Inspired #387 - Kaisha
Kaisha has just shared the visuals for her stunning new single ‘Ego’.
Born from seeing friends get hurt by men who should know better, ‘Ego’ is a track to remind the men, guilty of treating women badly, to do better. Sharing more Kaisha explained:
“This track is about men who pretend to be good guys. I often hear stories of situations where they’re incredibly nice to their friends but completely the opposite when it comes to the person in a relationship with them. Almost like a facade that they keep up for the outside world but when they’re complacent, their true colours shine through. Save us the time and don’t pretend to be something you're not.”
Ego is the first single to follow Kaisha’s gorgeous, second EP ‘If Not Now Then When’ which came out last year.
She took a moment to talk to us about the inspirations behind her music.
Who are your top three musical inspirations and why?
I'd have to go with H.E.R, Mac Ayres and Jill Scott. All of them have such powerful and soulful voices, but the main reason they're my inspiration in music is because of their incredible songwriting. Every time I put on a track by any of them, it hits all the right spots and I instantly feel like writing something new.
Is there a certain film that inspires you and why?
I have a few but recently I've been gravitating towards Me and Earl and The Dying Girl. It's the most seamless balance of humour and sadness. It's shot beautifully. Kind of weird too. But by the end of it, I'm literally in shambles but like good shambles! The kind that humbly reminds you that this is life, and we should make the most of it while we can.
What city do you find the most inspiring and why?
Tough question! I think Madeira. It's a small Portuguese island near the coast off west Africa. It's very calm and serene, and everyone lives quite a simple life. I fell in love with the culture and the island when I went this April. They've got a subtropical climate but it's also a volcanic island, and they have all these crazy combinations of fruits like apple-banana, peach-mango, pineapple-banana, etc all grown naturally there! I could go on and on, but it's just the perfect place to get away and recalibrate.
Who is the most inspiring person to you and why?
My dad for sure. My interest in music comes from him, as he too, was once a singer-songwriter. He was also a professor in Sociology- an intelligent man who'd write scholarly books about the indigenous. He was many great things, but his love for music trickled down to me and it's really that that keeps me driven to continue music.
What were your inspirations when writing your new track?
A few of my friends were going through a rocky patch in their relationship. Essentially they were all dating narcissistic men who had too much pride and ego to take any accountability for themselves. I was tired of seeing my girlfriends get put down from all the misogyny too. You'd never expect these guys to be like that in a relationship, cos they're all nice to their (and our) friends but as they say, the truth always prevails!
How would you like to inspire people?
I came to the UK about 7 years ago, with no clue on how to embark on this journey I'm on. Not only am I a woman, but I am also a brown immigrant in this country trying to be successful in a wildly cut-throat industry. Finding a spot for me anywhere is difficult but I want to pave the way. I want to be an inspiration to someone in my position who's just starting out.
