kid, I was super weirded-out, but I thought she was so cool.

Considering Björk’s wide range of media ventures, would you ever go down the route of fashion/short films alongside music? 

Definitely. I’ve been modelling lately, and I really see myself dabbling in fashion 100%. It’s definitely in the works. Short films too. I was thinking about the possibility of a Cyberflexx short film, with one minute of each song chopped into a visual. That might be on the radar.

Well, that’s just about it for my questions. I was just wondering, what’s up next for you?

The deluxe album. That’s going to be featuring quite a few artists such as PinkPantheress and lots of other cool names. There are also rumours of a headline show, but again these are rumours... I’m also performing at Chalk Farm on the 24th and Shoreditch on the 31st. Just shows, shows, shows, shows, shows. It’s funny because the whole year I couldn’t wait to perform live and now I have these shows back-to-back and I’m like “Oh, I actually have to prepare for these!”. But I can’t complain and I’m really looking forward to them.