[FEATURE] VIPER PRESENTS: KC CLARKE
The Last Night In Paris affiliate KC Clarke recently released his Soul scape ‘With You’ – taken from the rising talent’s debut mixtape dropping later this year. Get familiar with the South London singer with this VIPER Presents interview…
What five words define your sound?
Laid Back. Mellow. Vibrant. Dreamy. Euphoric.
Tell me something unique about your creative process.
Lighting is very important for me because it sets the mood which makes creating a lot easier for me. Vibe is a big thing and if I don’t feel it the music will sound forced.
Which song of yours would you like people to hear first?
It would have to be my latest single ‘With You’ – it puts me at ease every time I listen to it.
What inspired you to make that song?
My ex-girlfriend, we were really in a great place once upon a time and I wanted to express how I truly felt in that period of my life.
What’s the most vulnerable you’ve allowed yourself to be when writing/making music?
A track off my upcoming project called ‘Trenches’, I really felt at an all time low when I wrote that song. I had broken up with my ex and lost both grandparents all in that time frame so it was a very vulnerable time for me.
What’s the best/worst experience you’ve had on stage?
The best experience was Glastonbury because it’s one of those festivals you dream of playing. The collective I was in at the time had been booked for a smaller stage to do on the Sunday which of course we were all over the moon about, but on the Friday we got a call from our booking agent who also was Wiley’s booking agent at the time and asked us if we wanted to fill in for Wiley’s set on the Saturday because he had dropped out of the line up. So we ended up performing on one of the main stages, it was a surreal and amazing experience. The worst was a show I did with a friend of mine and we hadn’t rehearsed with this live band before. We didn’t get to do soundcheck so when we started performing our song it was all out of sync, which was very embarrassing and it didn’t help that the artist who performed before us got a standing ovation.
What is your favourite song to perform?
Would have to be ‘With You’, I love how relaxed the song is and it’s easy to sing along to all ages.
Which artist/song/album made you want to make music?
Well my mum and dad were the first people who inspired me because my mum used to sing and my Dad DJs so the love started there. But the artist who made me want to take this serious was Frank Ocean and in particular the ‘Channel Orange’ album. It’s a masterpiece I still listen to it to this day, a timeless piece of art.
What’s the meaning behind your name?
It’s pretty simple, my initials and my surname. Everyone always called me KC from school days so it just stuck with me but I added my surname to separate me from all the other KC’s out there.
If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing instead?
I would be A&R’ing because I love music, especially discovering new talent and working with them so they can reach their maximum potential. I find comfort in helping others and there is so much undiscovered talent out there, I would love to shine light on them because they’re the real taste makers.
What’s success to you?
Being able to touch people through my music for many years to go on and not have to worry about my family having any financial struggles.
What moment in your life/career forced you to change direction?
I had been making music for a while but hadn’t yet found my sound and once I did the rest has been history.
Where can people keep in touch with you?
Instagram: @Kcxclarke
TikTok: @Kcclarke14
Twitter : @Kcxclarke
