Introducing #205 - Johnny Kulo
Let us introduce you to Indian R&B singer and producer Johnny Kulo, who has just revealed his new artistic direction with single ‘Poseidon’.
Bridging between old-school soul and modern R&B. The son of a reverend, he was inevitably playing drums in church before he could form sentences, exploring several other instruments until eventually realizing his love for songwriting and production. He uses his sultry-smooth voice to tell personal and perceived stories of love, heartbreak and unsettled identity.
He took a moment to talk to us about his music.
Hey there Johnny, how are you? So your track ‘Poseidon’ is out now - can you tell us what it is about?
Hey yoo, thanks for asking, and for the interview. Not too bad really, juggling my day job and making music, extremely grateful and hyped that I get to do that out here in Berlin. Poseidon ended up becoming about a bunch of personal things, but really it started off as just a bop you know? Just a little beat that I thought turned out sick but I’d say it evolved into a canvas of confession for me - vindication.
Where was it recorded? Any behind the scenes stories from the creative process?
This one was recorded all over the place. Started with me noodling on the electric guitar at home, being sampled, sent to the other side of the world for an old homie of mine from high school to record the hook, back to me taking it to Mesanic Studios to finish it up with my producer August Ingram. So far this is how I’ve been working, in bits and pieces that come together in the right space and time. We redid some stuff but overall, we stuck to the vibe of the demo, in the sense that there wasn’t really a separate demo, just a file that went through changes until it was complete. This track likely took the least effort from all 3 of us involved. We just used the first version of most elements, demo vocals, DI guitars etc. Shouts out to big Vik on the bass, one of most musical people I know!
Where are you from? What are your favorite things to do there?
I’m from Nagpur, a little city in the center of India. That's where I was born and raised but my parents are from the South, which is also where I spent a considerable amount of time in boarding school. That little mountain town in the South, Kodaikanal is straight out of a postcard, like going to do groceries is picturesque too. Definitely always look forward to hiking a little, finding solace in nature, but also coming back to the bustling Sunday-market on the streets. Street food by the lake and hitting any of the hole-in-wall type food joints, food in the motherland always hits different.
What are your earliest childhood memories when it comes to music?
Earliest memory is definitely playing drums in church. My father, being a reverend, would often burst into song during sermons and my brother and I were his designated accompanists. It was just simple old hymns and such but we’d do our best to sneak in whack voicings and arrangements to keep it interesting for us. In our context it wasn’t always encouraged but we definitely tried to push it that was our one outlet with music.
What are the key influences when it comes to your songwriting?
There are quite a few but BJ the Chicago kid is one of my favourites for sure. Something about the honesty and versatility of themes in his writing just clicks with me and how I look at making music. Mac Ayres is another one of my top influences for sure, I remember hearing his shit on Soundcloud when I was like 17 or something thinking this is what I wanna do
What are your plans for the next few months?
I feel like I’m just starting to tap into my sound and I’m trying to dig into that. I’ve never been shy to release stuff and I don’t think I’ll be holding anything back for the ‘right move’ or anything. I just love making music so I’m gonna be putting it out, and trust me I'm not running out of tunes anytime soon. Not to mention Poseidon is just a little preview of something bigger.
