Fully Trusting the Process, Kaisha Seeks to Experiment and Grow in Her Sound

Q&ASpotlightMusic

Mar 11

☆ By HENRY AGER ☆

SURROUNDED BY MUSIC HER WHOLE LIFE — Malaysian musician Kaisha was born into a musical family and has been immersing herself from a young age in the Kuala Lumpur music scene. Now, she is making waves in the Brighton neo-soul/R&B scene. Having captured the attention of mainstream radio and experienced producers, Kaisha’s modern R&B has hints of jazz, soul, and pop that is powerful and relatable.

The solo project began during 2019, when Kaisha uploaded a short track she had produced onto her Instagram. The track was different to the electronic music she was releasing at the time, and was uploaded with no real thought behind what it would become. However, she received such a positive reaction from her followers that it gave her the drive and confidence to expand on that initial production and create this fresh new project: Kaisha.

She enlisted the talents of producer and friend James Berkeley of Yakul to help develop her new sound. Berkeley served as a mentor to Kaisha and helped her gain her footing in this new world of R&B and soul. Despite being a fan of the genres, Kaisha had not yet applied her songwriting skills to them yet, instead working on an electronic project that she joked, “could have worked, but it just didn’t.”

The basis of the production, lyrics, and melodies were written by Kaisha before sending them off to Berkeley to allow him the creative freedom to bring the best out of the tracks. The result was a list of songs she quickly fell in love with. Kaisha shared, “With the new music, it was just more me.” She was finally creating music that she was truly happy with.

Something Else, Kaisha’s first EP, was released during the spring of 2020, when the first wave of COVID-19 was in full flow. However, this didn’t deter Kaisha from releasing music, and it ultimately brought lots of solace and comfort to people through its themes. “Ready Set Go,” for example, was written out of the feeling of not moving forward and being stuck in life. This resonated with all those stuck in lockdown, with many not being able to pursue their dreams and ambitions. “Ready Set Go” begins with the lyrics, “I’m lying in my bed, staring at the wall, counting up the days,” which is something we have probably all done during the past 12 months.

Written mainly about relationships, Kaisha takes inspiration for her songs from personal experiences or the people around her. “Even when it stems from nothing, my tracks are mainly relationship-focused — about love, about rejection; all that kind of stuff that comes and goes with a relationship,” she explained. “I want to try and break away from it to see what I could do.” This desire is testament to Kaisha’s constant drive to develop her songwriting, as well as her motivation to exit her comfort zone. This inspiration comes from friends writing pop or indie music — some of the lyrics are random, and Kaisha loves it.

This constant ambition to develop explains why her first EP does not sound like a traditional debut EP. By analyzing her previous work, Kaisha identified what sounds she loved and what she wanted to change before applying this to her new project. This self-evaluation is an important skill to her, and explains why she entered the scene with the sound of a seasoned musician.

By the start of the conception of her second EP, Kaisha had developed a strong working relationship with Berkeley, which has enhanced the growth of her new music, and with the quality of Something Else, they were given a strong foundation to build upon. “The process of writing this upcoming EP has been easier, as I now fully trust the process and am confident in the quality of the work from both sides,” Kaisha said. Due to this, her second EP is more polished and refined, displaying more of her slew of influences. Kaisha’s second EP is expected to be released in the summer of 2021, and it is sure to be a step up from Something Else.

However, this is not the only thing Kaisha has been up to. The singer-songwriter has collaborated with a number of experienced and talented producers in between her first and second EP, writing her own melodies and lyrics for their beats. Her recent collaboration with Sam Wills in “Kitchen Sunset” stemmed from a beat challenge he put out on social media. Kaisha wrote a verse and chorus for one of the beats in his series and he loved it, deciding to create a whole project around the beat series: “Sam Wills Presents: Solo Challenge,” where the short verse and chorus were transformed into a full song. This process was a welcomed trial for Kaisha, as she shared that “it was kind of hard because what I wrote was just a verse and chorus — it was never meant to be a full song. So I had to get back into the mindset of writing it.” However, the track has been very well received, and is the most successful out of the beat challenge series.

Before we can expect Kaisha’s new EP, we will be able to hear her single “Predicament” that she is hoping will provide some traction to get features and support for the new album. “The track speaks about someone who is struggling mentally, and although needs and wants help, is unable to ask for it,” Kaisha explained. “The perspective of the lyrics comes from their partner — or even a good friend — who is watching this all unravel and unwilling to be a bystander. I think as the other person, you want to encourage them to open up and you want them to trust you — essentially creating a safe space for them.” “Predicament” is due to be out in early April 2021.

Just as captivating as her songs, Kaisha’s visuals for her EP and singles are eye-catching and have a pleasing attention to detail, making it clear that a lot of effort goes into creating them. “It’s an important part of the process, especially as a musician — you should be part of it,” she shared. Kaisha directs and often edits the majority of her artwork and visuals using apps, and it is clear she has an aptitude for curating her image. “I have always liked designing stuff,” she said. She is also used to having photographs taken of her. This attention to detail with both her music and brand go hand in hand with producing an all-round quality collection of artwork. Kaisha will continue to go from strength to strength grabbing the listener’s attention — and keeping it.

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“I want to set the mood for younger emerging artists in Toronto, to be like, ‘Hey, you could, like, fucking work with literally anyone who has a kind soul.’ I do want to uplift the artist community. I do think collaboration is important, because if you wanna be in the community, you're gonna have to collaborate one way or another." - Cruz ⭐️ 🎞Allowing themself to take a more vulnerable & meaningful approach with their work, photographer Cruz is combining her creative talent with her passion for mental health advocacy. Read more about this incredible artist & how quarantine shifted her work + about the work they are doing for the community in our feature on the site now 💞