Indie Music Women’s Featured Artist of the Day is…
Kahlla (@kahllamusic)
German artist, songwriter, and producer Kahlla, aka Freya Volk, was born in Amsterdam and raised in a sleepy suburb in South West Germany. Today she lives and works in South London. Armed with a diverse musical past she merges her classical upbringing with dreamy soundscapes, layered vocals, and intricate drum grooves to create her own brand of introspective pop.
At the heart of it all sits Kahlla’s constant companion, the piano, and her descriptive, ‘bare-all’ lyricism that will throw the listener head first into her world. Along with her music comes a fierce independence and DYI spirit, meaning Kahlla is involved in every step of her projects, from writing to production to creative direction.
New single ‘Anything at All’ shows Kahlla’s progression as an outstanding talent. The track is a co-production between Kahlla and Duncan Pym (Mysie, Litany). Kahlla also directed the accompanying music video. ‘Anything at All’ combines her signature vulnerable lyricism with a newly refined and expanded musical style marked by layered keys and vocals, big drums, and a driving bass line. The groove-laden track discusses millennial lockdown anxiety: Am I doing enough? Should I be doing more? Does my life compare to what I see on Instagram? The song doesn’t offer a black and white solution but rather the sentiment that we just have to keep going anyway – one day at a time.
After a successful 2020 with over 400k streams on her debut EP ‘Sense of Self’, airplay on BBC Introducing, Amazing Radio, and a support tour in her native Germany, Kahlla is ready to take on 2021 with her sophomore EP ‘Time’, out in Spring. Deeply personal, yet oddly universal, this upcoming EP demonstrates Kahlla’s progression as an outstanding talent in writing alternative pop songs that go straight to the heart without being cheesy.
On tracks like ‘Anything At All’ her vulnerable lyricism and newly expanded musical style marked by layered keys and vocals, big drum sounds, and a driving bass line, blend seamlessly into her individual take on introspective pop. All songs were a co-production between Kahlla and Duncan Pym, who has already had a hand in the success of critically acclaimed artists Mysie and Litany. Drawn to work together by a mutual love for the band Now, Now they fleshed out the 5-track-strong body of work with the help of bass player Matt Dinnadge.
Kahlla’s inspiration for this new musical venture mainly stemmed from the bands that soundtracked her adolescence. Brought up as one of five sisters in a rural part of South West Germany, she learned classical piano from the age of five. As a teenager, she became fully immersed in tattoo culture and Punk/Emo music, often skipping school and travelling the whole country to go to shows. And like many others in these recent times of uncertainty, she returned to the artists she grew up with to feel a sense of belonging and stability.
As a result, bands such as Jimmy Eat World, Paramore, and Death Cab for Cutie had a big influence on her new songs: “I was drawn to
that music because of how raw and honest it is. Really, what I’m trying to do is convey the Emo sensibility in the music I make.” What’s also stuck from her early years of sweaty shows in dingy basements is a grassroots, DIY spirit; creative control and ownership are extremely important to Kahlla, and she is involved every step of the way, from writing to production to creative direction. For the release of the ‘Time’ EP, she collaborated with graphic designer Jacob Shoebridge-Chandler to create a symbol representing each song.
At the end of it all, it’s safe to say that the last year has seen a small revolution and/or revelation in camp Kahlla. It’s been about learning to accept and even embrace the uncertainty of living. As the closing track of the ‘Time’ EP, ‘Rearview Mirror’, puts it: “the past I can remember / but I can never know it well.” What we do know is that we can expect to hear more from an artist that’s only just starting to carve out her own individual path in music – no compromises.
(Bio courtesy of Kahlla)
Kahlla shared with us what it means to her personally to be an indie music woman artist: “It means doing things in my own time and on my own terms, and learn as I go along.”
