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Okay Kaya Norwegian newcomerÕs downbeat ballads sparkle with gloomy charm
first to London and then New York (where she still lives) to pursue a modelling career at 18, Kaya began writing twisted ballads in her Brooklyn bedroom. “I write when it’s dark,” she says, “songs about love and relationships, like ‘fuck the world’. It feels over the top, aya Wilkins coughs violently and blows but when they’re written down I can chill.” her nose into a tissue. “I didn’t know how Kaya’s songs are both chilled and chilling. Last year’s hard ballet dancers party! They’ve ruined acoustic debut track ‘Clouds’ twinkles like a music me,” says the 23-year-old Norwegian, who box. Rodaidh McDonald (Adele, The xx, King Krule) writes spidery love songs as Okay Kaya. In produced the dark, slow ‘Damn Gravity’, and ‘Clenched London preparing for her debut headline show, Teeth’ builds tension with fingerpicking and Kaya blames her cold on the cast of Tree Of ▼ wispy vocals. New single ‘I’m Stupid But I Codes, the ballet for which her friend Jamie ON Love You’ is her softest track yet, an old song xx composed the score. The singer recorded N M E . C O M / rewritten on piano with Canadian songwriter vocals and guitar for the soundtrack and N E W M U S I C Tobias Jesso Jr, who Kaya met last winter. “I recently celebrated the show’s premiere in NOW stayed alone in LA for Christmas. I didn’t know Manchester with its cast. “The dancers were ►Hear ‘I’m Stupid anyone, so my manager set us up,” she explains. smoking like chimneys and drinking mad But I Love You’ The pair, who have “got really close and started lagers,” she explains. “I feel terrible.” collaborating”, toured together earlier this year. Being snotty and miserable suits Kaya, who grew Kaya admits she “died of stage fright,” but as she works up in Oslo, the only daughter of a Norwegian mother towards a debut album with a secret list of collaborators, and an American father. A self-taught guitarist, she her insecurities are evaporating. One thing that won’t grew up thrashing out metal dirges with older brother change though, is her subject matter. “Jamie xx asked Sebastian, drummer in black metal band Asaru (“I was me recently if I’ll ever write a happy song,” she finishes, a shit guitarist, we just made noise!”). After moving “I was like, ‘What do you think?’” ■ BEN HOMEWOOD
DANIEL zvErEff
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Ne w M u sical e xpres s | 18 Ju lY 201 5
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New York The xx, King Krule ► SOCIAL instagram.com/okay. kaya ► BUY IT NOW ‘I’m Stupid But I Love You’ is out now on Hot Charity ► SEE HER LIvE Okay Kaya is set to tour the UK later this year ► BELIEvE IT OR NOT Kaya spent Christmas Day eating spaghetti with 12 Years A Slave star Chiwetel Ejiofor. “My manager put me in touch with him – we went for dinner in Los Angeles and we’re good friends now,” she says ► FOR FANS OF
