Introducing #155 - Kai Kwasi
Let us introduce you to South-East London creative Kai Kwasi - who has just released his debut track ‘unt’. He took a moment to talk to us about his music, his childhood and the visuals for his new single.
Hey Kai Kwasi, how are you?
Sweet as a nut, thank you
So your debut track ‘unt’ is out now - can you tell us what the track is about?
I usually say I don’t like explaining songs but that probably doesn’t make great interview content. In my experience I just think people always have way more interesting interpretations than. To me, 'unt' is a song about internal conflict and everything that comes with it. The rest is up to you.
You are based in South East London, what are your favourite things about living there?
If we’re being honest there’s no place like it. Never a shortage of afro hair shops, Morleys exactly where n when you need them, community for any and everyone. Brixton, Peckham, Lewisham, Crystal Palace I could really go on. I been thinking about it a lot recently and i just never think i’ll get tired of it, SE feels like home, word to Fritz.
Your mum was a street dancer and your dad was a rapper - what are your fondest childhood music memories? What did you listen to?
My mum was great, she had the most extensive CD collection - all hip hop/rnb, and my step dad was a pretty mediocre rapper but
It was my nana that made me properly fall in love with music. A well travelled woman for sure. Put me on to all the big hitters. Joni Mitchell, Drummers of Burundi, Gorillaz, Ravi Shankar, and real early Ed Sheeran I'm talking SBTV Ed. If I was choosing one memory it’s probably that she used to sit by the door and play the accordion while I fell asleep. Some real Pixar stuff, nana Jalila always.
Along with the track, how do the visuals connect with the track? What made you want to direct it yourself?
Clay (Clay-Milner Russell) and I had both come from a theatre background and wanted to work on something together for a while. I came to him with some songs, he chose 'unt'. We came up with references, concepts and themes, acquired that space (shoutout robin) and kinda just got to work. Clay really made the whole thing happen, even living out of the space for a bit. We didn't have a budget or any of that stuff, this video was fuelled by paint fumes, warm water, mini donut bites and vibes.
A note from Clay -
“Watching it back I think we definitely were tapping into ideas of space and home. How you can start living somewhere and create memories and have your life and personality literally explode out onto the walls of that place just by being there. But also how things are bound to end and people move on to new places, and homes that were once covered in your expressions of self are redecorates and change for the next person that lives there. Those surreal feelings of time passing so fast make it nostalgic to think about things that are over now. And to be grateful they happened.”
What are your key influences as an artist?
Key influences is always hard because there’s so many and none of them make sense together. Kanye to Hiatus Kaiyote, Frank Ocean to Headie One, Kano to Moses Sumney my music library’s really hectic.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never listened to you before?
I get asked this all the time but i still need to think of a good answer. rnb/soul, rap?