FEATURE:
Spotlight
Kara Marni
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I have featured Kara Marni…
on this site before, though I have not put her in Spotlight before. This is an oversight on my part for two reasons. Firstly, I have been a fan of her music for a few years. Also, she is definitely one of the hottest and most exceptional young artists. 2nd Nature, released earlier in the year, is one of my favourite cuts of 2021. Marni’s E.P. State of Mine, was released this year. I think that she is gearing up to a debut album. This is something a lot of people will want from the London-based artist. I am going to draw in a few interviews conducted over the past year or so, so that we can see the development of a sensational artist. Before that, this biography from Primary Talent lets us into the world of the brilliant Kara Marni:
“Throughout her short career so far, R&B singer-songwriter Kara Marni has always been unapologetically honest. As an artist who wears her heart on her sleeve at all times, Kara’s soulful brand of storytelling offers a diary-like window into the drama of her life. Early on her journey, Kara took up a spot at the prestigious BRIT School. However, when her career began to take off she took the bold decision to drop out. “I was doing so many recording sessions that I was basically already doing everything I was studying for,” Kara says of her BRIT days. “Being at the school was no longer as useful to me as just doing it.”
Once she was out in the music world Kara began recording her 2018 debut EP Love Just Just Ain’t Enough and its follow up No Logic, which arrived a year later. No Logic, in particular, showed her growth as a songwriter detailing the arc of a relationship from the honeymoon phase to the messy split. “That EP represents the lack of self-control and losing your mind when you’re around a certain person,” she says of relatable songs including Caught Up and Lose My Love.
The theme of chaotic emotions continues on new song Young Heart, a collaboration with US rapper Russ. The pair connected via Instagram when he DMed her after falling in love with an acoustic version of her song Lose My Love. Kara was in the studio working on Young Heart, about not learning lessons from previous relationships, and asked if he’d be interested in contributing a verse. “The reason I think the song is special is that it happened so organically,” she explains of working with a rapper who rarely contributes guest features. “I’m a big fan and think he’s so talented. He brought his swag and extra energy to the song and really brought it to life.” As for the song, a melodic and bittersweet post-break-up moment of reflection, she explains: “I’m asking myself why I don’t learn the lessons from the shitty situations that life puts you in. I need to listen to the signs and stop ignoring the red flags.”
The new material arrives after a breakout year in 2019 in which Kara’s music was streamed over 30m times across multiple platforms. She is a mainstay of the major pop and R&B playlists, including Spotify’s This Is How We Do and A List: R&B on Apple Music. In 2019 she capped off a busy international festival season by headlining Glastonbury’s Pussy Parlure stage before an October headline U.K. and European headline tour culminated in her third sold-out London date. In addition to headline shows, she has also supported Lewis Capaldi, Rita Ora, Raye, and Ray BLK at gigs across Europe. Her music has been featured on Love Island and MTV Push as well as by a wide range of radio stations including Radio 1, Capital Xtra, Rinse, Reprezent and Radio 1Xtra, where Lose My Love spent 5 weeks on the A-list. Naturally, press attention has followed and Kara has been covered by Complex, Pitchfork, Noisey, and Vogue among others.
Kara’s songs have always had a self-reflective side to them, inspired by her love of Amy Winehouse and Lauryn Hill classics. It’s something she’s set to lean into further on her new music, writing from an even more personal place about experiences that go beyond romantic adventures. “I wanted to touch on subjects I’d not written about and push myself,” she says of upcoming songs about her mental health and experience of childhood bullying. “The music represents me as a person - it’s all over the place but it’s reflective and totally honest. I’m very in touch with my feelings, which can be a blessing and a curse.”
Being real and truthful is key to the R&B music Kara makes and loves. It’s a genre that has often been overlooked in her native U.K. but she’s among a wave of artists who are slowly changing that narrative. “It’s tough because it has felt like a struggle [for recognition], Kara explains. “In the past few years I’ve definitely felt a shift.” She cites the transatlantic success of Jorja smith and Mahalia among her peers flying the flag for U.K. R&B music. Kara is part of a generation of artists who have found strength in unity rather than opposition. “There’s always been a sense of women have an arm around me,” she says summing up her feminist stance, “and I make music in the same way, for people who want to feel understood.”
TRENCH ''Now, with a sizable stack of music under her belt and the respect of the R&B and soul scenes, the next few years are looking blindingly bright for Kara Marni’
COMPLEX 'Only two EPs in, she's already produced bonafide earworms such as "Opposite" and "Caught Up” …the stars are aligning for Kara
VOGUE ‘"2019 is the year where we see Kara turning into a full-fledged star as she continues to wow audiences and listeners'
OBSERVER 'The rising R&B artist’s latest shimmers with classic, plush production and formidable vocals'
GAL-DEM 'Kara Marni is making waves in the music world with her luxe blend of soulful pop'
WONDERLAND "With mesmerising melodies and Kara’s gorgeous vocals, the track blends R&B and soul influences to create a stunning sound that shows how much the young songwriter has progressed this last year”.
The first interview that I want to bring in is from 2019. Pre-pandemic, NOTION spoke with a rising artist who was definitely turning heads. With her distinct sound and clear passion, Marni was being tipped as a Pop artist to watch closely:
“After being recruited by Rita Ora and Ray BLK to support them on tour, and slipping into the studio to work with the likes of The Invisible Men (Zayn, Ellie Goulding) and Sebastian Kole (Alessia Cara, Jennifer Lopez), Kara Marni is well on her way to being ushered into the upper echelons of the pop’s sisterhood.
The North Londoner dubs her sound “soul with sprinkles of pop”, but it’s perhaps more accurately described as take-no-prisoners-pop that addresses topics like empowerment and turning your back on toxic situations and relations. Since splitting from London’s infamous Brit School, Marni has been honing her craft via the hard graft work ethic she’s inherited from her eccentric Greek family. The result is her debut EP, Love Just Ain’t Enough, a collection of songs inspired by her love of soul greats like Minnie Riperton and Donna Summer. With her unabashed ambition firmly in place, it’s clear Marni is coming for the crown.
How has your Greek heritage influenced you?
Being part of a Greek family, we definitely wear our hearts on our sleeves. We’re quite open and I guess that’s helped me in terms of my writing. When I’m writing, say with a producer, it’s like speed dating, you’ve never met these people, you just get a day or a morning and you literally have to have that connection immediately. That kind of open heartedness has helped me in terms of writing. My Greekness has had a definite influence on my eating too [laughs]. Food is of such importance to my family. I’ll come off stage from Brixton Academy and my mum’s like ‘have you had your food that I made?’ It’s like ‘mum. I’ve just done a show’, but all she cares about is if I’ve eaten.
PHOTO CREDIT: Dylan Meyers
Did Ray BLK and Rita Ora impart any advice to you?
Rita said to always try and just enjoy everything because those moments are fleeting. So when I’m on stage to really actually be present in that moment. That stuck with me because the moments of pure joy, when you’ve come off stage, you’ve had an amazing show, you really do need to realise how amazing that is because you don’t get those moments back and you don’t know when they’ll stop. So I try to enjoy everything. I’m lucky to be living my dream, even though I hate how cliche that sounds.
How was Brit School, was it like the movie Fame?
Brit School was good in the sense that it confirmed for me what I wanted to do but I left after a year because I met my manager and I was ready to work on my music. I realised I wanted to take things more seriously when I saw how serious everyone was about their music.
What are you singing along to when you’re washing up?
I’m really inspired by the soul greats, Minnie Riperton, Diana Ross, Aretha Franklin. My dad’s a huge muso, he collects thousands of vinyls. I grew up listen to big incredible female voices, that kind of soulfulness I try to put into my own music.
What’s your writing process?
It happens differently every time. Sometimes I start ideas at home with my guitar, just come up with a lyric or chorus that I like and then take it to the studio. Most of the time it comes from something I want to write about, that’s the most important thing: a concept.
Last night with Naughty Boy in the studio he had an idea that he wanted me to write on, he played it to me and I was like ’oh my god this is sick’ and then we started from that. Sometimes we’ll start from scratch from just a guitar or piano chords. Voice notes are my life, if I didn’t have voice notes my life would be over—okay that’s a bit dramatic. It wouldn’t be over but I rely on that, I have thousands of voice notes, all my ideas basically. I should actually back up my phone incase I lose it!”.
In August last year, HUNGER spoke with Kara Marni. With the pandemic relatively new, it must have been such a worrying and strange time to make plans and record music. Even so, Marni definitely expressed ambitions to put out a lot more music:
“Who’s the artist you would most like to collaborate with and why?
There are loads of people I would love to collaborate with but at the minute Pink Sweat$ is at the top of my list. He’s incredible!
What’s the biggest achievement of your career so far?
Releasing my latest song “Young Heart” featuring Russ. I just feel really honoured that he reached out and helped make it happen as I’m a big fan of his and respect him hugely. The track has also made me realise how far I’ve come.
Outside of music, what are five things you want people to know about you?
I love fashion nearly as much as I love music, I used to dance competitively, being Greek I obviously I love food and cooking, my yia-yia instilled a passion for growing herbs in me and if you date me please don’t be shocked when I start writing songs about you!
Looking ahead, what do you hope to achieve in five years’ time?
To release an album…or two. And to be living my best life touring around the world!”.
PHOTO CREDIT: Jordan Rossi
Prior to coming to a fairly recent interview, I want to highlight one from Pop Sugar from back in February. Mentioning the new track, Trippin’, we get a real sense of where Marni has come from and why she was made to make music:
“Kara Marni has quite literally been singing since the day she was born. While other babies were crying, Marni was making music, and even her yiayia (that's grandma in Greek) knew early on that the sounds she made as a child were going to end up becoming something special. She went on to record YouTube covers and perform at weddings for family and friends, eventually getting spotted and finding her current management. Ever inspired by her dad's record collection, which featured the likes of Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, and Roberta Flack, the singer later discovered musicians like Amy Winehouse and Lauryn Hill, all of whom influenced the musical style she has today.
Marni's latest project involved her reworking one of the world's most recognisable R&B tunes, "1 Thing" by the legend that is Amerie, into her own track, "Trippin". We caught up with her to chat about the story behind the song, how she re-created it for a new audience, and why it means so much to her.
"You know where you have one song that was just a soundtrack to your life and just keeps appearing? '1 Thing' was very much that song for me. I just instantly had a connection with it," Marni told POPSUGAR. "When I go to a studio, I always take songs that I'm listening to and that I really like and I want to create something similar to. I always played that song, and we always tried to do something, but it just never worked. I just don't think you can re-create that sound." Like most of us, though, lockdown provided Marni with the perfect opportunity to revisit old ideas and turn them into something real. "I called up my producer, John, and said, 'Do you know what, why don't we literally take the best part of this song and basically reproduce it? Why don't we take the chorus and rework or rewrite it?'"
And that's exactly what they did. Marni explained that to make "Trippin", she interpolated the chorus melody, took the best part about the song, and then rewrote the verse and prechorus and everything around it. Using a song that's 16 years old and attempting to transform it into a modern-day anthem takes some work, but with the help of updated production technology, additional instrumentation, and rewritten lyrics, Marni managed to create an entirely new song. And she didn't stop there. A remix of the track was also created and featured none other than Earth, Wind & Fire frontman Verdine White.
"Honestly, he's such a legend and it was such an honour. He's beyond talented, and I loved Earth, Wind & Fire," Marni said. "They're one of my dad's favourite bands, so it's pretty surreal that it's kind of come full circle and the band is playing on my record. When you hear the instruments, that's them. When you reach that kind of legendary status of music, there's just a different kind of humility that comes with it, because you've achieved everything. You don't expect these legends to be so humble, but they are. [White's] just so humble and down to earth," Marni said, adding that "it's so nice to have that as an upcoming artist, that kind of arm around me, from someone who's been there and done that."
When it comes to releasing a new track, creating the song itself is only half of the work. For both "Trippin" and the remix, Marni filmed a video and a visualiser during lockdown, inspired by galaxies far, far away (we can't imagine why). "I really wanted to push that kind of space theme. And it is very galactic. Obviously, we're in lockdown and I didn't have the budget to go to the moon. So we created a moon and basically shot the video on that," Marni explained. "For the visualiser, the outfit was actually such a big part of it. Earth, Wind & Fire basically helped me choose the outfit because when my stylist showed it to me, I was like that, for me, just evokes Earth, Wind & Fire."
Marni's already working on new music to release with her next single, "Twisted Fantasy", which is on its way soon. "I just want to put out more music this year, because I write so many songs, I don't see why I overthink everything and just release one song every couple of months. It drives me mad, I overthink all my releases," she said. "Now more than ever is a time where we shouldn't be overthinking this stuff. People want entertainment, people want music. Especially for me, even as just a music fan, it's helped me so much through this pandemic, listening to music and writing music. But as a listener, now more than ever, is the time to put out music because we all need a distraction, whether it's Netflix or music or whatever. So I'm just like, it's time to stop overthinking!”.
Just before I wrap up, there is a great interview from UNCLEAR from October. Marni talked about the single, 2nd Nature, and what she wants listeners to get from the song:
“What’s been your favorite song to record so far?
Kara: “‘Trippin’ because it was the first song I recorded myself in #ShedLeopardStudios, AKA my garden, and was super proud that I actually managed to make it sound somewhat professional!”
Let’s hear about your track “Over You.” What does Toni Romiti bring to the feature on this single?
K: “I love that Toni displayed her strong female perspective in her verse, ‘Back to brand new, like I never even knew you,’ and flipped a rubbish situation she was put by an ex and used it to empower herself.”
Has handling your music career surrounding Covid changed at all?
K: “Yes, during this process I’ve become a lot more self sufficient in all aspects. I’m now able to properly record my song ideas myself; from playing chords on guitar/piano into logic, comping my vocals, mixing and etc. It’s actually been really liberating. Now I can do what I want, when I want, and how I want!
Tell us about your single “2nd Nature.” What is it about and what’s your message you’d like your listeners to hear?
K: “I wrote ‘2nd Nature’ during lockdown about being so comfortable with someone that being around them became addictive. I really wanted to reflect another angle of the song with the video so I played on the title by utilizing three elements of nature — fire, water, and air. And it’s based on how my feminine energy in control of the elements.”
What’s your favorite childhood memory from your hometown?
K: “Trips to Kenwood — a place near me where I spent most my childhood covered in melted ice cream and fizzy drinks, many happy memories there. And also going trips to Camden Town has always been somewhere I’ve associated with one of my idols Amy, and when I walk around I always feel like there is a presence there.”
What’s your favorite track on your new EP State of Mine?
K: “‘Sick Of Me,’ my most vulnerable song off State Of Mine. Wrote it during the height of lockdown when I was really struggling being with my thoughts 24/7 with no distractions from being able to go out and do stuff and when my anxiety was thriving. If any of you reading this have also wished you could escape your mind for a bit, then this ones for you”.
2022 is going to be a great year for Kara Marni, where we could well see her debut album arrive. In addition to gigs and further radioplay, she will join he top ranks and elite layers of the Pop universe. If you are not familiar with the incredible sound of Kara Marni, then check out her work and…
MAKE amends now.
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