Artist Spotlight: KIANJA

Today we shine a spotlight on Kianja, a talented London-based artist. Join us as we delve into her musical journey, diverse discography, and the inspiration behind her latest EP, "Chapter 3." Explore how her experiences in South Africa and London have shaped her unique sound. Discover Kianja's approach to experimentation, favorite venues, and independent release strategy. Gain insights into her influences, creative processes, and aspirations as we uncover the artistry and vision of this remarkable artist.

For those that don’t know you, who are you and where are you from?

My name’s Kianja aha, nah so I was born in London, Dalston kinda area then I moved away when I was a teenager for a couple of years to South Africa and then I came back at sixteen. In terms of Kianja, I think I’ve gone through a lot of stages and phases musically; it started off very experimental, then it got very singer-songwriter, then it got very pop, then back to singer-songwriter so it’s been quite an up and down journey. I enjoyed that and it taught me a lot about different sorts of music, but now it’s very much about the song and how it connects with people and that the story and feeling is authentic.

Chapter 3, talk to us about the title?

I called it Chapter 3 mainly cause it’s the third EP and I was influenced by an artist called Roberta Flack who has a project called Chapter 2 which I thought was really cool, plus it’s the third stage of my life.

Your discography is very mixed, to say the least, or diverse, ranging from soulful ballads to singing over DnB, would you say it’s taken all this experimenting to find your own niche and a space you can call your own?

Exactly. Especially with Chapter 3 it really came together and it was clear the influences I wanted to bring in. It carried on nicely from ‘In a Different Light’  and is starting to move more into that singer-songwriter niche, that being said I always dot around, but now the sound and production has become more clear. It’s crazy though when I write tunes like sometimes I’ll write a pop/house tune, then I’m doing a ballad you know haha, so I let all expression out. Then when I do a project I kinda draw in all those to create something, but I might have to leave out a house tune for another project or another vibe you know.

The hand movements saying nearly as much as the words here.

Going back slightly, you said you moved to South Africa, can you tell us about your time there?

We were going to go back to Jamaica after my Nan died, when I was about nine, where we have family, but my Mum would go back and forth a lot for work, so she decided SA would be the place and so we ended up in Durban. Just a completely different way of life. It feels like there’s been a lot of stages in my life like that, whole different school vibe and atmosphere at a crucial age you know thirteen to sixteen, and that was where I fell in love with Jazz and Afro-Jazz.  

Slightly different to our way of life, particularly for me in the countryside.

Well I go house-sitting a lot to escape to the countryside! I dot around but it’s so nice to be in the peace. Most of this record was written when I was house-sitting just in green (spaces). It’s really funny cause most the ballads were written in those places, where all the emotions come out. I find here (London) you don’t have the space to really feel, just everyone around you is moving and you don’t really know what’s going on but you just have to keep moving aha!

A lot of the tracks, to me, sound almost like a jam session which has evolved, so do you play any instruments and has this helped the production or recording side?

Yeah one hundred percent, all those songs started at an instrument whether it was piano, keys or a guitar that’s usually the way I write. I would say I’m most confident on keys because I can see what I’m doing, I’m literally looking at my keyboard now haha. Guitar I can experiment more. There’s almost a beauty in not knowing it as well as keys cause I can play around and find things that are weird and interesting, so yeah between piano, guitar and some percussion. I actually started out on a drum kit but never followed it through cause I switched to keys quite soon. I decided I wanted to write songs so I felt I had to dig into the melodic instruments more, drums I can always come back to.

As we are the same age, I’m interested to hear about your school experience and how that has played a part in your development and where you are today?

Musically I started out self-taught, but school and particularly studying Jazz at Guildhall, that unlocked a lot of doors, musically, in my mind. That being said I have a funny line when it comes to some of the more advanced musical stuff; I still believe what’s intuitively in your head when you reach for an instrument needs to be the most important thing. Even though I was there for a Vocal Jazz course, I ended up doing more piano and guitar bits because I felt like I wanted more of that. At the same time I felt I had to unlearn a lot of crap and just approach each song with a fresh mind and ultimately it’s about the song, like if you wanna throw in a little cheeky chord and it calls for it then do it, if it doesn’t then just chill out aha!

Did you meet people then who you still make music with now and call your friends?

Yeah definitely so Jay Verner who played on this record we met at Guildhall, he was one of the few people I clicked with immediately, he did all the keys parts. Gabriel Davis who I went to college with at Brit, he does the bass on this project and then there are other people who I’ve met kind of along the journey, but one hundred percent the people I went to college or uni with I still play with them. I’m always like he’s the guy, let’s get involved then!

So your view on the London scene is pretty positive?

Yeah I’ve always been lucky like people are always down to get involved. After ‘In a Different Light’ I kind of got in my own head like am I good enough to produce this stuff, thinking nah man I don’t know if I am aha, maybe, but let me just call on the people I trust and see what they can bring to it. I love giving people a song and saying I know you know what I’m trying to get at, just do what you think is right and let me see what happens.

Who do you call inspirations then?

People within the scene who I look up to and have been putting the work in, so like Moses Boyd and Nubya Garcia cause we all went to Tomorrow’s Warriors, when I see them doing their thing it’s just amazing and heart warming.

Idols wise, people on this very wall. Sade for sure; she is someone for both sides, artistically and career wise. I feel like I know her and she is like this Fairy Godmother haha. From what I’ve heard she’s so centered and sure of what she wants and didn’t let anything take away from her vision, as well as being a black women and British it’s just huge! It’s like she is everyone’s influence but then is also kinda lo-key at the same time.

Sting, Phil Collins, Stevie Wonder as songwriters, Bill Withers too for songwriting. It’s just so profound; he’s saying everything in just one line, so sometimes when I’m writing, I’m like Uncle Bill how would you say this, that clearly haha.

Growing up my Mum was into soul so Jill Scott and Lauryn Hill were being played when I was a baby. My Dad was a rasta-man so that was always reggae, that was what he injected. Then my Step-Dad introduced me to Kings of Leon, Beach House and that kind of indie-rock/alt-rock, and all these things I still love and are in the flavour palate.

Over time jazz, like jazz jazz, came in a bit later like sixteen/seventeen I guess so Sarah Vaughan, Diana Washington, those people. And then heavier soul like Etta James and Gladys Knight who was a big influence for this record in particular. When I found Gladys Knight and The Pips I was like oh my gosh aha. Just in the countryside with my red wine and Gladys Knight and The Pips that was me aha.  

Then there was this one record, when I was struggling to write, I was thinking I just need something, need something to eat. So I went to this record store down the road from me in East (London), second hand one of course, I ain’t spending £25 haha, and I find this record by Oleta Adams which I just liked the look of. I put it on and I was like oh shit! So yeah I was rinsing her record and she has a song called ‘Get Here’ which I would say heavily influences the first song on Chapter 3 ‘Ever Since You Went Away’. Her voice on that record was like a mix of Whitney Houston and Donny Hathaway, I just thought this bitch killed it haha!

Talk us through some of the processes for this album?

So sometimes I will just stick my voice recorder on and just sing and talk. Then when I go back to it there will be a line or a verse in there I can take and go from there. In the writing process I just let what’s already seeped in just come out. Production process, I look at the song and think what does this need.

I worked with a few (producers) when I was doing the ‘Glory’ EP, but since then I’ve mainly worked with Gabriel Davis. Aside from that I’ve just been writing and producing myself really. Basically everything that’s come out since ‘In a Different Light’ has been my production. There was a stalling period where I wanted to work with this producer and he had a super cool studio and then it was difficult to get dates and that, and cause I had such a clear idea of how I wanted the production to hold or cup the song, I just ended up producing it myself. Going forward though yeah I’d definitely like to work with more.

Can you explain why you’ve taken an independent approach with this release in regards to not dropping on a label?

So the label I had dropped on The Other Songs are great but they’re more of a dance-type label and so when I reached out and didn’t hear back I just thought I may as well just go in and do it myself. At first I wanted the label and the help on...many things, so I had to hype myself up a bit to do it haha.

It’s a bit stupid, but I have this ring, just a shitty little Primark one. When I put it on I turn into Susan, my manager, this character I have created, which enables me to just like email people my music haha. Admin Monday’s that’s it haha.

In London, where do you like playing and where do you like going out?

I like playing in Cafe Coco. There’s a little place called The Looking Glass in Shoreditch, they’re both very intimate, I like those kinda spaces. The other one I like is The Slaughtered Lamb, nice underground intimate space. Going out, I’m pretty tame now, I don’t rave too much, nice little pub I guess, there’s a lot of cute little bars me being in East though in Shoreditch. But for me I’ll just et my wine see if anyone wants to come around. I’ll cook, we can listen to the music we want to listen to you know haha.

What’s your impulse buy at the shop?

I mean I always have bananas, I get those everyday. Tangerines, red peppers… have it in a salad, or in a chickpea salad kinda ting, boom!

Kianja’s Chapter Three will be released independently on July 7th, with show dates to follow.