Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: I was fortunate enough to be raised in a multicultural environment in London and also once I started studying music production I worked with a shop called Honest Jons on Portobello Road. Those were the events that completely got my mind wide open to so many genres of music. Also, one of the first bands I become obsessed with as a child was Blur. Their blueprint for making albums was perfect for me because they had a complete disregard for genre. It was like they would put a ballad next to a pop song and follow it with a punk song like it was the most natural normal thing in the world. That attitude was a huge influence for me and once I followed that approach with my music I never looked back.
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “Kodak Kid”?
A: I want to play more shows and I want people to really dive into my world. I guess with social media it’s good to be creative with how you interact with it. I’m not interested in doing things the conventional way. For anyone who’s discovering me, I want them to know that when it comes to mental health and feeling alienated, they’ve got a place of escapism here and once they dip into it, they can come out ready to hit the world again. I don’t pull punches when I’m talking about the real stuff. Things get gritty.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: Honestly, I usually go and listen to Ennio Morricone or David Axelrod because there’s something otherworldly about their sonics that just blow me away no matter how many times I listen to them. I rarely get excited about new music.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, “Junk.”?
A: I wrote it in a cold plunge pool in Budapest, looking for a dopamine hit whilst I was seeing some friends. We were all talking about heartbreak (which I was at the time), Palestine and Afrobeat music. Once I wrote the song I made the demo and sent it to Seye Adelekan from Gorillaz and he put the bass down. I was going to duet with him but he didn’t like his vocals on the track so I got the amazing Boo Kickz from Manchester to sing on it and Fanni Zahar on flute (she was also in the cold plunge pool with me). The song is about what it feels like to have be resilient when you don’t want to. When your world has been levelled and you’re totally exhausted, it’s about telling yourself to move forward and try to have a good time out of necessity. It’s just the existential melancholy that’s unavoidable in life through always losing things. Everyone can relate to that.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners
A: Melancholy-delic.
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “Junk”?
A: To be honest, every challenge was a fun one. When Dilip Harris was mixing my track I remembered all the albums he produced with King Krule and I know he would do something unconventional with it. As we mixed it together I had these ideas but the track got a bit crowded so we had some difficult conversations about how much flute the 2nd bridge should have and what emotional space it occupies. Life and death decisions for real.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: I’m not afraid to get a bit existential lyrically and I’d like to think that my music is cathartic and good escapist music for everyone who’s feeling a bit hopeless. I just want to reach anyone who would be receptive and with whom my music would resonate with.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: Dr Buzzards Original Savannah Band. Their hybrid of disparate influences from big band jazz to funk and disco was so unique. I know a session with them would be a blast.
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: Identify what you are exactly. Once you’ve done that, amplify it and make it as obvious as it possibly can be. If people can summarise your whole style in 3 words, you’re on to a winner.
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: As an overthinker I can suffer from a bit of anticipatory anxiety. The best antidote for that is just move towards your fears, lower your expectations and try. When you follow that method, you’ll always manage to pull it off somehow. Also, no matter how bad things get in life, you never know what positive things are around the corner. But to get those things, you’ve got to actually walk to the corner.
