Equal Parts Sweet And Seductive; Spotlight on Singer-Songwriter Casey K.
It takes Los Angeles singer-songwriter Casey K. two hands to count her music influences: jazz, Motown, musical theater, reggae, Joni Mitchell, Sarah Vaughn, Janis Joplin and more.
She’s also been compared to Nora Jones, Fiona Apple, Colbie Caillat and Erykah Badu. But somehow she makes this myriad mix work in “In Tine,” her tightly produced new debut album, that showcases her smoky, sexy vocals that are equal parts sweet and seductive.
The video from the record’s first single, “Maureen,” shot on location in Paris, already is burning a trail on YouTube. The video explores the notion of love at first sight, an imagination running wild, mesmerizing until the very last scene:
Her first club date in support of the record, at Los Angeles nightclub The Mint, elicited this critique from Corey Irwin of Music Connection (the highly regarded music industry publication):
“A true vocal talent, Casey K.’s voice is remarkably dynamic. She has an enviable ability to belt out emotive lyrics, then quickly drop down to quiet, hushed tones for a somber moment in a song…. At the end of the set, the audience rose in unison for a standing ovation. If she can keep performing at this level, Casey K. should get used to them…. A talent like this doesn’t stay hidden very long.” wrote Irwin
That, my friends, is called hitting it out of the ballpark.
I caught up last week with Casey K. for the following interview on her 25th birthday just before she was about to perform at Hollywood’s celebrated Hotel Cafe lounge.
Monsters and Critics: I hear (especially in some phrasing) a bit of a Janis Ian/Edie Brickell influence. Tell me about the singers you have loved and felt a vocal kinship with please.
Casey K.: I grew up listening to a lot of jazz, musical theatre, and motown. Many of the singers and styles I admire tend to border on the dramatic and even my own phrasing and styling sometimes reflect that as well. Any singer that is really passionate and emotive, no matter what kind of range or technique, strikes a chord with me. I love Sarah Vaughn, Stevie Wonder, Janis Joplin, Bob Marley, Joni Mitchell, and especially Dinah Washington…. to name a few. I am an equal opportunity listener. I love all kinds of sounds and styles.
Monsters and Critics: The songs on your EP have a strong jazz adult/contemporary feel, tell me about how you like switching up the arrangements to a more rock oriented arrangement like you did with ,”(I Want To Go) Down In Flames” at the Hotel Cafe in LA this past Saturday- is this something you do with other songs?
Casey K.: I am always up for trying new things. I think you have to be flexible with your own material and shape the songs a little differently for each live set. The EP is pretty soft, smooth, and clean. I like to be a bit more raw and show variety during a live set.
The band you play with varies with each show, city, and even session. The guys that played on the EP gave each songs its own dynamic. You would be doing a disservice to the musicians you played live with if you didn’t let them have some kind of creative ownership over your material. You never know what you might come to realize about the many possibilities of how your own stuff can sound if you never give it any room to breathe or let your band have any room to groove.
Monsters and Critics: What is the attraction for you with techno and the trance music scene, and which artists speak to your tastes? How do you plan to incorporate this element of your career with a traditional set?
Casey K.: I am not a huge fan of hardcore techo. I like trance a bit more, deep house, and minimalist sounds when it comes to the electronic music world. Always love Oakenfold, Trentomolier, Junior Boys, and Kaskade.
These days I am really getting into Disclosure, Gramatik, and bands like Quadron and The Xx who use electronic elements to subtly texture their music. I work in a program called Ableton Live which makes it really easy to incorporate some inorganic elements into your live sets.
Monsters and Critics: Do you think it is easier for artists to mix up genres on an EP these days? The game is so different now, are you happy to be in more control of your career than under the reins of an A&R or A&D department at a label?
Casey K.: I am a big fan of cross genre breeding. The game is different now, which is in part why I think it is a bit more common to see artists mixing up their styles. I love being able to creatively control all aspects of my career, if the right opportunity came around to work with a label and still be able to maintain my vision for my music then I would obviously consider it.
The beauty of todays music climate is that if you have music you want to be heard you can get people to hear it all on your own.
Monsters and Critics: The song Maureen is a head turner, how did you conceptualize this, was it a roman a clef ‘art imitates life’ recounting or just a great idea to pursue?
Casey K.: It really was just a silly song. My final for school was due and the project was to produce, write, mix your own song. I was in a scramble to come up with any inspiration and a couple nights earlier I had this dream about a Parisian chick. One thing led to another and I ended up writing a sexy little song.
All in fun though, I think you can get away with those kind of things these days and not worry about being misunderstood. The point of art is to use your imagination to facilitate your creativity. If I was only allowed to write songs about my own personal life experience I wouldn’t have much to draw from, its much more fun to make it up as you go along.
