In ‘The Making of Kiki’ YouTube series, you can see your journey of thoughts and emotions in the way you speak on things. Is this something that occurs in the making of your music also?

I’m very much a stream of consciousness writer, so as I am feeling it I am singing it.  Over the course of a song writing session I can go through several emotions and they do get reflected in the song but the focus doesn’t change.

 That flow of feeling you experience in creating, how does it add to the music?

I think it keeps it more honest.  More direct, more conversational.

And as an individual?

I think it keeps me from getting into my head too much. A good song can be ruined by over-thinking and self-doubt. That said, there certainly are songs that require lots of thought, but more often, I sing it as a feel it. 

You’ve spoken about wanting to be a light in peoples lives. If you could wish people to take three emotions from your music, what would they be?  

Feeling strengthened, vulnerable, relieved…

Why these emotions specifically?   

Strengthened because we can go through it together and there is strength in numbers and in feeling connected over a common feeling. Vulnerable because I think letting yourself FEEL something is healing, and finally I want people to feel relieved…we go through shit, we handle shit, and we move on from shit. We look back and are thankful but also relieved we persevered.

Dorothea Tanning, the artist and poet, spoke of how ‘Art has always been the raft onto which we climb to save our sanity’. What do you think of this idea? 

Oh you can see this now more than ever. As we face this Global Pandemic it is clear that art is the soul’s saving grace. People need it to forget, to feel, to connect to, to share with others. It is the great social equalizer. Everyone is the same when they hear a song. Music and art at its best, cuts through race or class and alienation and connects us all. Thank god for Art. Thank god for music. Not just the singing of it, but in the hearing of it.

Could you relate to the album of ‘Kiki’ as a raft, if so, in which ways has it performed that function?

 KIKI certainly is my raft and I hope and pray that is a raft for others. That’s all I want. Listen to the music and feel safer, feel stronger and feel better.

You can listen to the album ‘Kiki’ here.

Words by Anastasia Bruen