'5 Questions With': Kymara

Kymara has a penchant for making anywhere feel like home. Whether the rising neo-soulstress is nurturing a state of mind or travelling the globe solo, the people and places she encounters along the way continually provide a sense of grounding energy.

At least, that’s the air I got last week, when I caught up with the Dutch-born, Brighton-based creative powerhouse over the phone, to speak briefly about her soothing, jazzy new offering ‘Home’. “I think the message of the song goes hand-in-hand with my belief that you don’t have to be stuck in one place,” she tells me, “as long as you’re open to it, as long as you want to see it and aren’t deterred by feelings of loneliness – you can make a home wherever you want to”. Thus, we embark on a deeper discussion into how Kymara came to find her definition of ‘Home’. Delving into the sentimental inspirations behind her newest offering, and discovering along the way that, for Kymara, home is more of a feeling, rather than something tangible you can attach your existence to.

EQ: Hey Kymara! You’re third single “Home” is dropping so soon. Can you tell us how your definition of ‘Home’ has changed as you’ve grown and moved around the globe?

K: Growing up, home was just my family; my brothers, my grandma…it wasn’t exactly a place, I more attached the concept to people who created a feeling of security for me. Then, in my teenage years, it became a place I’d go to in my mind, just before I went to sleep. I saw all the thoughts I’d have and the things I’d write in my journal as my home because they felt like a safe space. When I was eighteen, I travelled for a year and my home became every country I found myself in. After I came back, I fell in love for the first time, and by then I was so used to being on my own that feeling so secure and loved by someone began to feel like home as well. Now, Brighton is my home and I feel settled here. So, throughout the pandemic, particularly in the last few months, I’ve begun looking at home as a headspace – by meditating, doing lots of exercise, and being aware of what I’m putting into my body –foodwise. I think home is ultimately a feeling - you can create a home anywhere in the world, it’s all really in your own head.

EQ: That’s very true. I know there’s a sentimental meaning behind the lyric “trees turn to gold” in the song; it’s not just a metaphor. Can you tell us more about what inspired that line?

K: It’s a line that my dad wrote, he was a songwriter. A few years back, my mum found and passed down some notebooks full of his lyrics to me - which is super sentimental. When I read that line in one of his songs, I immediately envisioned the seasons changing and that feeling you get in the autumn when the trees turn from green to golden brown. To me, that whole transition between seasons is beautiful, so by using that lyric, I’m trying to convey that just like the season’s change, your life can change too, and every time you think that you understand it all, you realise that life holds the capacity to change again. It’s a good thing, but it can also be a bit exhausting [laughs].

EQ: Is there any particular message you want the listener to take away when they listen to “Home”?

K: Yes – I want people to take away that message of never having to feel like they’re stuck, knowing that although the process of finding a place to call home can come with its challenges, it’s okay to feel alone sometimes. I want the song to serve as a reminder that there are always people who will understand you, who want to understand and love you. I even have to remind myself of that sometimes, so in a way, this song is an introspection on my growth, in learning to understand those things myself. There are so many different possibilities and places that you can go, both within and without yourself, you just need to see that for yourself and not be too shy.

EQ: How did you link up with Bobbie Johnson for the track? Was there something about the song that allowed you guys to connect on a musical level?

K: I really wanted a rapper for the song! I’ve known Bobbie for a while and I’ve always been really impressed by her work – the way she writes her lyrics, her understanding of rhythm, and the way she flows. So, when I told her what the song was about, she was excited about the concept and just started writing away; we didn’t even have to talk about it too much. I feel like her lyrics on ‘Home’ really share some synchronicities with my own, it’s natural - it just fits.