Name: Farida Demola-Seriki aka Kah-Lo
Nationality: Nigerian
Occupation: Vocalist, songwriter
Current release: Kah-Lo's Pain/Pleasure is out via Epic.
Recommendations: “Agua De Beber” by Astrud Gilberto and “Two Weeks” by Olayinka Ehin

If you enjoyed this Kah-Lo interview and would like to stay up to date with her music, visit her on Instagram, Facebook, twitter, and Soundcloud.  



When I listen to music, I see shapes, objects and colours. What happens in your body when you're listening? Do you listen with your eyes open or closed?

It depends on what I’m listening to. I mostly take in new music when I’m commuting, and I like to feed my eyes as well as my ears mostly.

If it’s music that’s meant to be relaxing or insightful, I like to take it in with my eyes closed and head down.

What were your very first steps in music like and how would you rate the gains made through experience - can one train/learn being an artist?

When I first started making music, I thought it was second nature as one would liken to language.

I believe everyone has a creative mind that can be tapped into, but artistry is second nature.

According to scientific studies, we make our deepest and most incisive musical experiences between the ages of 13-16. What did music mean to you at that age and what’s changed since then?

Through those ages, music meant everything to me. I listened to a bunch of albums that refined my sound and vocal style. Usher’s Confessions, Alicia Key’s Songs In A Minor and Mariah Carey’s Emancipation of Mimi are just a few of the projects that came out then. I loved R&B in every aspect.



Since then, I have grown to understand, love and respect dance music and its subgenres. Now, I’m happy knowing I’ve learned how to blend the two

What, would you say, are the key ideas behind your approach to music and what motivates you to create?

I love music that makes people feel good and move. If I’m able to achieve both, I feel like I’ve communicated whatever the message may be effectively.

Ideas hit me a lot mid-conversation, so I mostly write about things I’ve lived through.

To quote a question by the great Bruce Duffie: When you come up with a musical idea, have you created the idea or have you discovered the idea?

I like to think I’ve discovered the idea because ideas and creative possibilities are all around us.

As a musician, I’m able to form sound and full on songs from the most mundane sounds and conversations.

Paul Simon said “the way that I listen to my own records is not for the chords or the lyrics - my first impression is of the overall sound.” What's your own take on that and how would you define your personal sound?

I definitely consider overall sounds, but writing is really important to me. I started off as a poet before putting them to music, and I don’t even know how to start songs without words.

My personal sound blends my culture with Western dance/pop music.

Sound, song, and rhythm are all around us, from animal noises to the waves of the ocean. What, if any, are some of the most moving experiences you've had with these non-human-made sounds? In how far would you describe them as “musical”?

I never really thought of them as musical until I listened to MIA’s Kala album as a 14 year old where she uses animal sounds and other sounds people wouldn’t consider musical to create entire tracks.

I would say my ears opened up then and I can interpret a lot of sounds as musical now.

From very deep/high/loud/quiet sounds to very long/short/simple/complex compositions - are there extremes in music you feel drawn to and what response do they elicit?

I’m drawn to all types of music no matter how extreme, so there’s no way for me to choose.

Could you describe your creative process on the basis of one of your pieces, live performances or albums that's particularly dear to you, please?

For my album Pain/Pleasure, I tapped into negative emotions and tried to make them positive.

So it was quite interesting writing a bunch of the songs because I had to relive some mentally traumatic experiences each time I wanted to write and challenge myself to think about it differently.

Do you conduct “experiments” or make use of scientific insights when you're making music?

The only one I can think of is googling how many minutes in a day to lyrically express “each of the 1440 minutes that make up a day/you’re on my mind” lyric from "Runaway."



How does the way you make music reflect the way you live your life? Can we learn lessons about life by understanding music on a deeper level?

I’ve been journaling a lot recently which has in turn helped me become a better songwriter.

When I put my thoughts down, I have a better idea of what my mental health is like.

Do you feel as though writing or performing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

You can get away with a lot in music. Especially in songwriting.

Every time I listen to "Albedo 0.39" by Vangelis, I choke up. But the lyrics are made up of nothing but numbers and values. Do you, too, have a song or piece of music that affects you in a way that you can't explain?

A lot of Astrud Gilberto’s music feels like a cozy apartment. I have no clue what she’s saying most of the time as she mostly sings in Portuguese. But her tone is just so comforting.



If you could make a wish for the future – what are developments in music you would like to see and hear?

More creative lyricists in rap.