INTERVIEW:
PRIESTESS
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FOR this interview…
I have been speaking with the London Alt-Pop artist, PRIESTESS. An extraordinary, hugely impressive, relevant artist, she released the new single, Landscapes, on 28th October. Landscapes won the 2021 Greenpeace/DJ's for Climate Action (DJ'S4CA) competition judged by the likes of Matt Black from Ninja Tune, BLOND:ISH, and Cosmo Baker. Also, and rather wonderfully, it was pressed onto the first eco-friendly vinyl. I talk to Kate (PRIESTESS) about Landscapes, the importance of pressing music to eco-friendly vinyl, working with producers James Mottershead and Oli Kilpatrick. PRIESTESS also discusses the artists that influenced her, as well as what we can expect from a forthcoming E.P., and what 2023 holds. It has been a real pleasure getting to know…
SUCH a phenomenal artist.
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Hello Kate (PRIESTESS). Landscapes is your new single. Can you reveal a bit about the inspiration and the story behind it…
This track is about connection. If we are so disconnected on a day-to-day basis from climate change and the destruction of our planet then we are also disconnecting from our own human experience. I thought about these incredible sounds that we used to make the track (The Climate Sample Pack by Greenpeace) and how they are the sonic imprint of Nature aligning us to a deeper part of ourselves.
This is a love song that imagines a future that is so wide and cinematic and technicoloured that you can get totally lost within it. Wandering, stumbling through a widescreen landscape of emotions, raw and natural, bright, and dark; always on the edge of trauma or pain which is also reflected in the way that we love but also destroy our planet. Ultimately finding your way home within that love to a place of greater connection and hope
The track has been pressed onto eco-friendly vinyl. How important was it to you that Landscapes earned this rare distinction? Do you think this signals a larger move towards eco-friendly vinyl?
Yes, I hope so! Landscapes was made from the Greenpeace sample pack and won the competition by DJ’S4CA (DJ’s for Climate Action) with judges such as Matt Black from Ninja Tune, Blondies, and Cosmo Baker. It was pressed onto the first eco-friendly vinyl alongside artists such as Acid Paulie and we were so excited to be part of this movement! It is one of the first of its kind. Vinyl - however wonderful and special - also impact the environment through the plastic and the process, and I think that as these new ways of doing things emerge then I have hope that it can become the new normal. It may take time, but hopefully it’s moving in the right direction.
The video, created in Volta - a new software that creates 3-D immersive visuals and mixed reality experiences –, is especially impressive! What was the reason for harnessing this technology and innovation for Landscape’s video?
Thank you! I wanted to explore the worlds of online and digital for this track rather than making a traditional music video. And as it’s called ‘Landscapes’, I felt it was fitting to create digital worlds that could express that in visuals.
Volta has been really supportive of me as an artist. I’ve used their software before and I always wanted to expand the experiments into a music video. This felt like the perfect track to do that.
For PRIESTESS, you teamed with producers James Mottershead and Oli Kilpatrick. How did the collaboration start its life?
I had formed the idea and vision for PRIESTESS and I looked long and hard for the right producers to help me realise it and work/write together. I first met James when he was intro’d by a friend saying we had some similar tastes, he has been with me since the very beginning and has been a total partner in the process - he’s so talented. I was then putting feelers out for a very beats-based producer and the universe gave me Oli! He is multi-faceted and amazing but creates killer beats and he’s been a totally integral part of the project since we started working together. We also play live together, and it has been a huge feat of his to take what we have all created in studios and made it into something you can take on the road. They are both brilliant and I’m so grateful I get to work with such lovely men.
“The sound has evolved due to all of us creatively expanding and feeling more at ease”.
I love Landscapes and your incredible sound. How do you think your sound and creative vision has evolved and changed since the early inception of PRIESTESS?
I think it’s just been following a feeling. Landscapes was beautiful - I wrote the melody over Oli’s beats/samples he sent me, then I wrote the lyrics, and we created it from there. The tracks get passed around the three of us until we are happy with them.
The sound has evolved due to all of us creatively expanding and feeling more at ease. The vision has always been strong, and I allow the creativity to lead.
You recently performed at Ridley Road Social Club, Dalston. How was that gig, and how important is it to be on stage and delivering music directly to a live audience?
So important! It’s taken a while to get the whole thing up and running technically, but we are there now and I’m so excited to play more. Performing live is a huge part of it and a massive love of mine. The gig at Ridley was amazing! We had such a good night, and the feedback was awesome. Watch this space….
In terms of sonic influences, which artists would you say are most important and impactful?
For me, I’ve always given a list of artists to the boys and named inspirations to hold the vision and vibe. My top influences for Priestess are Moderat, Massive Attack, Fever Ray, FKA twigs, Little Dragon, Nine Inch Nails, and Portishead. I grew up with Folk music and Grunge (and a lot of Metal actually - one of my favourite bands is Metallica) so you can always hear a little bit of those flavours in there I think.
I believe there is an E.P. due before the end of the year. Can you tell us more in regard to a title, songs and particular themes explored?
The E.P. is called Landscapes - so Landscapes is the title track for this body of work. There are three songs - the first one, which was released in September, was Holy Flesh, and the next track to be dropped is called Hooks. They all were written in really different states of mind and from different places about different experiences, and so I felt that the idea of emotional, changeable landscapes encompassed the music as a whole.
“…so I’m really excited to share the next body of work and stage of the journey next year”.
Yourself included, there are some fantastic and hugely innovative acts coming through right now. In terms of artists we need to watch out for, who would you recommend?
Halina Rice, Ana De Llor, and Kathleen Frances.
Looking to 2023, what might we expect from PRIESTESS? What do you hope to achieve?
I am really excited to keep playing and putting out music. Another E.P. - maybe an album. Winter is the time for me to incubate these ideas before they solidify, so I’m really excited to share the next body of work and stage of the journey next year.
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