BY DENISE MALLABO

The world is on lockdown but singer KARA MARNI won’t let that hinder her To sharE what she has to say through her music.  

Face to face performances are still pretty much non-existent in most continents and that placed a major halt on one of the industries that makes everyone happy: music.  And obviously, singer-songwriter Kara Marni knows that all too well; she gets it. Just like any other performer across the globe, her emotions too have been all over the place and she has struggled being with her thoughts all the time. But the importance of adapting has made this English artist more creative than ever. “I’ve been learning how to do new skills like recording at home and vocal production, so I’ve still managed to stay productive with my music,” says the Northern London native. Her gorgeous features come from her Greek background, something that she truly imbibes. She talks about it unreservedly and passionately on interviews whenever she would come across questions about her heritage. Her family is a huge influence on her music. “My parents have always played lots of music around my house. My dad always used to play the soul greats from since I can remember and I guess I picked up on it,” shares Kara. Even her talent in singing has been validated by her yiayia (grandma). “She says I could sing before I could speak, so as far as I can remember I’ve been singing & annoying all my friends and family.”

When her music started to make its rounds, she decided to leave BRIT School to pursue what she loves further. She released Love Just Ain’t Enough, her 2018 EP, followed by her 2019 release No Logic. Her music is unapologetically R&B but with playful traces of electropop that’s good for everyone’s soul and feet. That mix is pretty evident with her current release “Twisted Fantasy,” a club bop that she collaborated with Sticky and DJ Champion.

Kara took the time to answer a few questions for A BOOK OF to talk more about her music and lockdown musings.

When did you realize that you want to sing and performing as your career?

When I went to study music at the BRIT school however, that’s when I realized, I could make it an actual career because there is nothing I love doing as much as music.

Who influenced you to sing? What song or album made you want to sing?

When I first heard “Lovin’ You” by Minnie Riperton, to be honest the whole Perfect Angels album, I was just so mesmerized at how she could make those incredible sounds and her whistle tones. It made me want to experiment more vocally.

What type of music were you listening to when you were a kid and how did that evolve to the type of music that you’re producing now?

I really connected with the strong female voices; Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin, Sade...They have all been big influences to me and I wanted to incorporate them within my own material. I actually reworked a sample from Dusty Springfield’s “Spooky” which was a part of one on my singles.

Do you ever regret leaving school for your music career? Is there anything that you’ve done differently?

I have no regrets because every decision I’ve made has helped shape me into the person I am today. I’m thankful I realized I didn’t need a conventional education for what I wanted to do and just went for it.

From your 2018 EP Love Just Ain’t Enough to your 2019 EP No Logic, how do you think you’ve grown as a musician?

Aside from musically tapping into more of my R&B inspirations, I’ve grown as a person and have many more life experiences that I can talk about.

How was your process from working on your 2018 EP different from working on your current music?

Extremely different! With that EP, I was recording it with other people but with my current music I’ve written and recorded most of it all from my garden shed aka Shed Leopard Studios. Although it’s been challenging, I’ve loved it!

How is your process in writing songs? Do you have to be at a certain state (happy / sad) for you to create a good song?

Each time can be different, but I usually have something I want to write about, a concept, then the lyrics flow as I experiment with different melodies. Some days can be heavier than others depending on what I’m talking about.

You have collaborated with Russ for “Young Heart,” how did that come about? Is there anyone that you would love to collaborate as of the moment and why?

He DMed me on Instagram saying how he loved “Lose My Love Acoustic” & once we got talking more, I sent him “Young Heart” and asked if he wanted to put down some extra sauce because I knew our voices would fit perfectly together... the rest is history.  As for another person I would love to collaborate with, I’ve got some things in the pipeline already so stay tuned!

In your track “Trippin,” you did a good job interpolating Amerie’s “1 thing” in it. What’s behind that idea? Can you tell us a bit about the production of this single?  

For quite some time I have played that song in my writing sessions to the producers I work with to try and create a song with it as the inspo (as it’s one of my favourite R&B songs.) I tried and tried & it had never quite worked out the way I’d hoped & I think it’s because the way the song is produced & her vocals being so unique, it’s hard to re-create it! I had the idea to take my fav part of the song, the chorus melody & re-write the rest of it! And to be honest as much I was nervous to mess with such a classic...very nervous, I’m really happy with how it’s turned out & I hope everyone likes it as much as I do!

Doing live shows are still not possible as of the moment because of the pandemic, so most artists do online shows. Would you be open to doing that also in the future? 

Hmmm, I really do feel that the beauty of live shows is that amazing experience of being united with lots of people in one room, all sharing the same love of music...but who knows what may happen in the future?

What have you learned about yourself during this lockdown?

That I’m resilient and even when obstacles are thrown my way at all angles, I will find a way to push through them.

Anything that you’re looking forward to this year?

Dropping a new project that I’ve been working on throughout lockdown and of course getting back on stage! Festival season incoming!!