Q&A: Creating Fresh and Groovy Sonic Landscapes, KALI Shares Latest Single “Anybody Else”
INDEPENDENT AND FRESH — KALI is on the road living their best life, currently on tour supporting Claud. With only 17 years under their belt, KALI creates sophisticated tracks that not only uplift but move their fans. A singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer, KALI has created a flawless mix of tracks to pull you into a lovely hypnotic trance. Driven by rhythm, beats, and an omnipresent “chug,” KALI is delivering songs to help us get a little lost.
KALI also offers wisdom in their songwriting, allowing their emotions to bubble up and encourage exploration in their lyrics. It’s that wonder of self-discovery in KALI’s music that touches our inner teenager, but our inner teen can only dream of having been as cool as KALI is.
Their latest single, “Anybody Else,” is the perfect example of experiencing big emotions and expressing them with a touch of grooviness and a dash of indie guitars. Things are only looking up for KALI, as they continue traveling the country and work tirelessly on their production process.
Check out our chat with KALI below and discover more about this emerging indie star.
LUNA: How are you feeling about your upcoming tour dates? Do you have any essentials you’re bringing on the road with you?
KALI: I feel great. So far we have played six shows, and it’s amazing to be on tour with Claud and their band, who are all wonderful people. I have been meeting so many random people and seeing new places; it’s all been very inspiring and motivating. Its also incredible to see how gay everyone all over the USA is; to see so many people —especially kids my age — embracing themselves.
My essentials are my journal, ski sunglasses, a bear hat, laptop, headphones, packets of almond butter, my acoustic guitar, and a yoga mat.
LUNA: You outline the fact that your best friend was falling in love while you were engaging in your own situationship, leading to the creation of “Anybody Else.” How was it experiencing these strong emotions side by side with your friend, or would you have rather braved it alone? How does that play into the track?
KALI: If someone offered me a million dollars, I still would’ve chosen to be side by side with my best friend than [to] go through my struggles on my own. It was one of the most beautiful events in my life to have witnessed someone I love so dearly fall in love and experience true joy. Of course, I am seeing the people in my life through my own filter, but I believe that watching the positive experience my friend was having versus my complicated one influenced me to hope for the better — thus the song having this theme of awareness and embarrassment of hoping.
LUNA: Your debut EP, CIRCLES, has what I would call “sophisticated production.” When I first discovered you, it was through your song “I Just Wanna.” From that song I wrongfully assumed that you were older and had been putting out music for quite a while. Have you always been drawn to creating music throughout your life?
KALI: Yes. I can recall singing gibberish walking to the car before preschool and have been playing music since I was around that age. My creative process, though, only became an essential part of my life over the last four years.
LUNA: Many of your songs from CIRCLES to your latest single have these groovy, uplifting beats and elements. What do you hope that listeners gain when they listen to your music?
KALI: I am heavily inspired by movement in any capacity. Even my slower songs have this “chug,” as one of my closest friends calls it. I find myself writing in times of necessity to process my strongest emotions, which [are] often very painful. I have noticed that my instrumentation and production moves in order to uplift myself in order to grow out of whatever emotional hole I have started the song out of and have a more empathetic and lighthearted sense of whatever inspired the song.
LUNA: Do you enjoy working on your own production? How do you see that process growing and evolving as you release more tracks?
KALI: I LOVE producing myself — it is one of my favorite things to do. Producing allows me a space where I am able to draw sound out of air and out of what has impacted me out in[to] a method to bring clarity to my emotions/experiences. It is my understanding that the word “producer” is up to many people’s interpretation. Production can mean anything, but to me and for myself it means fixating on every single detail, note, arrangement, lyric, performance, [and] vocal comp until I get it right. My next singles — including “Anybody Else” — are definitely my most ambitious in terms of sonic landscape as well as lyrical vulnerability. Every time I finish a project with someone, there are tools that my collaborator was able to provide in service of the songs sounding better. As I grow musically and emotionally, I strive to push myself to elaborate deeper and more specifically on the inner inspiration and essence of my songs. My goal is to one day be close to being entirely self-sufficient, which would lead to a sense of more open collaboration on my own music and others. I feel like I’m just getting started in proving to myself that I’m making what satisfies my internal need to create.
LUNA: What are some of the artists that have most influenced your music or process of creating music?
KALI: Nick Hakim, Mk.gee, Jeff Lynne of Electric Light Orchestra, Wilco, Beach House, Prince, Haruomi Hosono, Harry Nillson, Snail Mail…
LUNA: Who is your dream collaborator?
KALI: Right now it’s probably Kanye or Generationals. We have been listening to Kanye’s entire discography to get through the tumultuous drives.
LUNA: As a fellow multi-instrumentalist, there is always one instrument that I gravitate towards more than others. What’s your favorite to play, even if it’s just for fun?
KALI: It definitely changes. I start most songs driven by rhythm, even if it’s not a drumbeat but phrasing. On tour, I’ve really been enjoying playing bass. I feel like I’m non-binary Paul McCartney.
LUNA: If you could travel anywhere in the world — whether it be on tour or not — where would you go?
KALI: I would love to go to Japan — I studied Japanese for three years in high school, and the music scene and food there are incredible!
CONNECT WITH KALI
SPOTIFY
-
weekly tunes playlist has been updated! new tracks from @furtradeband, @pecqband, @garryfool & more! check it out! https://t.co/ToFU0R6YGo -
-
RT @oliviaborch: new @LunaCollective out todayyy shot by @alltookev ✨ @P1H_official editorial design by me ! https://t.co/cvSCKsWB5D
-
RT @rlyblonde: @AnnieDirusso for @LunaCollective shot by me #35mm #portra800 https://t.co/0UUJSCBGcH
