London based singer and songwriter Kinnoha has been steadily building her name for the past 5 years, having been inspired and experienced from living across various parts of the UK. She released two singles in 2018, ‘Hot Sauce’ and ‘Make Shapes’, leaving a fresh impression of her distinctive sound… We spoke to Kinnoha recently, to discuss her song writing process, dream collabs and what’s to come in 2018!

Describe your unique sound in 5 words –

Deep, dark, raw, conscious pop

When did you first begin turning your passion for singing into something more than just a interest, to become an artist ?

I can pinpoint it to when I was living in Brighton, I was doing the classic ‘girl with the acoustic guitar’ stuff and I realised, I was bored as shit. I wanted range and room to experiment, I wanted to make something I could dance to, I wanted to perform. I moved to London in 2016 and started establishing myself, playing as many shows as I could and working with so many different people who really helped hone my songwriting and shape my sound.

What does your songwriting process consist of?

Ahh, I’m afraid that’s my secret recipe! I’m not going to disclose the magic ingredients but I will admit there’s a lot to be said for having an idea at a really awkward time, pulling out a notebook (always keep one of these near) and run with it. Voice notes are good too, to remember melodies you’ve made up on the spot. I’m a fan of creating a really rough idea of a song and going back and fine tuning it, as long as that doesn’t become a painful process, that’s where lots of musicians trip up over themselves trying to create that impossible ‘perfect’ sound.

kinnoha, coffee

What lessons have you learnt from being an artist so far?

I’ve learned that when you feel something you shouldn’t suppress it. If you’re sad, BE SAD. Drown in that sadness, drink your tears and go through every motion. If you’re happy, be happy. Open up and be that ray of sunshine. Embrace everything. I’ve learned I’m happiest and at my best when I’m experimenting and pushing myself to create new kinds of sounds.

Following your two singles, what can fans expect in the rest of 2018?

They can expect a mix of some soul and electronica, similar to my older stuff but with a more cohesive sound. I’ve learned so much in the last year about the little things that make a song and I’m always writing so there’s plenty more where that came from.

How do you want to be perceived by the public?

The idea of controlling other people’s perceptions doesn’t sit well with me. For instance if I write a song it is totally open to interpretation by the listener. Some people might perceive me as quite emotional, due to the subject of a lot of my music, whereas others might listen to my more ‘poppy’ tracks and think I’m playful. I have no problems with either because I feel like you can’t force these things, each to their own. I’m just creating what feels right, if other people like it then that’s an added bonus.

Which artist/producer collaboration would you love to make happen and be a part of?  

I’d really like to work with Amine, I love his tone and vocal style, it’s so fun and effortlessly clever, I love his word play. In terms of producers someone like TOKiMONSTA would be insane, she has such a cool, distinct style and I can tell she’s really selective in the instruments she uses. Ludwig Göransson would also be a dream, even though he’s pretty much married to Childish Gambino, he has such an ear for what works!

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