"Although I didn't write this song, it spoke to me in a way that made me feel as if it was my own story,” Brandon said. “I found myself playing it over and over again in my bedroom, remembering situations that I've been through.”
Check out the video for yourself below.
Kish stays busy between albums with projects including a suit collaboration with designer Allie Teliz and the presentation of Real - Safe, her debut visual art show at Downtown LA’s HVW8 gallery. Over the next half hour we delved into the creative process behind her forthcoming EP, touring with Gorillaz and the delightfulness of growing up in the Sunshine State.
You rocked some stunning blazers, boots and skirts for our photoshoot with John Clayton Lee. Talk to me about your personal style.
It really depends on my mood. Right now I’m going through a vintage vibe; lots of 80’s dresses that I find in vintage shops in LA. I’m also into bows a lot right now for my hair - the whole 80’s prom look. It changes all the time! For my last record Reflections in Real Time, I was in this ‘bummed-out accountant’ phase. I just wanted to wear suits all the time and be very plain. Right now I’m having a little bit more fun with myself.
How does your onstage style differ from your daily looks/streetwear?
It really depends on what I’m working on, that often dictates my look. Sometimes I’m doing a lot of design work and not going out or seeing people as much. For those days it’s just dress pants and a black t-shirt, like every day.
My next project is a bit more fun and colorful, so I’m wearing my 80’s looks. I don’t know why I chose the 80’s in particular but I wanted to have more fun with my dress; go more prom-y. For stage I love the juxtaposition of wearing something beautiful and sweet looking while performing over really hard beats and bass. Something that adds an additional layer for the audience.
I noticed that you referenced Sade as a style inspiration for the cover of your first album; that look of classic, fresh-faced beauty. Are there any other artists whose style you admire?
Right now I’m on a 70’s and 80’s rock vibe. Debbie Harry, Courtney Love; artists like that. Usually I like to create characters or personalities for myself and build out from there. I feel like everything right now is very aesthetically-driven. Like curated very ‘nicely’ with all of the pieces and looks being super put-together. I’m kind of on a tacky vibe just for the sake of tackiness. I just wanna have fun!
Tackiness can be very chic!
Yeah! I want to make my look about fun. It’s not about whatever the cool brand is, or the season. I’m more about looking into the past and finding what’s interesting there.
Are there any visual artists that are inspiring you right now or any that you’d want to collaborate with on future album art?
I love the album artwork by Tom Hingston for the new Young Fathers record. He also did a series of Massive Attack covers which I adore. He has a great design sensibility. I’m also really into the MM Paris studio who work with Bjork. Outside of that, I find inspiration from all kinds of things, including lots of Swiss poster designs. The cover for my next EP will not be a portrait. I do usually love a portrait of myself for covers but this will be a piece of graphic design, which I’m obsessed with. For the next full-length album I think I’ll do a portrait and need to brainstorm around who I’d like to do it with!
You wrote the song "Hello Lakisha" as a reflection on the perceptions and prejudices you’ve experienced from people drawing conclusions around your first name.
Yes, but it’s like a funny version of it. It’s really not meant to be any sort of activism statement but more like my sarcastic version of explaining my experience.
Do you feel that our country is evolving on how blackness is perceived by mainstream culture?
I think that we’re evolving. At least the conversations are happening. The thing that I find myself pushing against most is being a black artist in spaces that are not traditionally or predominantly black. That is the main thing that is frustrating to me. As far as being a black artist, I do fight the battle of being able to be seen outside of my blackness and just being able to be who I am and go into whatever genres I want and make whatever music I want while not being typecast into an R&B role or anything like that. That's more of what I deal with, like more than my hair or other genuine problems that aren’t necessarily my problems.
You wrote all twenty tracks on your last album save for one song. That’s an incredible endeavor! Have you been working on any new music in a similar way?
Yes! I have an EP coming out pretty soon called Mothe. That’s M-O-T-H-E. I added an E cause I thought it looked better even if the word doesn’t need one! From there I’ll begin working on my next album. It’s kind of hard for me to start two projects at the same time; I love to get a response from one project and then start working on the next one. Once Mothe is out I’ll begin working on the album. Hopefully I’ll be able to create it in a space that’s super isolated; really get into it. I want to make music that’s different than what I’ve released in the past. For me, Mothe is a bridge between what I’ve made and where I’m attempting to go next. It’s just an EP, but it’s really important for me to put down my flag in a certain place. I’m really excited for it to be out! I’ve been waiting forever, and I’m excited to hear the response.
If you could give me two creative pillars to describe Mothe, what would they be?
Well, with Reflections In Real Time and a lot of my other projects I was basically dissecting people’s use of technology and the ways in which we communicate with each other. With Mothe, I’m focusing more outwardly towards the relationship between nature and technology. Nature is constantly reforming itself; I’m comparing that with the way that we’re able to create different versions of ourselves through technology. The entire project has a video game element to it and I’ve created different visuals that are all centered around the idea of creating yourself or respawning yourself. It’s also a reference to moths the insects. This is not so much a butterfly but more of a moth; like the less-pretty version of change. That gave me the album title, and from there I built installation work centered around that concept so hopefully I’ll be able to take it around to New York and overseas. I’ve already shown one soft-project around the EP in Los Angeles and hopefully once the EP is out I’ll be able to take it to more cities.
We’re stoked to see the installation! The album concept reminds me of losing a life in a video game and respawning with an added ability.
Yes!
You were recently announced as part of the lineup for the second-annual Demon Dayz Festival which is being held in Los Angeles this year. Will music from Mothe be part of the set list?
I’ve been playing Mothe out at little LA shows and testing songs, so I’m just really excited about having people know the music. For now I’m kind of just throwing it at people and they’re like, “I have not heard any of this music before!" It’ll be great to perform the project once it’s out. I’m excited for Demon Dayz because my friends The Internet will be there, and I always love playing with Gorillaz. We performed on tour together last year!
Is there anything you bring on tour with you to make it more enjoyable?
With my show, I’m always throwing myself around the entire time. On my last tour, I broke my finger and didn’t even realize it until the next day. When you have adrenaline you don’t really feel the knocks! After a show, I usually do a shot and lay down on my heating pad. A yoga mat comes in handy when we’re just parked somewhere; I’ll take it out and just lay in the sun. There’s a lot of free time on tour, so I’m always doing zumba on YouTube or doing random meditations or watching TED-Eds. So I guess my laptop is also super key.
Heating pads, TED-Eds, and a shot. All key to a good tour.
And hot cheetos! Flaming hot.
You’re originally from Orlando. Do you ever reflect on your time in the Sunshine State as inspiration?
Always, always. People give Florida so much shit like, “It’s the weirdest place!!” I’ve had someone literally say ‘ew’ when I tell them I’m from Florida.
Rude!
I’m tired of Florida getting a bad rap. I think that growing up there was really cool and really different. It has a lot of people and culture from South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. I liked growing up there. It’s also uniquely mundane. I’m from Orlando, so the mundaneness of shopping centers and the stillness of pace is very real to me. I guess anyone from a smaller town would know. I always want to shoot videos in Florida because there are so many cool locations. You also grow up around a lot of absurdities. In Orlando, you live right in between Disneyworld and Gatorland. There are snakes and swampy stuff. I had a turtle growing up. I love Florida. My grandpa took us fishing all the time and we would stop at Ron Jon Surf Shop and hang out. All these weird Florida things. I’m kind of a bro because I grew up in Florida. A shrimp basket and a beer, and I’m good.
What do you love about living in LA versus New York?
I like that you can get a lot of both worlds. There is quiet and there is Hollywood scene-y stuff if you want. I enjoy the ability to be with myself and get work done. In New York, I was out a lot and never really had the time to get to know myself fully. Every single night I was doing something, and I was also working really hard. I made a name there but felt like I wasn’t getting as far as I wanted to creatively. Living in LA afforded me the opportunity to be by myself and figure out what I wanted to do. The switch to LA can be frustrating the first couple of years because you’re so used to being busy all the time, so when you’re not busy it feels weird. But you do adjust to it and you can learn a lot about yourself. That’s why I like LA. I think that’s a lot of the same reason I like Florida. In California there are so many places like Burbank or deep in the Valley that feel untouched and random. You can really find a lot of oddities.
Is there anything in particular you miss about living in New York City?
I miss restaurants being really small. I’m a person who likes to sit in a restaurant and read by myself or write notes on my iPhone or write poems; that’s so me. I’m starting to find more places in LA that I like for that but it took a long time. In New York there’s a cool bar on every street where you can have a beer and sit by yourself without feeling weird. In LA it’s a bit more strange to be in a restaurant alone. In LA people are more about being at home and having people in their homes whereas in New York you can just be out alone and strike up a conversation with people. There’s more friendliness with people out and about just being people. I also miss the vibe of New York. The feeling of crossing the bridges, going from Brooklyn into the city. All of that is nostalgia for me, all of the times I’ve had there.
Is there anything else you want to tell office readers?
Be on the lookout for Mothe! The drop date is not set yet so it will take you by surprise.
The 20-year old producer from California, who performs under the name Cuco, has stayed an independent artist despite his sudden and meteoric rise from making dream pop beats in his bedroom to brushing shoulders with Kali Uchis.
Banos, who writes in both English and Spanish, is as inspired by old Chicanx rap as he is by contemporaries like Homeshake. Despite how fast everything is moving, he’s not even close to bothered; in fact, you’d be hard-pressed to find a rising musician as humble and go-with-the-flow as he is. office called Cuco from Miami after his Mercury Lounge set in New York City to talk about “sad boy music,” staying grounded, writing love songs in Spanglish, and the making of Chiquito.
Have you been touring for a while?
Yeah, we've been on the road for a minute. Doing back-and-forth shows, one-offs. This was the last of it.
And now you feel more comfortable on stage?
Way more comfortable for sure.
What was it like when you started?
It was kind of whatever, I was just feeling it out. I started playing house shows and then the first venue show, and we blew up after that. I guess the same, you could call it.
It's great that you've gotten so much attention for an unsigned indie musician. You've reached a very broad audience.
Yeah.
How does that feel? That's amazing!
Man, it's crazy. Sometimes it's like, fuck...we really out here. It's really wild, I don't know how to explain it.
Are you thinking of signing anytime soon or are you just chillin'?
I'm chillin'! If I get a good deal that won't fuck me over, I might. To be honest, I'm not crazy about signing, I just want to do what I love doing and make money. [Laugh]
How would you describe your sound?
I guess nostalgic and euphoric. I guess that's how I would describe my sound. I like making people feel like they're in a trance. I want to make people feel things they haven't felt in a long time.
A very Cancerian response. [Laugh]
[Laugh]
I wish we could've met in-person; I've read that Pisces and Cancer have a very strong energetic bond, as the emo babies of the zodiac.
Yeah, dude! I guess that's why I call it sad boy music [Laugh]...that's what I hear it called all the time.
What were you listening to when you were making the Chiquito EP?
Chiquito is a collection of music that was already out on Soundcloud with three songs that are newer: “Sunnyside,” “CR-V,” and “Lucy.” I was listening to a lot of different shit; my music doesn't really stay in one lane. I could be listening to G-Eazy one day, and the next Mild High Club or Homeshake, and then just weird shit...The Human Abstract, more prog-y shit. It just depends on what the fuck I was feeling. Metal, rap, jazz…
I read you were going through a lot of substance issues making this, so I'm wondering how your relationship to the music you make has changed now that you're clean.
I still drink every once in a while, but I was having issues and shit with substance abuse and I realized I needed to focus. It's about other people being worried about what happens to me. My mom, my girlfriend, my dad...I don't want them to worry about me being fucked up.
Do you feel a lot of responsibility to your family? As an immigrant myself, reading your story and being the kid of immigrants really resonated with me.
I think any kid with immigrant parents...you kind of have to help out in whatever way you can.
That doesn't play that much into your music; lyrically, you grapple more with feelings than the situations that caused them.
I kind of put myself into a time period where I watched people around me struggle. When I started learning to make music and all that, figuring out theory and different chords, it made it way easier to be expressive of all these things.
As far as expression goes, how do you feel when you write in Spanish compared to English? Whenever I write in Spanish there's so much more happening, I don't know if you feel the same way.
I feel you 100% [Laugh]. I feel like Spanish is a very beautiful language, and anything you can express in Spanish is 100 times more beautiful. When you express yourself in Spanish to somebody, you really love them...or you really don't like them. When you get mad...cursing somebody out in Spanish is...[Laugh]
Dude, cursing somebody out in Spanish you make them cry. [Laugh] When they hit you with the full Spanish name you know you're fucked. Are you an only child?
Yeah, and I'm first-generation, so it's like being surrounded by these things very directly.
I assumed you had siblings and were possibly the youngest because the record was called Chiquito...
I called it Chiquito because it's a small collection of music.
I guess in terms of life you're still also Chiquito...you're like nineteen, no?
I turned twenty in June!
As you keep growing, what's one thing you are keeping in mind to stay grounded?
I have to remind myself how blessed I am everyday, I guess. Not let it get to my head. Be true to myself.
Do you feel like you're letting it get to your head?
Not at all; I feel like I have to keep myself that way. I feel like I don't really understand how crazy this “music” thing is. It's a very repulsive attitude a lot of people have when they have money to throw around, and I feel like a lot of big artists are shitty and more and more people try to become like that and then it's a weird industry. I don't want to be like that. Is there anyone you want to collaborate with? I think the only person I'm really collaborating with is J-Kwe$t, I'm helping him with his album, but I'm not too crazy about anyone. I really have to vibe with you if I want to work. There's not a dream collaboration right now. I feel like I had that in mind as I started making music, and as I've actually gotten into it it's like "fuck this bullshit..." I'm too lazy, is my problem.
When you vibe with someone you do, and if you don't, you're fine by yourself.
I'm chillin', dude; I'm doing whatever the fuck I want.
Tell me why you wanted to start this new solo project as Buzzy Lee. Was it an intuition thing or have you been planning this for a while?
Actually, yes, it was an intuition thing. I had been writing all these songs and not using them for my band because they felt more personal. I wasn't ready to dive into them, but at the same time I was. I kind of was having a talk with Nicolas Jaar on the phone about life and he suggested that I come to New York for just like two weeks and make music and turn these songs into something. So I went for two weeks like a year and a half ago, and we started this project.
What would you say is the main separation between your band Wardell and Buzzy Lee?
Well, I say “tits” in one of my songs, so I don't think I would say that with my brother. Honestly, though, it's very personal and there's a lot of room texturally for my voice. For a while I thought it was more impressive to sing out and belt and do scales like it was a talent show, playing live or recording. My brother Theo was the one who was like, “Sing a bit softer, there's more vulnerability in your voice when you sing softer instead of trying to impress people.” So I sort of took that and brought that into this project, and I did feel that Theo was right. I felt like when I was stripped down a bit more and fighting for the notes after a long day of crying with Nico it allowed for more vulnerability. This project is just way more vulnerable lyrically and performatively.
Why the name Buzzy Lee?
Well, Buzzy is a long inside joke that I won't go into right now. But Lee is my grandma's name. She passed away a year ago and was such a big part of me that I took her name. It was actually Lee Lee, but I felt like Buzzy Lee Lee was a bit strange.
That could be cool.
It's actually kind of tight. I should have done that.
Listening to the EP, I noticed that a lot of your lyrics are very blunt yet still maintain a certain elegance. How do you approach your lyrics?
I put them off for a year and then cry and have a panic attack and then I write them down. No, but it's different with each song on the EP. For one of the songs, I had a set of lyrics I was about to record, and we just looped the piano and I rewrote the lyrics. We looped the piano for such a long time, it felt like 4 hours but was probably 30 minutes. And I just rewrote a lot of the lines because we would look at each line and be like, “What does that actually mean? Can we go a bit deeper?" Nico was pushing me, but I would push myself and ask myself, “Do I just like that line because it sounds good, or does it actually mean something to me?" So it was a lot of writing down lyrics and reworking them and really analyzing if they had a place in the song.
What artists are you currently obsessed with?
Do you mind if I look at my phone?
For sure. I would have to do the same thing.
We're in such a "shuffle generation," and especially with Spotify, I do the Discover Weekly thing every Monday and am constantly being fed with new artists. Okay, here we go. Ya know, this is funny. I went back to a playlist I made in 2014 with Miguel’s "Adorn" and there was this song called “Bitches Be Like” with Rico Love. These really fun songs from 2014. "Adorn" is such a good song. It's just really good. I'm listening to Cardi B right now, obviously. JPEG Mafia, this girl Courtney Marie Andrews and also Kate Bush, Kasey Musgraves. I love Wings, but I'll be honest, I had never listened to them until a month ago. Have you listened to Wings?
No, who are they?
It's Paul McCartney's band. I'm listening to a lot of different things and rediscovering songs not just from, like, 2003 but also from 2015. Three years can really make a difference.
Do you pull inspiration from any unexpected places?
Yeah, there's a Thin Lizzy reference. One of the lyrics is, "Little girl in bloom," and it's a Thin Lizzy song that my former boyfriend had shown me. And then there are a lot of hidden references, but that's one lyric that I put into a song.
Did you grow up playing music? Has music always been at the forefront for you?
Yeah, I've always just really dreamt of being a musician. I always sang in the bathtub. I made my parents turn on the video camera while I sang and performed for them. Monster child. I had stage fright until my Bat Mitzvah when I really just blossomed. It was because my parents didn't really know that I sang. And I had been working with a cantor weekly on my Haftorah. I don't know why I felt so comfortable. Maybe because I didn't think I had a really good voice so I didn't care and was just focusing on my Hebrew singing. And it was like a big coming out party for this little 13 year old singing these songs and putting all this vibrato into them. And I got a little carried away with a few of them. And by the end my parents were like, “We had no idea you sang,” and that was kind of when I got more confident about singing. But I was still completely terrified about singing on stage. So I did a musical in high school, but of course in the only musical I did my only singing part was a rap, so I didnt even sing.
Wow, so your bat mitzvah was your debut?
That was my big debut! Thank you Cantor Kliegman!
The instrumentation on Facepaint is a bit dazed and fuzzy in a really beautiful way. Could you tell me a little bit about the recording process and production?
I think the first song we started with was "On The Radio." We started on the piano and I just played through it. We wanted to keep all of these songs really simple but really atmospheric and sort of as a path for the vocals to come through. This is such a weird reference, but when we first listened back to "On The Radio," I thought of the Disney California Adventure ride Soarin' Over California. It's so weird and specific that that kept popping into my mind. I have no idea why, and I feel like I need to ride it again to figure out why. Have you ever been on that ride?
I have not.
To me, it's the most beautiful ride in the entire world. I almost wanna go back on it just for inspiration for another song. What are those chairs called that lift and move and make it feel like you're flying? Simulators? Specifically when you're flying over the orange groves, I just think that production wise it would be a real feat to have every song feel like you're soaring over California's orange grove section. Weirdest reference.
Facepaint is available now.
