Kenya Grace a 'Strangers', New Projects, da Dream Collaborations a Exclusive Interview tare da Brooke Reese

A watan Disamba 6, Kenya Grace, da m UK al'amurran ƙaunar a kan viral jima'i “Strangers,” ya hada da Brooke Reese a cikin mahimmanci a matsayin sassa na Apple Music: Emerging Artists series. Kulawa a Apple Soho a New York, wannan abubuwan da aka ba da wani mahimmanci don haɗa tare da Kenya, wanda ta shigar da dancing-pop ya rage masu zaman kansu a ko'ina cikin duniya. Ya fi sani ga hanyoyinsa ga music da storytelling, Kenyata sesiyoyin tare da Brooke Reese ya samar da matsaloli a kan ta artistic tsari da kuma gaba da matsaloli.

Idan ka samu shi, ba ka so, muna da highlights ga ku.

Brooke: Ta yaya ka so ka yi wannan. Sunanka ya kasance a kowace rana, songka ya kasance a kowace rana. Na san cewa za a zama mai ban mamaki don fara mu hadin gwiwa tare da song "Strangers". A lokacin da ka sanya shi, za ku ji wani musamman? Kuna da wani abu game da shi? Saboda mutane kawai tsaya zuwa shi a nan.

Kenya: Honestly, no. I did not think that. I wrote it super casually and didn't think anything of it when I posted it, but I am very happy that people connected with it so much. It’s crazy.

Brooke: Your style is unique, kuma kana zo a cikin wannan dance-pop duniya. What is your process creatively when writing music?

Kenya: When I write, I always start with making the beat. I usually start with chords or something that inspires me in that realm, then I probably do drums, and lastly would be the vocals: start with the melody and then lyrics. It always is the hardest part for me. When writing the lyrics, I always want to tell a story, so I spend the longest on that.

Brooke: I love that for you, the beat and melody guide you, and it's the storytelling where you take your time.

Kenya: It always takes so long to write the whole story.

Brooke: Ina da yawa sha'awar da kwarewa tare da kwarewa da suka yi babban mataki a kan social media platforms kamar TikTok da Instagram, gina jama'a tare da abokan ciniki da kuma kawai masu zaman kansu ta duba da abubuwa da yawa a cikin wannan shekara. Yaya shi ne abin da ya yi? Lambar ne daya, amma san cewa akwai mutane daidai a kan su, zama wani abokin ciniki na Kenya Grace. Za ka iya magana da wani bit?

Kenya: Yana da yaushe na jima'i. Ina ba za a gane wani wannan, kuma shi ne mai ban sha'awa, amma shi ne mafi kyau don sami mutane a cikin rayuwa. Kowace a kan social media, za ka karanta DMs kuma ba ka sani cewa yana da gaskiya mai kyau a kan su, don haka shi ne mai kyau.

Brooke: Nai san cewa shi ne fiye da TMI, amma abin da TikTok yana son? Kuna a cikin TikTok feed a kan FYP da algorithm, amma abin da za ku zo a gare shi? Na san cewa akwai da yawa daban-daban jama'a, wanda shi ne abin da mutane zo ga shi, don samun sabon music, don samun sabon artists.

Kenya: I'm really into music. I like so many DJs, masana'antu. I think that's mostly what I get, kuma kamar yadda na random shows, tare da 20 sassa, so funny.

Brooke: Wannan shi ne mai ban sha'awa, amma na samu daya daga waɗannan a kan social media, kuma shi ne “say yes to a dress” show. Shin kana so game da shi?

Kenya: Yes.

Brooke: Akin da aka kasance fiye da alama, kuma sa'an nan ya zo da shi, saboda na bukatar ka san abin da aka a kan. Ba ka yi da wani abu kamar wannan, inda shi ya tafi ka zuwa wani show, kuma ka yi, “well, now I have to watch it”?

Kenya: Ya, har ma'aikata da yawa. Na ganin da yawa kyau films a TikTok. Yana da kyau.

Brooke: I love that so much. I was reading how you were born in South Africa but grew up in the UK. I would love to know if any of that has influenced your music and also growing up, the music you listened to.

Kenya: I think I’ve been influenced the most by the UK scene. I lived in South Africa for 8 months. I was a tiny baby, so I don’t really have too much inspiration from there, but I’m very into the UK music scene. There are so many different artists, especially in dance... so many different mini sub-genres. It's very cool.

Brooke: Ta yaya a ci gaba, abin da ka yi kusan? Kima da abin da ka da sha'awar? Yadda za ka yi tafi ta hanyar mataimakin a cikin gida a lokacin da ka kasance m?

Kenya: When I was really young, my mom always used to play Neo Soul, and I really liked Neo Soul in general. It was amazing. I just loved the chord progressions, and the melodies are stunning. And then when I went to college, I got really into dance music.

Brooke: Nai ne musamman game da dancing wanda ya tafi ka a wannan yanki? Yana da cewa kana da cewa kana da wani mai kyau hadin gwiwa tare da yadda za ka ji game da zane a karkashin.

Kenya: Ina son shi tun da yaushe, don zama m. Ina san cewa shi ne tambayoyi da na so, wanda ya sa na so... Na sani da lokacin da na zama m, za a iya 7, na yi a YouTube da na samu dubstep, kuma na yi kawai a kan yanar gizo tare da headphones duba dubstep, ba dancing ko wani abu. Amma na kawai so shi. Yana da kyau cool don fara daga very soft to like really [big]...

Brooke: And also being on your music journey and releasing songs this year, everything grows so quickly with you, by the way. How do you decide what you want to release for the next song as you are trying to build your journey as an artist?

Kenya: Honestly, I just play it by ear. I write a lot of songs all the time. And I love posting them, and then I’ll just make a little beat video, and I randomly decide. There is no plan at all.

Brooke: Ta yaya ba shi da aka sayarwa? Ba da mutane suna a cikin T, kuma na so cewa kana so ka yi tare da yadda za ku ji. Shin kana da wani lokaci inda ka samu ku a cikin wani song a kan social media kuma mutane su zama mafi girma da kuma haka ajiya a lõkacin da za su zama kamar "drop the song! Where is the rest of it?"

Kenya: [laughing]

Brooke: Yani ka san abin da shi ne daya daga cikin songs a cikin abin da ka shigar da kuma mutane suna kamar “we need the full version now”?

Kenya: “Strangers” 100%. And then “Out of My Mind”, I teased a part and then released “Strangers” and I think some people were upset that I didn’t release that one. But they both are out now.

Brooke: Are you currently working on a project? How do you see yourself as an artist going forward because we are at the end of 2023, which is so wild to even say, and you’ve already grown and done so much. Where do you see yourself moving forward with your music?

Kenya: Na yi aiki a kan wani aikin, wanda na za a ba da wani shekara, wanda shi ne mai ban sha'awa! Na so faruwa don ba da shirye-shirye a gaban kawai singles. Yana za a zama mai ban mamaki.

Brooke: Kada ka yi wani abu kamar wannan, yadda za ka san cewa za ka gina wani aikin? Za ka yi a matsayin, OK, za ka yi wani LP ko wani album, ko za ka fara rubuta songs da kuma sa'an nan collectively san cewa thematically da sonically su yi aiki?

Kenya: I feel like I've been accidentally, subconsciously doing that for the whole year, and I've got so many things that I've posted but haven’t released, which I think actually work very well together, so I’m going to make something big next year.

Brooke: Yana da ya fi so! Ina so ya ce game da wannan, saboda na yi da bincike, kamar yadda za a yi ga wani aiki, kuma za ka so ka san abin da shi ne kamar yadda ya yi tarihin kamar Kate Bush ya zama No.1 a matsayin single writer, producer, da artist a cikin UK pop charts?

Kenya: Yana da yaushe. Kate Bush ne mai ban sha'awa. Yana da wani halitta, shi ne mai ban sha'awa. Ina kawai san cewa akwai da yawa mutane za a yi da shi.

Brooke: But maybe you are holding a door for other women to do that, and you don’t even know yet.

Kenya: I hope so. I feel like it's our moment now. It's coming.

Brooke: It is our moment.

Kenya: There are so many sick girls and women that are smashing it in writing and production. It's the moment.

Brooke: I feel like also in the dance genre, not only as performers but as DJs, women have also grown exponentially, which is very exciting.

Kenya: 100%.

Brooke: You did decide to release the sad acoustic version of “Strangers”. We love an emo moment. How did you decide that you wanted to come up with the acoustic version of it, and where do you begin, or did it start that way?

Kenya: I thought it would sound good, honestly. I tried adding strings and then worked on adding cute harmonies. I don’t really release stuff like that, straight up and chill, so I wanted to give it a go, I guess.

Brooke: Nazarin za ku yiwuwa don magana da yawa game da duniya na dancing a cikin abin da za ku ji da yawa. Za ka so da yawa game da cewa ku ne a Birtaniya da kuma dancing yanki ne mafi girma, amma akwai wasu yanki na dancing da aka haifar da ka? Kamar yadda sauran wurare, sauran kasashe.

Kenya: I feel like my main biggest influence at the time was Flume from Australia. He is a huge influence of mine. And everyone else is probably UK and house vibes.

Brooke: I love dancing music, kuma ina san cewa na ba da kyau har zuwa wannan shekara, sauke a cikin. Amma shi ne mai ban mamaki. Ina san cewa shi yana ci gaba da yawa a matsayin zane, kuma ka kamar yadda wani artist da ya yi da shi, inda ka taimakawa dancing zuwa shigar a duniya. A lokacin da ka duba da abubuwa kamar wannan da mutane za su fara duba a cikin zane saboda ka, abin da yana da shi ya sani?

Kenya: Crazy. I'm happy that people hear drum and bass, to be fair. I didn’t expect you guys to like that.

Brooke: Oh, shi ne, shi ne na farko a ziyarci mu a Amurka. Ka samu na farko show a New York. Yadda shi ne? The jiki? The vibrations?

Kenya: The vibrations ne mai ban mamaki! Na yi daya a rana, kuma daya a rana a cikin “Elsewhere” a Brooklyn. Yana da kyau, duk da yawa da kyau vibrations.

Brooke: Ta yaya za ka fara zane ga show? Yana da wani abu don zama artist da kuma yi music a studio ko a cikin dace wuri, amma yana da wani abu don samun da music da kuma yi a kan mutane. Ta yaya za ka samu daga A zuwa B?

Kenya: Na ci gaba da, a cikin shekaru biyu da suka wuce, samun fiye da tsari, da al'ada. Saboda cewa shi ne ban sha'awa daga zama a cikin gida da kuma post online, a lokacin da ka nuna da ku daga zama a gaban kowane, amma shi ne mafi kyau. Yana da tsari daban-daban daga rubuta. Amma ina yi da yawa da rubuta. A lokacin da na yi da set, na so adding transitions tsakanin songs. Ina son yin wannan.

Brooke: Hai da yawa don kammala. Wannan shekara shi ne kawai matsakaici da abin da suka wuce har yanzu daga Kenya Grace. Na san cewa 2024 za a fara da kuma fara. Akwai wani song da ka shirya, "Paris", wanda aka samu ko da yaushe ko da yawa. Ina so a kansa game da shi, da lyrics, da kuma yadda za ka shawarar ba da wannan.

Kenya: Na rubuta shi da shekaru da suka wuce, kuma na son da konsepti na shi. Yana daidai game da abin da kasuwanci ne fake da kuma, mafi musamman, wani abu da na haifar da mahada a kan mahada a kan mahada. Ba za a iya yiwuwa da kyau amma a nan ne fake, kuma shi ne ga mahada kamar yadda a gaban da abokin ciniki, ina san. Na yiwu da shi. Ina san cewa shi ne wani abu kafin kafin big da wannan shekara.

Brooke: So it's coming soon?

Kenya: Soon-ish.

Brooke: Nai ne da yaushe tare da wani mutum wanda shi ne mai sabon artist da kuma ci gaba, yana da yawa ci gaba da haka da sauri. Yana da kyau don san abin da ka kafa tare da wannan duk da haka, kuma abin da ka so ka zo. Za ka gina al'ada da kuma ta artistry a matsayin Kenya Grace, da kuma za ka ko da yaushe don ganin inda za ka so da abubuwa saboda za ka iya zo a kowace rana tare da ayyukanku.

Kenya: I’m trying to take it day by day. I'm trying not to think about the big picture too much because it's stressing me out. You can just overthink it.

Brooke: Na san cewa mu zo a kan Harshe lokaci da kuma mamaki, za ka iya samun wani lokaci. Yadda za ka yi a kan Harshe?

Kenya: Just chill with my family, to be fair. We don't have a massive Christmas. It's just me and my brother, and my mom and dad. It's quite wholesome and chill.

Brooke: It's nice to go back and just be with your family, just do you and be you.

Kenya: Na san cewa shi ne abin da na so game da Kirsimeti, saboda shi ne lokaci tare da abokin tarayya.

Brooke: There is still so much to do, so much to accomplish for you as an artist. What are your goals for 2024? Obviously, we talked about the upcoming project, but I would like to know what else, and that could be anything.

Kenya: I’m really excited to play at festivals, different shows, releasing new music, and maybe a collab.

Brooke: Who is a dream collaborator for you, if you could work with anybody?

Kenya: I have so many. Should I list them all? Definitely Flume, that would be my dream. I love him so much. Maybe Chase & Status, but my ultimate dream collab would be Lana Del Rey, but it’s so far away…

Brooke: I love Lana.

Kenya: She is so amazing.

Brooke: Yana wani artist, music ka sani a cikin da kuma a cikin kamar yadda, "I'm having a moment. I'm going to put on music that makes me feel better"?

Kenya: Probably her [Lana Del Rey]. I love her. She is so soothing, her voice... everything. I love it.

Brooke: What do you want the world to know about who you are?

Kenya: It's so hard. I don’t know if people can tell, but I’m quite an introverted person. But maybe it's pretty obvious [laughing], but I’m quiet and reserved, and I love music, and I feel like I’m an emo at heart. Basically, music is my only hobby, apart from it, I love tattoos and all alternative things.

Brooke: What advice would you give your younger self and anybody who starts to make music?

Kenya: Nazarin da yaushe, ku ji su koyar da yadda za a samar. Na san cewa shi ne mai ban sha'awa da ya yi. Yana da kyau don iya yin shi a lokacin da ka so, ba tare da yin lokaci a cikin studio tare da wani mutum. Ina ce cewa shi ne mai girma sha'awar, kuma rubuta waɗanda a kan layi, ba tare da cewa shi ne ban mamaki.

Brooke: What virtually inspires you?

Kenya: I love watching TV shows. I think it's so artsy, and people sometimes look down on watching TV, but there are things that are really cool, like “American Horror Story”. Things like that are so inspiring. It's so cool.

Brooke: What was your favorite song to record?

Kenya: Yana da kyau don zabi. An wani na'ura mai ban sha'awa don yi aiki ne “Meteor”. Na kawai so ka so, kuma na san cewa “Strangers” ya zama da kyau fun don rubuta.

Brooke: A shi ya kamata a zama musamman a cikin wani mataki, don san yanzu da yawa mutane za su haɗa tare da shi a cikin mataki. What is your favorite part of the writing/creating process?

Kenya: I love it all, to be honest. I love to make the beat first, kuma sa'an nan za ku ji dadin da shi, kuma sa'an nan za ka samu wannan lokaci inda ka so, “oh, I really like that”, inda ka san cewa yana aiki. That's my favorite.

Brooke: What inspires you, and whom do you look up to?

Kenya: So many people. Chase & Status, and so many singers. When I was younger, Adele - amazing songwriting, and Fred Again, I saw him recently, the energy at his concerts is insane.

Brooke: How are you managing to advocate for yourself with management and label as your success grows?

Kenya: I really love my team. They really get the whole thing, and they are very supportive, and I feel like they back my ideas 100%.

Brooke: Congratulations on everything. Thank you so much for taking the time to sit here with us today and getting to know you better.