Formula Indie Sessions _ Interview with ALIAS KAI
Hi everyone, I am ALIAS KAI, an artist based in Canada. My most recent release was the single “NONSTOP”, produced by MalutiBeats. The song explores abandoning your values and morality in search of success. I am currently working on a collaborative project with Chai Wallace and MalutiBeats, which deals with feeling lost and our experiences working through it.
What is your earliest memory connected to music?
I remember I was constantly exploring and looking for new music growing up. Always scouring YouTube, iTunes, radio, etc, to find more music and artists that I liked…and I would still do that to this day.
How did your passion for creating music begin?
It started off with my friends and I remixing “W.A.P.” by Cardi B and Megan the Stallion. The song is not good when I listen back to it now, but I remember how much fun it was working on it, and I just kept wanting to make more music from there.
What’s the story behind your current music project?
Chai Wallace and I worked on the very first single “HEXED” back in 2023, it was meant to be a one-off single at first, but we talked a lot during that time which led to us working on more songs together over the years. We were both feeling lost and struggling to see purpose in our lives, which were reflected in the songs that we were making. The theme of the project started to really come together after we went through some big changes in our lives like changing careers. The project goes on to discuss how we are working through these feelings and some of the realizations/conclusions that we had.
How would you describe your sound to someone who has never heard your music before?
Melodic hip-hop/rap??? I like to try out different sounds but I think the basis has always been melodic hip-hop/rap, with influences from cloud rap, trap, and R&B.
What is one thing you’ve learned that completely changed the way you make music?
Just go with the flow! I used to overthink a lot when I first started making music. I was way too worried about how the songs would be perceived so I started to force certain themes or certain lyrics into the songs, but it made the songs feel ingenuine. Overthinking also made the entire process very slow and inefficient. Once I started to not overthink it and just go with my gut-feeling, I think the songs got better and it was way more enjoyable to make.
What tools, instruments, or software are essential in your creative process?
Honestly, I think the stereo in my car has been essential at this point. That’s where most of my artistic ideas come from now, when I am driving around and listening to songs or beats.
Which indie artist or song are you loving right now?
One of my favorite artist is DPR IAN, I really like his personal story-telling and the dark themes/concepts that he explores in his music and imagery.
How have your personal experiences influenced your music and artistic vision?
My personal experiences have a great influence on all my music. A lot of the themes/concepts that I explore come from my own experiences growing up, and how it would affect my relationships, my conscience, and my emotions along the way.
What emotions or messages do you hope listeners take from your work?
I just hope the listeners can relate to the songs in their own way and draw their own conclusions from it.
What’s the most important lesson music has taught you so far?
I think its important to just try things out! At the beginning, if I didn’t try remixing “W.A.P.”, then I wouldn’t be making music today. Even when I am making music now, I notice that the ideas that I didn’t think would work or its too weird, ends up being the best ideas when I actually try them out.
What is a dream venue or festival you would love to perform at?
I don’t have any at the moment, I actually have major stage fright so I never even thought about this lol.
If you could collaborate with any artist, past or present, who would it be and why?
I think I would like to collaborate with Tyler, The Creator. I just think he is one of the most innovative voices in music right now, and it would be really cool to learn from him.
Where can our listeners follow and support your music? (Website,Spotify, IG, links)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alias.aka.alias/?hl=en
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@alias.aka.alias?lang=en
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/2O9aLgKFFdQ9RpxBZDmZVo?si=wcMHA1zkTmSt0JT4KU_LhA
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXOECgvmkUt56sdaFQktt-A
Looking toward the future, what’s your dream for the next chapter of your musical journey?
Not really a dream but I just want to keep making music, and continue to hone my sound and skills to their fullest extent.
What do you hope listeners will discover about you along the way?
That I love doing this…I love being an artist!
