Kyra
"It’s inevitable that your perspective will be shaped by those you keep around you. Women, and specifically Black women, have important stories to tell..."
London songstress Kyra operates on higher energy than any other artist we’ve had a chance to interview, and this was made increasingly clear whilst getting lost in the ethereal sounds of her new project, ‘XANADU’. A woman, mother, and artist; fierce femininity and the strength of sisterhood are what this star-on-the rise attributes to her growing notability in the industry, speaking on the role womanhood plays in her artistry: “over the years I’ve really found my higher power in my strength as a woman. I call it divine femininity,” Kyra states. “Just like the ancient muses, I walk with a tribe - a sisterhood that ground me, but also keep me connected to the universe spiritually. Having already set the tone of the auditory bliss we were to expect with the release of teaser singles: “Cali Dreamin” and “Stampede”, the rising talent experimented with several sounds on the track, complete with spoken word excerpts and synths, which in turn perfectly reflect the ethereal and idyllic visual aspects that she goes on to create on the project - inspired by the Greek Mythology based movie, Xanadu. We spoke to Kyra hot on the heels of this release to find out about the creative process behind the project, as well as delving into spirituality and embracing the Black female narrative.
Read the feature below…
Words & Interview by Danielle Temeng
EQ: Hi Kyra, congratulations on the release of your new EP, Xanadu. Your vocals are angelic, and it’s filled with a lot of ethereal symbolism, can you tell us a little bit about your creative process and the inspiration behind this as well as the meaning of ‘Xanadu’.
K: Thank you so much, I’m so glad you’re enjoying it! The inspiration for the whole body of work is a movie called ‘Xanadu’ I’m utterly obsessed with, that my aunties introduced me to when I was about 5! It’s based on Greek mythology and the story of 9 ethereal muses, but namely 1 (called Kira) who comes to Earth with a mission to inspire a struggling artist and return to her realm. On this mission, she falls in forbidden love with a human and begs her father Zeus to stay on Earth. I was completely obsessed with this idea that women are divine muses. That resonated with me and lead me on my path to explore my divine femininity. Xanadu means an idealised place of idyllic magnificence and beauty and was actually a real-life province named by the Mongolian emperor Kubla Khan. Poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote about Xanadu in his poem, ‘Kubla Khan, or A Vision in a Dream: A Fragment’ which I feature as spoken word in the record ‘Higher Ground’ Subsequently, the whole creation of this EP is about finding your own personal Xanadu, your highest sense of self by attaining your higher purpose and reaching your higher ground. The EP is ridiculously layered with fantasy and nuggets of detail from the movie intertwined with my real-life experiences throughout. I’m a very visual person so when writing in the studio with The Garden who executively produced this with me, we’d have scenes from the movie playing, Grecian statues and galactic images on the screen. I created a visual mood board for the music and that served as a backdrop for the whole creative process. The experience of writing this EP was life-changing. It was a time of great alignment and growth for me. I went ghost on socials and I and @iamthegarden locked ourselves away for years and drank whiskey and developed the sound. I attained my own Xanadu and I will forever cherish the experience. I’m really grateful @iamthegarden embraced my very annoying -isms and unbearable obsession and nurtured this sound with me!
EQ: If you could only pick one, what’s your favourite track on the EP and what does it signify for you?
K: Ooh, that’s such a hard question because I’ve had my own love story with each of the songs which change over time. ‘Falling From Grace’ is a deeply layered and meaningful song to me - concept-wise it signifies the muse displeasing her father Zeus and falling from his grace by falling in love with a human and physically falling from her realm to Earth. For me, there were very real parallels in my actual life with my Dad and my partner and it was written at a time when I was having conversations with God about my own spirituality and I felt I had fallen from His love. There’s also this feeling of so being so gut-wrenchingly enamoured with someone that it’s like worship. Musically I’m so proud of what The Garden and I made on ‘FFG’. The song literally carries me to an alternate stratosphere, it’s dark and textured and I love it.
“I’ve been very inspired and weirdly motivated to just go for what I want unapologetically, because life is short, and this year has shown us we never know how and when things can change…”
- KYRA
EQ: 2020 has been a crazy year, to say the least, how have you coped, and how has it affected your creativity as an artist?
K: It has been a mental year but oddly enough it’s the happiest I’ve been in a while. Things are far from perfect and the state of the live music industry is very worrying, but I decided early on in the year to reframe my mindset and start a gratitude journal. This allowed me to appreciate the opportunity to slow down and be present in the now. The time I’ve spent with my 3-year-old son has been so precious. Even though it’s been harder than ever to carve out creative time during lockdowns, I’ve been very inspired and weirdly motivated to just go for what I want unapologetically, because life is short, and this year has shown us we never know how and when things can change.
EQ: I find it inspirational that personally, you think so far above the natural realms and touch heavily on the idea of femininity, sisterhood, being a woman of colour and your motherhood. How have all these systems culminated to help you grow as a person and as a musician?
K: Thank you so much. These are the core values that I live by every day. If you were to come on my shoots you will see a majority all-female set and a very diverse team. It’s inevitable that your perspective will be shaped by those you keep around you. Women, and specifically Black women, have important stories to tell - and offer unique insight on the world because systemically it’s not set up in our favour, so when you amplify these voices, you have no choice but to learn and grow. I handpick my own team on everything I work on. My creative collaboration with @weareSANDR (two women) throughout the release of Xanadu has allowed me so much development as a visual artist too - the sisterhood we’ve created and the safe space we provide for one another has allowed room for ideas and growth. I’d definitely say motherhood has made me more purposeful with my intentions, time and message in my music. I’ve had to fight to not lose who I am and balance being a ‘boasty’ mum that he can be proud of. Overall, it’s about aligning with people who don’t want to change you but want to embrace your quirks and share your values.
EQ: …and finally, what do you hope 2021 has on the cards for you? Are you manifesting anything for it yet?
K: I usually spend a lot of time goal setting and creating vision boards. I won’t lie, the outlook still feels a little hazy but there will definitely be a lot of new music! I’m currently working on the next EP which I am so, so, excited about. I will also be taking my Xanadu Immersive show on the road! As long as I’m continuing to grow, challenge myself and connect with good people, I know it will be a blessed year.
Watch the visuals for ‘Cali Dreamin’ below…
YouTube/ KYRAVISION
Stream XANADU HERE
Follow Kyra on socials:
Instagram: @kyravision
