Armed with a brand new album and a fearless creative approach, the elusive artist and performer Kattanaa kindly took part in an interview. Here’s how it went.
Hey – great to chat with you! For those who don’t know, where are you based, and how would you describe the kind of music you make?
I’m from New York, lived here my whole life.
I’d say I make music for humans. Like, you can’t put me in a box. I just feel it’s unrealistic for someone to be in the same mood all the time. I feel all different kinds of emotions so of course I’m gonna put that into my art. I know how to tap in to the soul and also how to make you wanna punch the fuck outta someone.
Who or what first inspired you to perform?
If I’m being honest, it’s really unclear on how I really started this. It just kinda did. I do know though like when I started to do this I looked back at my bloodline and it’s like, my whole family be making music. Like my Poppop used to own a radio station, used to DJ and whole bunch of other shit. I think he played bass guitar in a band at some point. And like my aunt and uncle both sing shit crazy. Matter fact, I used to watch my uncle record music when I was like real young. So maybe that’s where it really started.
But I didn’t really wanna start making music until I was in like the 6th grade. I was really into like emo rap shit and I still am. Like, after I heard juice (wrld) do this shit, something just popped inside of me I was like shit I wanna do this too.
Are you musically trained, or self-taught?
My uncle really the only one I knew who knew how to even record music. So when I wanted to start, he didn’t necessarily help me which was a good thing. He just kinda threw me in his studio, let me develop my own craft and skills on my own.
How do you come up with your bars, do you pre-conceive a topic or just freestyle to the beat?
Before I started actually recording, I used to write. Like all the time. I guess it was good I did that ’cause it showed me how to use rhyme scheme and flow and shit like that. But once I actually started to record songs I just strayed away from that.
“Writing is cool but like it’s not the same. It don’t hit ’cause you already done made the whole song in your head without even going through the process. So I just play the beat & let my spirit say what it gotta say. That’s real.”
Tell me about the new album – what was the inspiration for it, and what does it represent for you as an artist?
It’s called Chamber. It’s definitely inspired from my childhood interests. Harry Potter and like witchcraft type shit. I was always into stuff like that, my Nana put me on to all of that stuff. So it’s like, not even am I just interested in stuff like that, it also holds a place in me from it being from my grandma, you know?
It definitely just represents my growth as an artist and person, I’m not scared of being me anymore. No one should. If you think it’s weird or wack then it’s like fuck you then ‘cause Ima still do what the fuck I wanna do regardless of what you think.
Which song from the project best underlines the themes and style you want to portray within the scene, and why?
Jazzy 2, the first track, the intro. It perfectly blends that witchy feel mixed with the classic love and melodic shit I bring to a song with something new to it.
Will there be any videos to anticipate, and how important is the visual aspect and imagery for you as a creative?
Definitely, I already scrapped a couple ’cause I want the visuals to be perfected. The image is what makes you, you know. There’s no way to go around it. It’s the whole thing. Without the visual it just feels like a bunch of nothing. The visual is you.
Is conceptual authenticity as a storyteller important to you, or do you make music purely to entertain and enjoy?
Authenticity is probably the biggest thing to me to be honest. As I said, I make music to represent a human and being yourself. I’m not always mad, I’m not always happy, I’m not always in my feelings. I go in and out of all feelings so I make it all. Entertainment and joy is only one side of me. Only one side of anybody matter of fact.
What can fans expect from a live show, and where will you be playing in the coming months?
Shit, if you come to my show, you not gonna know how to feel, ‘cause I got so many types of songs. Just expect to feel different when you leave that concert. And I’m definitely gonna be performing all around New York for sure. I’m still in school right now so we’ll see how it goes with going to other states right now and shit like that.
Who would be your dream collaborator, and why?
Honestly, don’t know if I could give you a definite, this is the guy type answer for that. I listen to hella music from all over. But right now ,it’ll probably be Ken Carson or Destroy Lonely. They been one of my favorites since like I started high school.
What’s something about you that might surprise your listeners?
“I used to be ashamed that I was a little different from everyone. ‘Cause I tell people all the time like, “Bro, just be yourself” but it was definitely hard for me to do that at first.”
I used to have alopecia when I was like real little and that shit damn near was the reason I hated being different. I wanted to be like everyone else.
Not even just that, like it’s that and like the shit I listen to, or maybe to the way I dress, or maybe to the shows I like, or just the kind of person I am. It’s just a little different, you know? Especially for a kid who live in NY.
Is there anything else we need to know?
No.
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