Artist Of The Week #163 - Kasai
This week’s Artist of the Week is Dirty Hit’s Kasai, who has just released her blissful R&B fueled EP ‘Not That Normal Pt. 1’. She took a moment to talk to us about her childhood, her musical community and how the EP came together.
Hey Kasai, how are you? So your debut EP is out now, how does it feel to have it out there in the world?
Hey ! I'm good thanks. It feels amazing! Its the best feeling sharing music with people on any scale - I’m always happy even if one person likes it or listens to it. I've waited quite some time to release music for a lot of different reasons but now felt like the right timing. There was a soundcloud freestyle I had then music with Joey Bada$$ and my single Habit but this is my first ever EP. It’s a particulary special moment for me as I've had so many start stops in my career and now there’s no reason to stop at all anymore. Everything feels aligned around me now. Even myself… mentally and emotionally. I'm not embarrassed about mental health anymore. Ever since 2021 I have truly started to feel my growth as a person through and through and that’s away from my career. That’s why this EP is special to me. Feels like the REAL beginning to my journey musically. This EP holds a lot of emotional weight too - I’m so excited to just move on and keep telling my story as an artist as honestly as I can.
It is titled ‘Not That Normal Pt. 1’ - what is the meaning behind that?
Music has always felt like the safest place to speak on stuff. It feels like that’s always just been my purpose with being an artist - telling my story through the music. I have a lot of stories to tell from my life thus far, I think I’ve got time though. Its the only real reason I want to do this instead of just being a songwriter. Towards the end of 2019, I found myself in a relationship questioning someone who was once very close to me like someone I thought I would do anything for (my loyalty to people runs deep), to some of the behaviour and events - I'd say 'this isn’t normal' when things had gotten completely out of hand and the response was always that we will never have anything normal due to our lives. Like this is it. I walked away questioning everything and repeated to myself 'no that’s not that normal'. I wrote it down into my iPhone notes as I like to journal or just keep my thoughts somewhere. When I looked at some of my existing songs that I wanted to put forward for my EP the title Not That Normal made sense. I thought I would have been pretty nervous for people to hear my vulnerability in this music but no fear as Nina Simone says.
Where was it recorded?
It was recorded in many different places - as the songs were made at different times in my life. The intro Push Me Away Like Waves In The Ocean was written and recorded in 2019 at a West London studio called Blue Box, a month later Drunk Diary was made in Izy Beats home studio at his family house during my trip to Miami just after signing with Dirty Hit. Izy is an amazing person, he has really believed in me and encouraged me a lot when I was doubting myself so much. Make it Speedy (Street Lights) and I Don't Really Think About You No More were both recorded in the Roc Nation studios in LA in 2019 - they’re my publishers actually! Jay Brown signed me - blessed! When Its Over I randomly wrote and recorded that one last year in my living room with my friend Julian (jk the sage) …he’s such a talented pianist and producer. He’s gonna do amazing things, already is.
The majority of my second EP which is ready pretty soon actually is made in my living room too. Lockdown forced it upon me but I’m not mad about it! In 2020 we made little tweaks to the EP here and there. Removed songs etc. I wanted this ep to be all about the story. That was most important to me for this project. Nothing else.
It is being released via Dirty Hit - how does it feel to be part of their special family, which includes the likes of Wolf Alice, The 1975 and Rina Sawayma? How did your partnership with the label come about?
It feels fire to me. Feel honoured as I know they don’t tend to sign a lot of people. Jamie Oborne is so kind and believes in every one of his artists to the maxxxxxx. All of the artists on the label are fire too so I feel like I’m in good company. It was shortly after I wanted new mgmt and I was new to the actual music industry still - there’s a lot to understand about this business and I’m learning. I think I had taken about three meetings and I had really lost motivation with it if I’m being honest as I just care about making my music. So I stopped taking meetings and one day after a studio session Matty Healy commented on a video on my instagram of me doing melodies on a beat, basically a video of a fruity loops screen, and he said to hit him up and so I did - he quickly then told me about Jamie and the Dirty Hit team so I met up with them soon as! I loved the independent aspect of it and just the feeling of creative freedom. The space to really push my boundaries as an artist.
Along with the EP, you have released a video for your latest single ‘Make It Speedy (Street Lights)’, which sees you drift around an empty London at night. Where was it filmed? Any behind the scenes stories from making it? How does it connect to the song?
Make It Speedy (Street Lights) is a feeling! Have you ever gone for a walk late at night or taken a drive around your city just to clear your head? Especially with street lights pulling you into a nostalgic mood. I'm a scorpio and kinda bored of my indecisions. I’m working on it though! Its also asking 'can love be fickle'? I try to understand it. Hm behind the scenes stories ! Well it was lockdown last year, I was living in Brixton at the time and Aliyah the director was living not too far from me. Covid was really bad at these times so just her and I could shoot. Her boy picked us up in his car and drove us around an empty central London. She shot me on her iPhone in like an hour and we just improvised as we went along the drive. Then she edited it on her iPhone too the next day and sent me it back! She is really talented.
You were born and raised in West London and your family are Anglo-Indian who introduced you to the likes of Bjork, Erykah Badu and J Dilla. What are your fondest childhood memories from this?
Yes I’m born and raised in west London. Majority of my childhood living in a Council estate in the Hounslow borough where my Mum still lives now. My parents are divorced and I would switch quite a lot with who I'd live with at one point. My Dad moved about until he found his new and perfect home with my step mum recently. Both of my parents are Anglo Indian yes - they came to this country about 30 years ago, grateful they did as I don’t think I would have the opportunities that I have now. I feel like my surroundings have really encouraged my ambition to do music. I always dream about the house I'd wanna buy my mum one day if she would let me! My mum introduced me to gospel music and my dad introduced me to Sade and Bjork. I didn't really gravitate towards Bjork that much though until an ex showed me a video of her singing live. My mind was blown and changed my opinion about her - there's so much emotion in her voice. My friends and I loveeeeeeee rnb and hip hop. Thats my FIRST love. When I made my early discoveries on Erykah Badu and J Dilla as a child I quickly went home and showed my parents. They love it too! I show them so much music and they show me stuff still till today. Before lockdown you could catch my dad at a jazz bar with his friend. But for now him and my step mum just enjoy a wine and amazing music in their living room and play so many different genres.
Your mother recently discovered an old cassette tape of you singing - what did it sound like?
Yes she did and showed me during the Christmas holidays recently. So sweet it actually had my little drawings as the cover art. Like a stick man version of myself and a tree. I think I was 6 years old and my older brother who is an incredible musician - he plays every instrument. Its him on the guitar and me singing. Im not too sure what it sounds like yet as I don’t have a cassette player to listen to it but when I do I will let you know. I hope its good haha.
There is a strong sense of community when it comes to your music, having worked with the likes of IzyBeats and Vegyn previously and both of them feature on the production of this EP. Do you feel community is needed when it comes to music?
Thats a nice way to look at it! I literally only work with my friends and family. I either met you before business or through business and we formed a meaningful connection. I don’t necessarily like the idea of working with strangers as I started just making music by myself in my bedroom or with friends (songs like habit were made in there) , I’ve left that comfort zone though, I'm particular about peoples energy in the room too because all of that transfers into the music. Its good to get to know someone first before you work together at least. Music means a lot to me so it has to mean a lot to them too. I'm really grateful for everyone around me, we really just have a lot of fun with what we do and there’s a lot of memories and stories to the music. People have had to also be there for me and hear me vent in the studios when I was going through some really low lows. Its all personal stuff you know. I LOVE having a little circle around me. I support them and they support me. The Miami trip with Izy was deffo an amazing memory - his family and friends showed me so much love and kindness.
What are the key themes and influences on the EP?
The key themes are: honesty, sadness, hope, confusion, expression not impression, musicality, power and vulnerability.
Do you have a favourite lyric on the EP? If so, which one and why?
Hard question as I like all of the lyrics on this EP. Some are poetic, some feel like bars and some feel very conversational. These are all the different sides of me and the styles of writing that I love. Id say right now my favourite lyric on the EP is “I want you to be happy, do you still like to drink? That was a part of me. All the beef. I guess I needed to leave.” It’s my favourite because my mum brought me up on forgiveness no matter what happens. No matter what someone does to you to hurt you, you still want them to be happy and forgive them. It’s important. Forgiveness isn’t for anyone else but yourself. Thats what makes us powerful. I had to learn the forgetting part though!
Now the EP is out there - what next for you?
Now that the EP is out there, I want to keep releasing more music. Do live shows. Make an album. Once I’m in a certain place in my career I'll be writing for a lot of other people. Helping them with their projects. I've had some amazing opportunities to write for huge artists last year and I did abit but I really want to focus on myself right now. I’ver waited forever to put out music and its go time for me now!