After recently returning with her stunning comeback single 'INM' earlier this year, Glasgow-based artist KLEO is back once again to offer up her enigmatic new offering 'TWDN'.
Channelling more of that broad and inventive hyperpop-inspired direction she has built for herself, 'TWDN' makes for an incredibly immersive listen. With her shimmering vocals layered across an adventurous, glitch-heavy production throughout, she is certainly looking to turn some heads with this one.
So with the new single available to stream now, we sat down with her to find out more about her origins and what has inspired her most lately.
-
What was the first instrument you fell in love with?
This second-hand keyboard I got as a kid. It was a very basic thing with a handful of synthesized pre-sets, but I played with it constantly and made up little tunes.
What kind of music did you love when you were younger?
I really loved all of my mum’s clubbing CDs – anything trance, techno or dance related we listened to it all, especially on long car journeys – of which there were many. Ministry of Sound, Club Land and Gatecrasher CD’s were always in the glove box.
What was the first album you remember owning?
Probably ‘Spice’ by The Spice Girls.
What is the one song you wished you could have written yourself?
SOPHIE’s Faceshopping for sure!
Do you have any habits or rituals you go through when trying to write new music?
I like to consume a lot of life before I go into the creation process. I like to read a lot about things I’m interested in – particularly AI and technology. I also like to go to art exhibitions and do research about things that are the most troubling to me, like consumerism, capitalism and the commodification of human life.
Who are your favourite artists you have found yourself listening to at the moment?
I’m listening a lot to some of the artists in my immediate Scottish network like Pearling, LVRA and $1000 Wallet! I’ve also been discovering a lot of amazing artists in the underground online scene from all over the world like Shimon Harbig in Japan, Aiko Tomi in Canada, KENY CHAN, Tommy Pixels and great hard techno and dance compilations from the label Hardest Soft on Bandcamp!
If you could open a show for anyone in the world, who would it be?
Charli XCX!!
What do you find is the most rewarding part about being a musician?
The most rewarding part is making connections with people who genuinely love the music I make.
And what is the most frustrating part?
The most frustrating part is the constant struggle for attention in a saturated industry. You have to have a lot of energy to constantly push your music out there and try over and over again in the face of rejection. It’s even harder to do this if you have long term mental health conditions like I do.
And what is the best piece of advice you have received as a musician?
Don’t be so hard on yourself!
-
KLEO's new single 'TWDN' is available to stream now. Check out the new video for it in the player below.