Isaac Dunbar Takes Our Pop Quiz
office gave Isaac an impromptu pop quiz where there are no wrong answers... except, of course, the wrong ones.
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office gave Isaac an impromptu pop quiz where there are no wrong answers... except, of course, the wrong ones.
To his right at the center of the stage is Dylan Hadley, who sings and plays drums. Tall, striking, and calm, at once incredibly presence while also radiating an aura of assuredness like she’s anticipated this meeting between band and audience forever. She’s fashioning a mullet whose bangs reach just down to her eyes which feature perfect, sharply winged black eyeliner—her lipstick a slightly darker shade of red from Cole’s eyeliner. And she’s dressed like she’s the captain of the ship Cole sailed in on.
These two are the San Francisco born, LA-based band Kamikaze Palm Tree, joined behind them by their backup band. I’ve seen them play three times since I was a teenager. The best way I can describe their music is psychedelic punk, at points reaching metal and at others reaching old-school western rock. Their shows have all been radically different in all aspects beside tone: it’s always eerie while at the same time comforting.
They are extremely serious musicians and you can tell in their music making. Their songs feature instrumental renditions that I’ve scarcely heard before, the furthest reaches imaginable with obvious influences from the shoe gaze era but much further down the rabbit holes of sonic experimentation. Their songs are almost like chants with Dylan at points repeating the same jarringly simple lyrics over and over again while Cole—who spends a lot of the show directly staring into the audience with an unblinking stare—riffs on whatever instrument he has his hands on.
And it’s music that really must be experienced live. It’s like you enter a trance that they have carefully set up for you to feel something deep inside yourself, almost a childlike sense of confusion that Dylan and Cole walk you through. To me, they feel like Hansel and Gretel of the punk world. They take your hand and lead you into a dark and scary forest—but they’ve been through it before, and somehow you feel everything will be ok because they’re better for it and they want you to have the feeling of making it through the unknown without fear.
The last song they play, off their latest LP "Good Boy," called "Run Around," features heavy, jarring guitar chords that are almost a call to action as Dylan demands that you run around high, adding that she has a snake. It feels like a threat but you're too excited to think about it too much. The song ends with an erruptive, intense, and awe-inspiring drum solo by Dylan, as if she's sending us off to war, unsure if we'll make it back alive, but at the very least we'll have answered the call with courage.
Kamikaze Palm Tree will continue to tour the country for the rest of the summer and their new album “Mint Chip” releases on August 12th, 2022.
Throughout her musical evolution, the energy and focus she has dedicated towards her own personal growth and self-actualization has been reflected in her work, which largely deals with embracing individual authenticity and beauty. Now, with the release of her latest album Shape Up, the musician brings an important chapter in her musical journey to a close, while simultaneously signaling the beginning of a new era for her work.
One afternoon in April, I met with the artist in her hometown of Brooklyn. In the corner of Sternberg Park, we sat at a pair of benches between the playground and the baseball fields. The sky was gray and bright, and the tree branches overhead were covered in budding white flowers. In the background, the playful shrieks of children, fresh out of school, running laps around the nearby jungle gym; melded with the hollers and jeers from teenagers strolling around the baseball field. The crisp early-spring wind felt chilly against my face, making me wish I hadn’t left my knit balaclava at home.
Leikeli greeted me with a warm embrace. She was dressed head-to-toe in black, her feet comfortably resting in black crocs in preparation for her flight to Los Angeles later that day. Her eyes, decorated with bright neon orange liner, were the only portion of her face not concealed by her black face mask. Even though her face was mostly hidden, I could still sense her friendly smile as we sat down to begin the interview.
In early May, a few weeks away, her album Shape Up will be released— the third part of her LP trilogy that began with 2017’s Wash & Set and was shortly followed up in 2018 with Acrylic.
“They’re all clear invites into my world,” she said to PBS in a 2019 interview. “Invites into my experience—my black experience, my growing up, my streets, my campuses. All three of them are creative insights into who I am.”
As of May 13, Shape Up is available to listen on all streaming platforms. Read on for the full conversation about the artist’s perspective of the album, her musical influences, and her personal philosophies towards life and manifesting growth and success.
How are you doing today?
So good! I'm excited to be here. I'm excited that people are excited about this album. I'm excited about sitting in this park, talking with you. I want to say thank you so much, and yeah, I just feel good!
That’s awesome. So, any songs that you’ve been listening to today?
Oh, do you want to know? What did I listen to today? Let's go with the accuracy. [Takes out her phone] Okay, so, this has been on repeat. ["Big Shop" by Billy Joel appears on her phone screen] This, and the first piece of music I heard today was, let me see. I'm gonna set a quick alarm, so you can hear it. Don't laugh. It's gonna go off.
[26 seconds later, James Brown’s voice blares through her phone speakers]
This is how I wake up. This is the alarm. It’s "Get Up" by James Brown.
I love that. That’s a great way to wake up and get ready for the day. Put yourself in a good mood.
Exactly.
So, you’ve already released singles "Zoom," "LL COOL J," and "Chitty Bang," and Shape Up is set to release later this spring. How does this album build on the concepts of Wash & Set and Acrylic?
So, starting with Wash & Set-- it was a story about my new growth. It was a story about not looking like the things that I was going through. As people, we do that. We tend to journey through. I thought it was cool to come from the beauty space because that is a perfect arena for not looking like the things you're going through. As human beings, we all have this one common goal of getting beautified and feeling good about ourselves, but we never think about what's really going on on the inside. So Wash & Set was definitely a story about that. I really want to talk about not looking like the things that we go through, and resetting, and living, and accepting our new growth.
Acrylic was an invite to my world. It's where I'm from, the places I've traveled, my journey, the things that grew me as a young woman. My saying and my quote for that album is, 'You know where you are when you smell acrylics.' You're in Brooklyn. You're in Harlem. You're in Virginia Beach. You're in Detroit. I wanted to lead with that but, I wanted to show people the beauty in our spaces that some may find uncomfortable. I wanted to lead with that. I wanted to show people the beauty in our spaces that some may find uncomfortable. And with that, we journey from the South to the city. We go from Highway 85 to the A train. It's all about the journey, and again– an invite into where I'm from.
Then I get to Shape Up, and Shape Up is a literal manifestation of all that I had to do, of all that I wanted to do. I wanted to shape up, inside-out– mentally, spiritually, physically, emotionally, financially. I really wanted to boss up in my life. I wanted to boss up in my self-care, I wanted to boss up in my reactions. I felt the need to really do the work to get to the confident place that I've been pretending to be in. Leikeli47, yes, she's super confident. Everyone sees her as this superpower, almost. She's bold. She's bright. She's on that stage. She is all of that. She is the confident girl. She is the girl that knows what she wants, and goes after what she wants. But there was also Leikeli off-stage that struggled with her confidence, struggled with herself, struggled with her story a bit. This beauty series in this trilogy played as a therapy for me, and getting to Shape Up, I feel like I'm finally there. I've arrived in that confidence. I've arrived in my walk. I've arrived in who I am. So it's been a really exciting journey, and an exciting revelation.
In "B.I.T.M," you say, 'Manifested my direction/ Had no time for second guessin'.' What does manifestation mean to you?
It's more than putting something in your psyche and just thinking on it. It's that, plus action. It's your faith, plus your work. When you think of manifestation, you think of the all-around work that has to be done. Manifestation does not just come through inner and outer. That's a part, yes, it starts there. But manifestation is also the company you keep, the things that you allow to pierce your eardrums, and the things that you allow to get into your heart system. Manifestation to me is not just wanting a business or wanting something for yourself– it's knowing the exact thing. So if you want the business, what color is the awning? What type of font? Is the font yellow, like the awning? What about the door? What does that look like? I'm talking about from inception on down and out. I truly believe that with going after your dreams that you're trying to manifest, you have to make sure that you have a stable foundation inside and out and around you. Manifestation looks like a dream realized, but not just any dream realized. Again, when you dream, if you want to build a tree, know how big that tree is gonna be. Know how high you want it to shoot up in that sky, and I'm talking about water it. Water that tree, nourish that tree, talk to that tree, believe in that tree. Continuously believe that that tree can grow as high as you want it.
I totally agree. And everything you’re saying is all what Shape Up is about– all the work you've been doing that has been leading up to this album.
Yeah, and I can tell you what manifesting doesn't look like. It doesn't look like doubt. Don't second guess it. Know what you want and go after it, but go after it. You can't just think about it and dream about it. You have to really run through the door, headfirst. Just go.
I love that message. So you were talking about the Leikeli onstage versus the Leikeli offstage, and you previously have described yourself as a very shy person. So I wanted to know, how do you shake out those nerves before you perform and channel this duality in your stage presence?
My first thought is the people. If I can be honest, that’s the only thing that I'm thinking about before, during and after. I don't know what this person, who just bought this ticket, is going through. But they bought a ticket to come, and escape, and have some fun, and to live, and to find some sort of inspiration is what I'm assuming, so I get up there, and in my mind, again, before and after, is always the people. I want people to know that I love them that much. I want to go on and do that good. So I'm nervous, my hands are sweaty, because I love them that much. Because I want to go out and wow them that much. Because I want them to feel like this money that they spent was worth every dime. So, my thought is always my fans. At any time. Before the show, recording, even now. My business is to serve. I’m here to serve people, and I'm grateful that I get to do that because I get to serve people in this artistic way.
Can you talk about that first show that you ever did? How was that?
So, my first show was with Skrillex and Diplo at Madison Square Garden, and it was the Jack U show. And they brought me out to do my song at the time titled, ‘F*** The Summer Up’. It was a massive experience, but also a learning experience. Because a fact about that show is, before you go on any main stage like that you need in-ears. And they're like, ‘Okay, we got Leikeli. We're gonna get you the in-ears. We’re gonna get you the mic.’ And long story short, someone forgot my in-ears, and it was just like, ‘Go! Just go up there. It’s your turn to go.’ And I went up there, and I had to try to catch my sound. And the proudest moment for me was when I caught my sound. And what I mean by that is, the sound, as you know, is just bouncing, and it's just traveling. One word of me coming through that microphone sounds like it's amplified 500 times around me, without a focus. So to get on that stage with those two professionals with millions of records worldwide as this newcomer, and be faced with that first test, and not only battle through it, but you're doing it with Jack U, you're doing it with Skrillex and Diplo– it was a super fulfilling. So that was my first show. That was my first experience just diving into performing, and it’s just been on ever since.
So, I see that you're wearing the Celine track jacket, and recently, you collaborated with Celine’s creative director, Hedi Slimane. Can you talk about that experience, working with such an influential designer and photographer?
It was the coolest and the greatest experience I've had thus far. To get that call from the one and only Hedi was super. It was just an exciting moment, and to be chosen to be a part of such an iconic house and brand, and to be a part of this campaign, I was just extremely grateful.
Any artists you are interested in collaborating with in the future?
Let me think. I would love to work with Kendrick Lamar and Nas. Those two spirits within this game that we're in, I just love how Nas has always been there for us, and so has Kendrick, being the one that came after. Nas is such an iconic figure. His stories, and his storytelling, and just staying true to who he is, as he journeys up as an artist, it's always been super authentic. I just love the fact that, as a fan, I’ve never felt abandoned by him, on top of him being one of the dopest lyricists ever. The same for Kendrick. He’s whimsical, you know? He’s magical. I would love to work with these people, but more so, I would love to learn. Just sit around them, and just observe. I would also throw in The Lox as well. To just do a song with The Lox would be crazy.
Music allows Yumi to shed the protective shell that the magazine covers, stylists, and photographers see and truly bare it all. office had the chance to sit down with Yumi to discuss her debut EP, her Hannah Montana-esque “double life,” and the self-care routines that help her to juggle all of it.
As a multidisciplinary artist, you are involved in so many different creative outlets. When do you feel most creatively free?
I think I feel most creatively free when I feel creatively safe. So with studio sessions or songwriting, if I don't feel comfortable or safe to express myself in the way that I really want to, which is, you know, a decent amount, then I don't really produce my best work. But I produce my favorite songs and write the best when I'm with my best friend Kayhan, who produces about 99% of my stuff. It's just because we have this flow and we have a sense of safety with each other where we feel like we can do anything. And I think that's really hard to come by.
It's really cool that you get to surround yourself with people from your personal life while working. Now looking more toward the modeling side of your career, when do you feel most beautiful?
I feel the most beautiful when I'm wearing something that actually fits me — and it's actually cool. Because a lot of plus-size stuff is so nerdy and lame. We're working on it, but I think when a stylist comes prepared and the looks are really dope and the hair and makeup is good and it's a perfect storm of everyone doing their job — that's when I feel my best. I really value good stylists. I think that's a night and day difference for me because it's not every day when I can have clothing options on set.
It's definitely super, super important that we're improving in that space. You've reached so many impressive milestones. What do you think success meant to you when you were younger and do you feel that you have reached that standard now?
I think when you're younger, your perspective is so small and warped by whatever you think is cool at the time. I guess success when I was younger just meant that I would be famous — like Hannah Montana or whatever. Now, I think — I mean, everyone defines success on their own terms. Maybe being successful is just being happy. It's surviving and thriving. It doesn't have to be so massive. I think my form of success now is just doing what I love for a living, which is amazing. I've already accomplished so many of my modeling goals. And honestly for music, my biggest goal is just to have people hear my music. It's not that crazy. Everyone wants to be validated for the things that they love to do. So, of course, it's a dream to feel seen — but I feel, in a way, that I could die tomorrow and I would be happy regardless. I've already had the privilege and the blessing of accomplishing so much of what I wanted to, and even more.
I fully agree that as long as I'm enjoying what I'm doing, that in itself is fulfilling. Yumi on the cover of magazines and editorial spreads is a QUEEN! But do you channel a different version of yourself when recording and writing music? Is that a more intimate side of yourself?
Oh, one-thousand percent. I mean it's a completely different personality. I almost wish I could bring my modeling confidence with me sometimes because music is so vulnerable and tender for me that it's almost too much. Sometimes I overthink and it's just too close to the core, where with modeling, I can hide behind whoever's project it is because I'm essentially fulfilling a service or a role for them. But music is really just me. There's no creative director. There are no references of what I want it to look like. It's literally just my art. With modeling, I do feel connected to it, but I get to play more with what other people want, where my music is really what I want. So if people hate it, I can't be like, 'Oh, it was so and so's idea.' I absorb all of the feedback from music. It's so personal. When I'm modeling, if someone says something I'm like, 'Whatever, it's just physical.' I can switch my feelings on and off because it is about my body and my face. Music is my voice and what I have to say and my writing style.
It's your inner workings. It can be scary to put it out for everyone to see. But I also think that's the magical thing about any artist, is learning how to be more comfortable with doing that along the way. And then when it's received well, it's that much more satisfying. Does your self-care routine change when you shift from modeling mode to recording music?
Yeah; when I'm busy with modeling, I'm traveling a lot more. And my modeling career and my music are never coexisting. If I have time off, then I'm doing music. If I don't, then I'm doing modeling. When I'm modeling, I'm definitely more tired and on-the-go. So I definitely do more face masks and baths. But music is almost like its own form of self-care for me when I'm not modeling. So I guess modeling is more of a physical self-care routine. And when I don't write music or make music for a while, I feel very backed up emotionally. It's like its own form of emotional release or therapy for me. So I wouldn't even say that I have a self-care routine with music because it is its own form of self-care.
The two sides of what you do remind me of Hannah Montana, like you said — it's like two completely separate parts of you.
It's funny. There's a reason why I related to her so much. The duality!
I actually wanted to discuss the idea of duality within your music — I noticed there's this really sultry and sexy sound in a lot of your songs, but they're also deeply personal and come from this vulnerable place. Some of your lyrics are almost therapeutic. Is that dynamic quality important to you in your music?
Thank you! Songwriting is so important to me. A lot of artists work with songwriters, and I do sometimes, but the ability to say what I couldn't have said otherwise, through a song, is so satisfying for me. To not have control over lyrics or the melody or the songwriting process would absolutely drive me insane. Because, for me, that's the meat and potatoes of making music since I don't produce or play any instruments. I wanna write songs that are so satisfying to me and to what I'm going through. You know when you're going through something and you're just so heartbroken and then you hear a song that's exactly what you're going through — I rinse those songs on repeat, just screaming the lyrics. I think that's such a satisfying part of music, especially if you're heartbroken or going through a difficult emotional time. Not that I am — I haven't been in a while, but I kind of miss it sometimes, to be honest. Because the satisfaction of listening to a sad song or a breakup song when you're sad — it just hits so perfectly. I think that writing songs, in the same way, is just as fulfilling. I want to write so that if I would've heard the song and it wasn't me singing, I would be satisfied. So to be able to do that for myself is like crack.
It's a completely different feeling, but it comes from the same place.
Yeah, and then mixing that with production of styles. It's crack for me.
I can imagine — the feeling of actually getting to put out an authentic product and something that truly comes from the heart has to be addicting. And getting to put feelings down and see it and relate to even your own words is really special too.
It's like when you're younger and you make an art project and it just looks really clean. You know, you cut everything a nice way and glued it all on and then you get to look at it. It's that satisfying element of, 'I made this!'
Totally.
If you take everything away — all the music industry layers and success layers, it's like, it's just cool to make something. I think I just love making stuff. It's almost like my inner child at play.
I've always been really drawn to things that connect me to my younger self too. With your music, do you have any artists that you channel or any that you've looked up to growing up?
I really enjoy singles more than an album. So it was always hard for me to lock into specific artists for a long time. I love cherry picking all these different styles and kind of making my own inspiration from that. But I've consistently loved Banks since I was 14 or 15. She's just such a confident weirdo and she doesn't give a fuck and I wish I couldn't give a fuck. I'm working really hard on it, but it's so hard. I care too much. But I love that she's not afraid to go places, lyrically and production wise. I feel that she really doesn't have any limits to how she expresses herself. Whereas I'm very inspired by that, but I even find my own limits of safety when I'm creating. I think another factor is that even art can become monetized. So I really love when artists don't portray that.
Yeah, you made a great point when we were talking about the importance of putting out an authentic product. But now, there are all these other factors that you have to think about, especially in the music industry. Something that you love can become really tough because then you have to satisfy other people's expectations. That can be a really weird thing to reconcile.
I think FKA Twigs and Grimes do a good job of that too. They're so unique that you know they're not trying to cater to anyone. I think that's so cool. They're really doing it because this is what they want to make and they're starting their own trends.
I know you said you're not at the point of being able to give no fucks yet — I'm not either. Working on it. But I do think it seems like you have mastered the art of balance really well. So what is your best advice for someone who might be seeking balance in their own life?
I think for the longest time I was really trying to force making music on my off time and it was making me resentful of myself. The pressure was making music not fun. And I think there definitely is an art to practicing and putting in your 10,000 hours — I totally believe that. But I also think that when I'm really burnt out and I need a break from everything, I just need to be a veggie that stays home and watches TV or just online shops all day. I'm working on not making myself feel guilty for being unproductive. I think that that makes my music better and it helps me to enjoy my job and modeling. Music remains something that I enjoy and will enjoy forever. Instead of cracking the whip on myself, I'm trying to balance time to just be a human that doesn't owe anyone anything. Even myself. Because at the end of the day, we're really on this earth to just enjoy. I'm a huge to-do list person and I'm always feeling like I'm not getting anything done. So I think the balance for me is making sure that I'm still enjoying my life. It's having Sunday park days or days when I'm not thinking about what I need to do. That feels very healthy for me now, but I have to be very present about it because it's not an automatic shift for me.
For sure. You have to work toward fostering that type of relationship with yourself. In both the music and the modeling realms, what do you think is the best way to continue creating more inclusive spaces?
I think a huge part of it is up to the people in power. I mean, the modeling industry is really in the hands of casting directors at the end of the day. So Instagram is a great tool for us artists and models because we can market ourselves and brand ourselves the way we want. We can create our own audience on our own terms. Typically, that's the best form of autonomy and the only power that we have outside of the hands of the people who are booking for these huge things. I always have this feeling of, 'I hope you like me,' but at the end of the day, they're the key holders. It's really up to them and the brands if they want to change this space and include more people, if they genuinely care about representation — which a lot do, and a lot don't. But I think we're getting a little bit better with time. And for music, it's the same way. It's the people in power, record labels, the award shows, the people at TikTok — who are they putting on? Who are they supporting? We can only use the resources that we have and then push ourselves as much as we can so that our voices are heard. And as I said, it's amazing that we have the power of social media for that.
Social media definitely allows creatives unprecedented visibility, so I'm grateful for that too. I think things are changing but you're definitely right. A lot of this world functions from the top down, so hopefully we keep progressing. I want to dive into your EP a little! I know the title of it is the Japanese word for 'beginning,' which may signify the beginning of a new chapter or the start of your musical journey. With that being said, what would your ideal happily ever after be in this journey?
I would love to put out an album and I'd love to go on tour. So much of our life is digital and virtual, and as creators, we don't get to meet the people that we interact with sometimes. Even with followers, you see a number and even if it grows, it doesn't click for me. You know, you're not imagining that amount of people in a room — it's so one-dimensional. It almost feels like sometimes I'm just shouting into a void. And even if my friends or family are like, 'Oh my God, you're doing so well!,' it's still so virtual that it doesn't feel real. So I love the connection of meeting people in real life and having real conversations. I want to experience more of that. So that's the element of shows. And I think, again, the definition of success for me is to just create and be heard. So I think I've already achieved my happily ever after, but I'd love to expand in the world of music and just have fun with it.