Taking modern music by storm thanks to a fine balancing of passion, talent, and unwavering work ethic, Hawaiian singer and songwriter Kiki T has written a song each and every day for the last four years – a feat that speaks volumes in itself, but which also shines brightly in the established and artistic array of songs that make up her repertoire.
Let’s take a look through that journey in the run up to the launch of her latest brand new song and album All About Ken.
In 2022, Kiki T launched the 10-track original album Last Hot Girl Summer – an indie-pop collection with eighties rhythms and catchy vocals, relaying stories and scenes that quickly let the listeners escape in to the moment.
For The Weekend started up the project with a kind of nostalgic production and Taylor-esque songwriting thread. All the while, Kiki’s voice and melodic stylings, these thoughtful memories and stories, help carve out a distinctly fresh lane. It’s a strong introduction to an album that’s impressively creative and uplifting.
Summer vibes continue to keep the album’s title and artwork alive, with tracks like Take Me Back To Bali shifting stylistically but maintaining the warmth and optimism of the theme. Here Kiki delves into rapped verses with an indie guitar lead, before offering another catchy hook. The sound is quirky but likable in its realism and occasional grit.
On the flipside, Vertigo is a mellow, piano-led ballad, with a twist of personality and poetic contemplation that captivates. A beautiful and unrivalled highlight, and a fine example of the versatility that runs throughout the Kiki T catalogue.
Other favourites from this album include the brilliantly scornful and nostalgic indie gem Fuck Off (Bag Of Dicks). From dreamy poetry to sheer regret and distain, this track highlights the fearless songwriting style of Kiki T, delivering an unignorably memorable hit, with a title that naturally draws you in, and lyrics that hold nothing back. A brilliant twist of the unexpected, and well-crafted, too.
Chuck E Cheese is also an original pleasure, with acoustic guitar-play and clean-cut verses that again delve into a story with details and scenes that fully take you there. “And just like that, I was your queen. May have looked twenty-seven, but I felt seventeen.”
More recently, 2023 saw the release of an album that’s boldly anthemic, and perhaps more openly explores the grittier side of Kiki T’s songwriting. Shit City presented 11 new tracks, and stormed into view with its ambient and immersive title-track – a song that again holds nothing back, in describing the current state of Los Angeles. The sound is dreamy, optimistic and catchy, and the lyrics are again fiercely original, honest, and endearing. Another strong start.
The project continues with the absolute anthem Lucid, another shift in style that excites us for the rest of the album. Then we get the shoulder-swaying, dreamy eighties arrangement of Just Wait, a breathier take that’s easy to lose yourself within. Songs like Gaslight keep up this playful escapism, while the fascinating Not Sorry introduces a twist of something Lana-like in its ethereal layering and unedited self-reflection.
Mexico City is another well-produced anthem with a catchy melodic thread and quirky but personal lyrics, while Basic Bitch later delivers a striking and unmistakable set-up, for a song that’s again fiercely confident in its storytelling. The album’s closing track ‘Till Death Do Us Party is also unexpected in its humility and softness at the final hurdle.
The brand new album All About Ken is a highly anticipated new project from Kiki T, and on early listen, it’s one that promises all of the qualities we’ve come to relate to and love about her style.
All About Ken is the title-track and leading single, a recognisable style with a strong production and a huge chorus, which thoughtfully explores the metaphorical depths of progressing from playing with dolls to living life through love and struggles later on.
It’s a huge anthem, heartfelt and smart, memorable, and beautifully enjoyable as a modern pop track. It’s also a fine introduction to the new collection, with songs like The Right Side offering further softness and poetry as we rise through an energetic, fast-paced soundscape and story. Gleemo is another with great production and a high tempo, as well as lyrics that once more showcase the clear maturity and experience that Kiki T now brings to the scene.
Suburban Games is familiar musically but offers a near-falsetto peak, and lyrics that are again piercingly genuine and unsettlingly relatable. The openly sultry A Thing For Blondes takes this further still, an infectious rising progression, with beachside vibes, a big-beat drop, and a brilliant hook resolve.
And wrapping things up, the fearlessly contemplative Karma blends superb poetry and personal reflection throughout a mellow, dreamy and evocative arrangement, which promises a highlight moment and a clear dose of versatility.
Noting brief similarities to artists like Gwen Stefani, Sabrina Carpenter, Taylor Swift and Chappell Roan, Kiki T’s storytelling and melodic prowess combine to provide a limitless array of songs that consistently and cleverly capture attention.
Kiki writes stories about both her own life and the scenes she’s witnessed and experienced in the world around her. Not everything is personal, hence these projects being overloaded with unpredictable twists and turns. It makes the music fun, engaging, original, and clearly indicative of an artist with a relentless drive to create. The newest album highlights Kiki’s growth as a songwriter and artist, whilst holding true to those authentic stylistic qualities that resound throughout her work.
Find Kiki T on Instagram.
