Q&A - Kohla

The up-and-coming Scottish singer-songwriter and producer Kohla has today 8th September released her stunning debut album ‘Romance.’

Combining dreamy, silky neo-soul flourishes with smooth R&B beats, ‘Romance’ sounds both gloriously old-school and hyper-modern, and is illuminated by Kohla’s courageous, delicate and deeply heartfelt delivery.

We caught up with Kohla on the release of her debut album “Romance” , Read & Listen below!

Tell us about your journey in music until now?

I’m actually a fine art graduate of the University of Edinburgh, so my work as a musician is usually connected to wider artistic projects involving interdisciplinary art forms (painting, dance, poetry film and media). In my childhood I was a clarinettist, performing in school orchestras and competing in national competitions. Around the house I was brought up listening to Beethoven, Mozart and Debussy, but my weekends and evenings were spent training at Dancebase, The Scottish Opera, local acting and film-making workshops and art classes at The National Galleries of Scotland.

For my degree show at the Edinburgh College of Art I studied visual culture, with a specific influence of Andy Warhol. I started incorporating songwriting and production alongside my paintings and drawings, with all of my pieces gradually selling out.

In the past number of years I’ve gained recognition (both in Scotland and internationally) as a singer-songwriter and producer. I’m an independent artist, and I adore having full creative control over my projects. My freshly released debut album ‘Romance’ takes sonic influence from 50s and 60s jazz/soul (Nat King Cole, Etta James, Sam Cooke), and the contemporary sheen of Lana Del Rey, Frank Ocean and FKA Twigs. It explores the culturally important themes of feminism, inner-healing and self worth, and I crafted it with a whole team of female and non binary creatives (supported by Creative Scotland and Help Musicians). It’s my proudest work to date, and its been beautiful to see acclaimed internationally. I just performed my packed-out album launch show at Edinburgh’s Sneaky Petes this weekend, accompanied by my wonderful Popgirl backing band Dara Watson on harp and Louise Cameron on violin, with support from Popgirl Philomenah. The response has been gorgeous.

We think the work you are doing with your initiative Popgirlz Scotland is great. Why did you start this and what are your plans for the future?

Initially I found it extremely difficult to meet other women in music, as there wasn’t much collaboration with ECA and the local music scene while I was studying. I would be attending and performing at gigs alone, and as a shy person, I struggled to make friends. As I gained more recognition in Scotland for music, I began meeting more girls, and thought it would be a lovely idea to bring everyone together. It really began from humble beginnings, and has always been friendship-focussed. Having other Popgirlz to gain advice from and share experiences with is vital to our growth as artists. We’re here to protect each other and raise each other up. Over the past few years myself and fellow Popgirl Josephine Sillars have been using the platform to raise awareness of misogyny in the creative industries. Our work involves researching, campaigning and lecturing at the world’s top universities and conferences.

We’re currently in the process of applying for funding for Popgirlz so we can expand our collective internationally. We just returned from our first Popgirlz England Lecture Tour, with an incredible response. We’ve been speaking to Universities around the world, and I’d be keen to tour North America in the near future.

If you could change anything about the music industry in Scotland, what would it be?

I would love to see more platforms introduced for genres not typically associated with Scotland. ‘Romance’ is a cinematic neo-soul album, and although we’ve been met with glowing praise, it’s been difficult to attain elements of local exposure, such as radio. Scotland has an amazing set-up for indie, folk and more recently pop/dance. I’d be inclined to see more radio, press, gigs and industry conventions promote neo-soul, retro-soul and jazz.

Who are some of you favourite Scottish artist at the moment?

Scotland is thriving with talented artists, which we can see reflected across Popgirlz. On the 28th of September Popgirlz will be showcasing a few members in collaboration with Glasgow Sofar Sounds at Frame, Glasgow. I’m really excited to see Anna Sweeney, Belly Rachel and Kirsteen Harvey perform. We’re also utilising the event as a fundraiser for the Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre, which is special for me personally, as I’ve been attending weekly therapy with them over the past 5 years.

I’d also like to highlight my good friends Siobhan Wilson and CLR Theory. They performed a magnificent show together at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, back in May. At the time I had been feeling a little low – my single ‘Bedroom’ had been released which thematically is about body positivity and treating women with respect, and we were struggling with radio support. This particular gig moved me deeply emotionally – I was crying from start to finish. It felt so refreshing to be sitting in a gorgeous theatre, alcohol-free pint in hand (shout-out to the sober-curious community!), and listening to heartfelt and intelligently written music, performed by members of Popgirlz. It reminded me of the importance of true art, which in my opinion, should always be healing. There’s a fantastic quote from the wonderful Father John Misty:

“I think that there’s a distinction to be made between entertainment and art. Entertainment is largely about forgetting about your life.
But art can serve as the function of remembering your life.
And I think we’re pretty inundated with entertainment as it is”.

I really felt Siobhan’s and CLR Theory’s performances hit me at a cellular level, regaining my faith in art.

How do you prepare for a show?
I’ve been performing my whole life, so I’m quite laid back. I’m a highly organised person, so I ensure that we’re extremely well-rehearsed, so the performance will be a breeze! I quite enjoy a little pre-show ritual of vocal warm ups and dolling myself up with old school glamour. I actually applied for Costume Design at ECA prior to painting, so styling, hair, makeup and set design are important aspects of my shows. It all contributes to the world I’ve set ‘Romance’ in; a hybrid of vintage and contemporary.

Connect with Kohla here