I think an age old lesson that everyone has to face in life, whether they like to or not, is that life never plays out the way we want. Nothing goes as planned, the real comes with the hard, and every journey is unique. You may mess up along the way, not see the signs or realize your blessings in disguise, but if you keep pushing through you’re already ahead of the game. Slowly but surely, those mess ups can become learning lessons.
I have wanted to drop this interview for a while now, but due to the aforementioned facts of life let’s just say patience is a virtue! When I spoke with our featured artist, we actually touched on these points: patience, road blocks, tests & blessings. I was immediately struck by his optimistic, kind nature.
Although just 20yrs young, he bares an old soul. Rather than be defeated by life’s obstacles, he remains steadfast in his vision & purpose, and uses personal experiences as creative inspiration. He explained to me that most of those experiences are based on love & tragedy, and the unfair expectations that others put on us or we put on ourselves. To the last point he says, “What I’ve realized is that everyone is entitled their own opinions, but it’s up to me to choose to listen to what they have to say at the end of the day.”
Say hello to Manchester-based alternative R&B / soul artist: [ K S R ].
Part of Polarface Music Group, [ K S R ] has been writing music and developing his sound for the past 3years. He just released his debut EP ‘Unfiltered’ in March 2019, a project that is both telling of his artistry and eclectic range. He wrote all the tracks and also co-produced the EP.
Featuring collaborations with REMi, Time Elijah and Kinkai, the 6-track EP offers smooth sounds, enticing lyrics, and fluid transitions. When I asked [ K S R ] what approach he takes when creating, he said, “I take a freestyle approach when I create. The melodies will come.” He focuses on the first line, and from there everything comes into place. He truly trusts the process.
You describe your sound as 'new age soul' with some electronic and lo-fi beats influence. As a young artist, how do you foresee your sound evolving?
I’m only 20 years old, I believe I’m going to learn and evolve the older I get. I’m sure that my sound will mature in time; gaining knowledge from other artists who will have a part in my musical journey.
When you write, you use experiences that either you’ve gone through, or your friends have gone through, that have shaped who you are. Can you speak on some of those experiences?
A lot of my music is based on my every day, and things my friends and family go through on a day to day basis. Let’s take ‘Headloss’, for example, that was based on expectations people put on me, which I felt was unnecessary. But what I’ve realized is that everyone is entitled their own opinions, but it’s up to me to choose to listen to what they have to say at the end of the day.
Can you describe the creative process behind ‘Unfiltered’?
Unfiltered was created in a space of 9 months. It consisted of a writing process which lasted for at least 6 months, where I changed lyrics & melodies over and over again. I personally didn’t enjoy it, but I do appreciate the process at the end of the day. Then having to record all the tracks in 2 months, now that was definitely the best part because I was in the studio day and night making sure that I got every vocal part perfect. Certain days, Time Elijah and Kinkai would come through just to check on me and see if I’m good and stuff. As much as it was fun, it was demanding.
Photograph by Cyril Owolabi
I’m sure it’s hard to choose, but what's your favorite track off 'Unfiltered' and why?
It really is hard to say which track is my favorite because I love every single one of tracks on the project, but the one that has really meaningful message behind it is ‘Queen’. I wrote ‘Queen' based on my two younger sisters and my mother. There was a moment in time where my sisters were both going through things that stressed them out. Now, for me to witness that, I was so shocked because I’ve always known them to be really strong and independent, but this one moment I saw a different side to them, which surprised me a lot. So, I decided to write about it. For the longest I never told my mother and sisters that it was about them, but I eventually did because I basically was saying that I hold them very highly in my life, and that they are symbol of strength and determination.
You are working on visuals for 'Unfiltered' that revolve around a day-in-the-life of [ K S R ]. What does a day-in-the-life of [ K S R ] look like?
Basically, in this little movie I’m making I want to show my audience what I get up to on a day to day basis; from the crack of dawn to sunset. I want to show people that I still work at the end of the day to make sure I’m able to fund my musical career. How right after work, I’m straight into the studio working on music.
Even though you’re not currently working on new music, you do have some projects coming out. Care to share?
I don’t know if I can share just yet, but let me just say that more is coming!
If you could pass along one message to your audience, what would it be?
One thing I want to share with everyone is to be comfortable with who you are. Don’t let anybody try and mold you into someone, just be you at the end of the day and be happy with that!
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Interview by Rahel Tekle