Museum Sessions | iamkyami
Museum Sessions featured artist, iamkyami, is known for her glimmer-swirl indie RnB. Here's what she had to say to our quick fire questions.
If I could go back in time to see one musical act it would have to be Jimmy Hendrix. My music doesn’t sound anything like his, but I was a massive fan when I was a kid and always wanted to meet him or see him perform live.
Listening to music that matches my mood helps me feel better. But if I listen to something to try to make myself happy, it normally does the opposite and pretty much enrages me haha. If I’m feeling energetic, I might listen to Amine or Lil Nas X. If I’m feeling angry or moody I might listen to Loathe or Willow.
When I went to uni the first time, I was studying environmental science. I wanted to be a clean water engineer in underprivileged countries. If I wasn’t an artist, I’d probably end up in a career where I felt like I was making a difference, as it’s always been a passion of mine. I’ve completed over 10k hours of community service and was awarded a congressional service award from President Obama.
I’m a massive fan of the video game, Animal Crossing New Horizons. I have been an Animal Crossing fan since I was a kid. I’ve logged over 700 hours modelling and remodelling my island and helping out the residents who live there.
My favourite space across National Museums Liverpool is the Ancient Egypt gallery in World Museum. I’ve always loved learning about ancient Egyptians since I was in school. I’m a big fan of Cleopatra.
Out of all the places I’ve played in Liverpool, I really like the Zanzibar before it closed and then reopened again. A few friends and I were going to put on a monthly party there before covid hit.
My biggest pet peeve is probably having to deal with stuck-up, self-righteous idiots. You tend to meet a lot of those in the music industry and it annoys me to no end, having to deal with these people (mostly men, let's be honest) that don’t show me basic respect for what I do. No, I don’t need a drummer behind me and most recently, I play shows alone. In general, I think the majority of people suck but I have met some really lovely people in the industry that keep me chugging along.
The cause I care most about is…human rights. Whether it be anti-racism, equal health care of trans people or the abolishment of immigration laws and enforcement, this is what I care about the most. As a genderqueer, mixed race (Black American and Japanese) person, I don’t really have a choice but to care about the things that affect me and the communities I belong to. I believe people should have access to proper education, proper health care and be able to live wherever they want to in the world regardless of where they're from.
"I have a constant fear of failure in the back of my mind. I’m a massive perfectionist.
I’ve found myself wanting to explore my identity as a genderqueer, Japanese and Black American person. I take a lot of inspiration for the sound of my music from my Japanese heritage and the colourful aesthetic of Harajuku culture. I think some of the things I write about can be quite intense when thinking about it from just the point of view of just the lyrics, but I like to lighten the mood with the music I put behind it.
To be completely honest, I have a constant fear of failure in the back of my mind. I’m a massive perfectionist and I am constantly trying to 1 up myself in everything I do. Like they say, we’re all our own worst critics. I wish I could say I was motivated by my family or something nice like that but honestly, I’m motivated by my drive to make something out of myself. Maybe that sounds weird but it's the truth.
"I don’t really have a choice but to care about the things that affect me and the communities I belong to"
Next for me is...The Kenny Klubhouse EP dropping April 29th 2022. I’m new to producing my own music and this next EP is all about introducing that to my audience. I’m still learning a lot about my own authentic sound and am excited for audiences to really start to discover who I am as an artist. Other than that, I really want to push other aspects of my career like modelling, acting, designing. I’m working on writing and producing more for other artists too.
When I was thinking about writing Internet Friends, I was trying to wrap my head around all the feelings that came with lockdown in the UK. I was connecting with so many friends that I haven't spoken to in a while, but I realised that there was something missing. It's about the feelings associated with trying to break down the barriers in online friendships and trying to find the meaning of life in lockdown.