INTERVIEW: KENYA GRACE

Photo by Hannah Diamond

Interview by Mia Anderson

I chatted with singer, songwriter, and record producer Kenya Grace, most famously known for her song “Strangers,” which went viral on TikTok in 2023. In March, Grace released a new EP titled “The After Taste,” which consisted of nine tracks. Grace is currently on a North American and Australian tour, where she performed at Sonia Live Music Venue in Cambridge for her third tour stop. Some of Grace’s other notable accomplishments include winning the IHeartRadio Music Awards Dance Song of the Year and being the second British female artist to have a track chart No. 1 that was written, performed, and produced entirely solo, coming second to Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill.”

Mia Anderson

I saw that you originally studied history and English literature in college and then switched to a more musically creative field. What prompted you to pursue music through your studies and as a professional career? 

Kenya Grace

I remember doing those classes and I just thought, I was definitely failing them, I was just not good. And I was like, I need to try and do something that I’m actually good at. So I just switched over, and I’m so happy I did. I met such great people in the other course and yeah, it was weird, but I was a year behind everyone else, so I was a year older than everyone else, but it was definitely the right choice. 

Mia A.

And do you think that studying music in college really helped you with a music career? I saw that you write, you record, you produce your own stuff, so how did studying music help you with that today? 

Kenya G.

It’s weird. I feel like it just gives you more time to focus on music in general. It’s not necessarily the lectures, I would say it’s more like meeting the people, networking and meeting people that wanna do the same thing as you. I think that’s so helpful and yeah, I think that’s the main thing, just meeting people that wanna do the same thing as you and having the time to do it. It’s amazing. 

Mia A.

Yeah, that makes total sense. I also noticed that COVID-19 hit at a really unfortunate time, a little after you released your first song, “Obsessed.” How did the Pandemic affect your music career, or was there any benefit to it at all?

Kenya G.

I feel like I did not use the lockdown as well as I could have done, to be honest. I wasn’t posting on TikTok loads then or anything, like loads of other people did. And I saw how people used that time to actually smash their social media, but I just messed about in that time. I just watched Netflix and that sort of thing. I kind of wish that I could go back and do more stuff in that time.

Mia A.

Yeah. Didn’t we all, though, so it’s really Okay. Last year, you have found massive success with your song “Strangers.” It was super cool to find out that with “Strangers,” you actually are the second female UK artist to have a song reach number one that was written, produced, and performed solo after Kate Bush, which is really cool. Could you tell me a little bit about what it was like to blow up on TikTok and have such a viral song?

Kenya G.

It was so crazy. It is so wild. Even looking back now, it’s just so crazy. It was absolutely amazing and the best thing was just seeing all these really cool videos, using my song, it’s so cool. It was really intense and wild, but definitely the most amazing thing ever. 

Mia A.

When you were originally posting to TikTok, did you have any idea that TikTok was gonna be such a helpful platform for you or you were just posting on it for fun? 

Kenya G.

I knew the power it had. TikTok is so powerful. I think sometimes people like to post one day, and it just goes; it reaches millions of people. It’s so crazy. But I did not know that would happen to me at all. I had no idea. I love just making little songs and posting them and writing new, new things; that’s one of my favorite things to do, to be honest. But I did not expect that at all. It’s crazy.

Mia A.

Yeah, I bet, TikTok is crazy for sure. And also a little on the note, you entirely write, perform, and produce all of your songs, just like you did for your new EP. Congratulations by the way. 

Kenya G.

Thank you. 

Mia A.

What does this process look like for you? You know, anything from creating your songs, producing them, writing the lyrics, or coming up with the beats.

Kenya G.

I usually like to start with the chords or the beat essentially. I love making synths, writing chords, and building soundscapes or vibes. That’s where I usually start. And then once I’ve created a vibe of a song, then I go in with melodies for singing and then lyrics always come last for me. I dunno why, but I always like to think about them so much and try and make a story out of the song, I guess. But yeah, it’s just so fun. 

Mia A.

Yeah. That’s so interesting. I feel like I’ve heard a lot of people say lyrics come first, so it’s super interesting to hear that you write lyrics last.

Kenya G.

Yeah. People always say that, like they’re sat on a train, and they write down lyrics. I never do that. I might try it, actually. 

Mia A.

Yeah. I bet it’s completely different and super hard to come up with something that feels like it then matches the lyrics versus the other way around. 

Kenya G.

Yeah. Literally. 

Mia A.

How does the timeline vary for your songwriting process? Would you say you write your songs super fast, or do some of them take months of time? 

Kenya G.

Hmm. I feel like I always start with the verse and the chorus, and then that’s pretty quick. I feel like that will be a day or maybe, I dunno, half a day. And then, to finish that completely and to finish the rest of the song, that’s where it takes a bit more time because I usually leave it and then have to go back into it and then finish the whole thing. But yeah, it just depends, I guess, how long I wanna spend on the production, what I wanna add, or whatever.

Mia A.

Yeah. Nice. Okay, so now that “The After Taste” is out and you just started touring, you’re actually coming to Boston tomorrow which is super exciting. I don’t know if you’ve been, but Boston’s super great.

Kenya G.

I’ve never been; I’m so excited. 

Mia A.

Yeah, and I think you’re coming at a good time for weather too. 

Kenya G.

Nice. 

Mia A.

What are you most excited about going on tour? 

Kenya G.

I love meeting people in all the cities. It’s so cool. I’ve just come from Toronto now, I’m in Montreal, and everyone is so different in each city. I love it so much. The crowds are always really different as well, it’s so interesting. But yeah, I love, I actually love traveling so much. It’s so fun. And being with my friends, my team and everything, it’s, it’s great. It’s so fun. I love it. 

Mia A.

Yeah, I bet. And I also saw on your tour list that you’re playing Coachella, which is super, super huge. Congratulations. How did you feel hearing or finding out that you’re gonna play Coachella? Do you also have any dream venues or festivals that you would love to perform in the future?

Kenya G.

Honestly, Coachella is probably on my list of dream places to play. It’s absolutely insane that I’m gonna play that so soon as well. It’s crazy. It’s so cool, though; I never thought that I would be on that lineup. I saw Lana Del Ray and then my name, and was like, this is crazy, but it’s so exciting. And I would say that the other one that I really wanted to play, which I’m doing this year as well, is Glastonbury. That’s probably my dream, my dream goal. But yeah, so, so crazy. I can’t wait. 

Mia A.

Yeah. Nice. What does preparation for a tour like this or any concert or festival look like? I feel I get so excited to see so many concerts, but I never really think about what it’s like for an artist to go on tour or any of the behind the scenes production. 

Kenya G.

So, for me, it’s weeks of programming, which is making all the songs merge together and then building the interludes and covers. We are doing a few covers this time. And yeah, so that’s a whole thing. And then all the rehearsals, and then this time around, I’ve got some videos and stuff playing behind me, so that’s taken ages as well to design all of that. But yeah, it’s a lot. It’s definitely a lot of preparation. It’s sometimes stressful, but it’s so fun as well. It’s great, it’s great. 

Mia A.

Yeah, I feel like there’s so much work that goes into big tour concerts that people just enjoy for two hours a night.

Kenya G.

Literally, and it feels like it’s never enough as well. You do all this stuff, and then you’re like, I could have done more, but yeah, it’s great. It’s amazing. 

Mia A.

There are always more tours to come.

Kenya G.

True. 

Mia A.

And then what would you say are some of your biggest music inspirations, and how would you describe yourself or your sound to a new listener? 

Kenya G.

My biggest inspirations probably are Disclosure, Flume probably, Kaytranada, and definitely probably Lana Del Rey. I don’t know what it is; I’ve been obsessed with her for so long. I think she has just such an amazing sound, and I like her lyrics and the storytelling; I love that so much; it’s amazing. But yeah, I feel like my sound is kind of definitely dance-inspired, kinda soft, maybe a little bit dark as well. Yeah.

Mia A.

If you could give a message to your past, what would you tell yourself? 

Kenya G.

I’d probably just say what’s happening now. I’d just tell mini me about my life now, and I feel like she’d just be like, there is no way that’s happening. Like, no way, so crazy. It’s wild.

Mia A.

Yeah. Did you ever, as a child, ever really think that you were gonna pursue a music career or did you just fall into it?

Kenya G.

I definitely wanted to; I always wanted to do music, and I always wanted to sing. I loved writing. Literally from when I was so young, I remember writing songs on a little keyboard when I was so young. But I think when I was a teenager, I feel like I probably stopped thinking I was gonna be an artist. But I definitely wanted to go into music, and I would’ve definitely done that. But, yeah, I can’t actually believe that I’m an artist, so that’s so crazy. 

Mia A.

Yeah. And then, where would you say you grab the most inspiration for your songs? For example, maybe different events throughout your life or one specific thing that inspires your music.

Kenya G.

I think it’s a combination. I’ve never really written about something that’s directly happened to me. None of my songs are about an exact story of something that’s happened to me. It’s kind of like inspiration from little bits of what’s happened to me and then stuff that’s happened to my friends and then also, just feelings of places. I always think about this, especially with clubbing culture; there are so many feelings in that, so many moods and kinda like atmospheres and stuff. I feel like that kind of really inspires me, actually like the end of the night when it’s kind of gloomy and everyone’s going home. I love those kind of feelings. I try and encapsulate that and put it into my songs. So hard to explain. 

Mia A.

Yeah, I feel like you did a good job explaining that. “Strangers” is such a good driving fast song. Are there any up and coming projects that you have in store that fans should be looking out for? 

Kenya G.

I’ve been writing a lot recently. To be fair, I just love writing. I feel like there’s always more songs coming. 

Mia A.

Yeah. That’s so exciting. To finish it off, is there any advice that you have for someone who might be younger and interested in pursuing music and maybe doing something similar to what you do now? 

Kenya G.

My biggest bit of advice would be just learn how to do- even if it’s just very basic, but to have production skills, just the basics. I feel like that gives you so much more freedom and power to be able to not rely on someone else to have to record your music and write and help you write. And then I would say post on social media. You never know what could happen for real. It’s so, it’s so wild.

Mia A.

Okay. Awesome. Well thank you for chatting with me today. Those are all the questions I have. 

Kenya G.

Thank you.