INTERVIEW: KWASI

In ‘Self Sabotage’, Kwasi delivers confessional yet complex lyricism that is elegantly intertwined with Congrats’ (Ben Stewart of Slowly Slowly) singalong-worthy hooks that are aching in their honesty. ‘Self Sabotage’ serves as the second instalment of the duo’s collaboration, following on from the release of ‘Overthink’ in March 2021 with both songs produced by platinum award winning Melbourne based producer Hamley (Stan Walker, Pania, Allday).

Tori and Kwasi caught up to chat about the new track, the pros and cons of being an artist and a producer and the go-to studio snack.

Self sabotage. Very cool track. It came out two weeks ago and seems to be performing pretty well.  How does it feel now that you've shared it with the world?

Really good. It was the first song that us three wrote together. Me, Ben (Congrats’), and Hamley. I always really liked it. I know, there's something about it. Something about that energy in the first writing session. For a bit, I was worried it wasn't ever going to come out, so I'm just happy that it's out. It's getting some attention and getting the momentum it deserves. Yeah, feels good. Feels good. 

You've released music, in the post COVID world.  What do you think the differences are between, pre, during and post COVID in terms of people receiving your music?

I don't know if I can speak too much on the audience side of it. Internally, I wasn't that excited about releasing music through COVID. I was on a few features, and I did a bit of production work but the live aspect of it, for me, is where I get a lot of my energy from and just knowing that there's potential for that down the line. Through COVID I didn't have that same energy. I was creating and that sort of thing, but definitely didn't have that same drive I do when we aren't in lockdown. 

You grew up in the pop punk/garage band era of Nirvana and blink? Are they still your influences ?

Definitely go back to it, for sure. But I do like a lot of the newer stuff that's been influenced by that stuff as well, which is really cool. Nirvana and stuff will always have a place because that's the stuff my mom used to listen to when I was young.  Those droney baselines and that sort of feel, it's connected to my music DNA. 

Potentially taking inspiration  from Travis Barker's new stuff?  He seems to feature on everything now.

Yeah, he's everywhere. There's some really good stuff there. Like the stuff he does Kenny Hoopla that I really like. 

Yeah, we're big fans in his house. 

Yeah, he's incredible. Some of it’s more processed. Some of it's a bit more poppy, I like some of it, but some of it doesn't really resonate. It just depends. He's iconic. I use this program called splice to do a lot of production and stuff. They upload sound packs, and he has all these drum sounds on there, and I've chopped up some of these drum sounds before. He’s so influential. 

I want to ask you about that as well. So you run your own studio? 

Yes, yes. 

And you do all your own production?

I jump in between. I still work with producers. So sometimes I might sit back and do more of an executive production role, which I did for a lot of the stuff I did with Ben. I did that and Hamley did most of the production stuff. I might jump on every now and then, program a beat or something. But sometimes I chill back and try to sort of help on both sides to keep the momentum going. Sometimes a bit more hands on with the production sometimes I'm not, but I did mix and master self sabotage as well. 

Do you think that there's an advantage in being on that production yourself? And having more understanding of the production and mixing process?

100%, at first it was tricky, trying to do everything. It's always great to have more of a team around you. It's really good being able to speak that language and be the middle person to make sure things are cohesive. Sometimes if you're too into making the beat, you won't notice that like the energy in the room is off. If you're too heavy in the lyric, same thing. The beat might not be hitting as hard as it could be. At first it was kind of tricky, trying to spin all those plates but as time goes on, I really appreciate  being able to dip my toe in every area and bring everything together. 

You've worked with ALLDAY as well, one of the bigger, I guess, hip hop artists. I feel like can't pigeon anyone into one genre anymore. What was it like working with him?

Yeah, really cool. It's funny, because like, I think, now he's almost probably seen as traditionally hip hop, but back then he was sort of on the outskirts of it. That's why I was when I linked up with him. I always enjoy the artists that are off to the side a bit, trying to push for something a bit different. 

You give me that Post Malone vibe of having a little bit of every genre. You've got the strong vocals there that are really smooth. But you've took a bit of this and a bit of that and blend it into your own mix. 

Yeah thats my upbringing because having such a diverse background. My dad's from Africa, Ghana, and my mom's Australian, and I would always hear such a mixed bag of music. I think it was only natural to be drawn towards a lot of different things and  trying to mash them together. 

Is this the first single off an upcoming album? 

We have we have heaps of music together. I'm still not 100% sure where to go with it. I thought I was gonna do a Kwasi album. But I'm still I'm not sure. I'm so hesitant. I want to keep building momentum before I do an album or something. But we have music there. So I think I think I just want to start putting out more music and stuff. 

And what about getting out on the road? Have you got much in terms of tours planned?

Nothing. No, I've got a band. I put a band together last year, because I did a support set for Congrats’.  We played together last month as well. All the stuffs there to put on a killer show but I've got a few other things on my mind that have taken up a bit of my energy. If opportunities present themselves, I'll probably try and like put something together. Right now there's no sort of plans strictly in place to do a tour or anything. 

Is there much more that you'd want any new fans to know? What do you need to know this about this guy?

Expect the unexpected. 

In terms of my music,  I guess we delved into the pop punk trappy fusion, I've got other stuff in the bag as well. I never liked to constrict too much to one area. I've always struggled to do that which is tricky, because then people find it hard to understand you, just sit back and enjoy the ride.
What was the last thing you're listening to?

Last track I put on was actually a local artists, Akosia. She just released a song, check it out, R&B flavours and I'll give you another one….this dude from LA's Diveliner - his songs Gaslight and Teacher.

Last question for you though. What is your go to snack in the studio?

Go to snack……does a cup of tea count? Early Grey, little bit of honey and  some almond or soy milk.

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INTERVIEW SERIES: BOLER MANI & X PROMOTIONS

Melbourne’s boler mani’s Facebook page states, “a little boy with big sounds” and I have to agree. Boler is a part of X Promotions AND WE ARE LIVE which is will live streamed on Thursday 29th October.

Boler and I recently had a chat about what he is all about.

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You’re a solo artist, tell me a bit about yourself.
I produce all my own stuff. I rap and I do vocals, I also am practising singing currently, I am waiting until I am more confident before bringing that in.

You have a fair bit of content on your YouTube channel. How long have you been doing this for?
I kind of started dabbling in music production in year 3. I put my mind to trying to establish a career out of it around the start of 2018. Ever since I have just focused on constantly improving. I have an EP coming out around the start of next year that I am putting all my effort into. That’s going to be my big jump into the scene.

You’ve actually played some festivals already haven’t you?
Yes. I did Bigsound in Queensland and I have also done New Years Eve on The Hill.

How did you become involved in AND WE ARE LIVE?
Andrew who runs X Promotions hit me up and asked me if I would like to be involved. I was like yes let’s do it. I’ve been craving doing a performance for a while now, so I snagged that opportunity.

Do you normally play a lot of gigs in a “non-Covid world”?
Yeah, last year I would say I was getting gigs every now and again. It’s hard to reference what is often or not because I have only just started doing this. When I was trying to manage school it felt like it was often. Time would fly doing my school work and then I would get another text saying another show was coming up. I guess last year pre-covid it was pretty good. I’m excited to start performing new songs because I have been performing the same songs throughout the year. It’s going to be good once I get the new EP out.

So you’ve spent a lot of lockdown writing and creating?

Yeah. It’s kind of been a blessing in disguise. I think a lot of artists would relate. Like for sure w e miss out on the shows but we have all this time to make music. I’m blessed to have my production set up at home so pretty much everyday has just been working and trying to make the best of it.

You can work at your own pace when you produce yourself too.

Pretty much. It’s really great because I don’t have to travel anywhere (during lockdown) but the downside is when you go somewhere your environment shapes your mindset. It makes you more in the zone. Being in the bedroom, waking up and going to the desk you don’t really have the cues ready to let you know that it’s time to work. It’s just a matter of getting into it anyway. I love it anyway. It’s obviously a massive plus not having to go anywhere. 

Ryan talked you up when I was speaking to him. He thought this was ging to be your year to break into the scene.  But like you said you’re going to have a lot more content now.

For sure. There are lots of ups and downs to it. I always just try to see the best in it because there is no point in ruminating on what is not happening when there is so much that is.

Did you have much lined up for this year?
At the start of the year I was tossing up whether or not I wanted to continue doing music, so plans weren’t really in place. As the year went along I started getting my foot in, coming out of school I felt a little bit lost. But I was like no I definitely want to do this. Every time I just resort back to opening up Abelton and working on music, so I knew this was what I wanted to do. I’ve just stuck to my vision; we have big plans. This year has just been a big setup for next year. I’ve released one song this year back in February. Releasing any more this year wasn’t on the cards, we were planning on dropping something later this year, but I think taking our time and just working on new music for the rest of this year is the goal.

Who have you shared the stage with?
I supported Jai Waetford and Camouflage Rose last year which was really cool. And 3K was at the Camouflage Rose gig if you know them. They were two pretty significant shows. And then Godlands, she’s like a hard dubstep/trap DJ producer. They were the highlight gigs of last year for me.  

Anything else you want to let people know?
I have my EP coming out at the start of next year. The single off that EP is going to be performed live at the AND WE ARE LIVE gig. So whoever tunes into that will get a little bit of something! I think what X Promotions is doing for us is amazing. I feel like the acts represent the split in the Melbourne taste in music. So you have indie, rap and soul which I feel is pretty representative of what people are into. I’ve been practising and I’m ready to go. I’m pretty excited about it. It’s going to be good.

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INTERVIEW WITH JAKE MARRA - ‘THE DAY THAT YOU LEFT’ DEBUT

One of Australia’s most exciting new pop artists Jake Marra recently announced his magnetic debut single The Day That You Left, a hard-hitting track that details the wave of emotions that follows a significant loss, and how it feels to be drowning in the swell.  This magnetic single is out now and our gal Selin chatted to Jake about his debut, his influences, and what’s up next for the Aussie singer and producer.

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Where did it all begin?
“I’m gonna narrow it down to 2010, when I started my first YouTube channel. I started uploading mashups I produced, purely for fun. I hadn’t started officially singing yet but that was my way of dipping my toes into the world of music. In 2015, I produced a mashup of Ariana Grande’s “One Last Time” and Justin Bieber’s “What Do You Mean?” which went viral. I had articles written about me by Billboard, MTV, and Teen Vogue to name a few.

In an interview with Ariana Grande, Ryan Seacrest asked if she’d heard it, to which she replied

“I’m obsessed with it! Whoever did that is a genius”.

After that happened, I started to take myself a lot more seriously as a musician and finally started to believe that I had something to offer. “

What’s your sound like?
“It’s pure pop. Heavy beats, pulsing synths, catchy melodies and stacked harmonies. Everything you’ve come to know and love about pop music over the last 40 years, condensed into a perfect pop package!”

Your debut single, The Day That You Left delves into Robyn and Troye Sivan territory – all whilst creating your own unique, exciting pop sound. Can you tell us a little bit about this single, and the writing processes behind it?
“That’s such a huge compliment, and I’m so glad it translated because Troye Sivan and Robyn are some of my greatest inspirations when it comes to my own music. “The Day That You Left” was a happy accident. I was in the studio with Ben Oldland trying to breathe new life into an old track which I wasn’t happy with. I wasn’t really feeling, so we stopped and started from scratch. He started this bass line that immediately drew me in. It happened so organically, nothing felt forced, we were just two musicians bouncing ideas back and forth and before we knew, we created a full-blown pop banger!” 

What would you like people to keep in mind whilst listening to this song?
“The overall theme is ‘Loss’, and I intentionally wrote it in a way that doesn’t detail a single experience specifically. I’ve experienced loss in so many different ways over the years. Friendships falling apart. Love interests walking away. This song captures the feeling of denial that comes after loss. Not being able to move forward, pretending it didn’t happen, replaying old conversations over and over in your head. It’s something most of us can relate to, as much as we wish we couldn’t. When you listen to it, you’re gonna think of your person. Your experience. That’s the beauty of not only this song, but music in general. It can be interpreted in a way that’s unique to each individual.”  

If you could collaborate with one artist, who would it be and why?
”My answer to this question changes every day! Haha. Today, I’m gonna go with Troye Sivan. I remember watching Troye grow up on YouTube, coming out, releasing absolute BOPS and going on to be an incredibly strong and vocal member of the LGBTQ+ community. I respect him as an artist and as a human being and I would love to be able to work on a song with him. Channel our queer energies into the ultimate bop!“

 What’s in store for the remainder of 2020?
”I think I’m just going to be hiding away and recording a bunch of music. I’ve got a few songs almost finished, one of which I’m hoping to release before the end of the year, and a heap of ideas that I want to explore further. I’m only very early into my musical journey and the creative process is so exciting, I really just want to enjoy it. Be in the moment and not take any of it for granted. “ 

Where’s the best place to find your music?
“Take your pick! Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes. Wherever you like to enjoy your music, I’ve got you covered!”

Check out ‘The Day That You Left’ and heaps of other amazing Aussie/NZ artists in our very own all-local Spotify playlist now!

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