Artist of the Month > 2009 Artists
ARTIST PROFILE
NAME: Shinjuku Zulu / K.I.A. / Kirby Ian Andersen
LOCATION: Toronto / Los Angeles
ORIGIN: Calgary, Alberta
ART: Music
MAIN GENRE: Pop, Electronic
TRAINING: Self-Taught
ARTS AFFILIATIONS: SOCAN, ASCAP, THE ARTISTS FORUM
LATEST WORKS: “DXLR8 – Chillout ‘Best Of’ K.I.A. & Shinjuku Zulu”
INTERVIEW
Please describe your artistic themes
Cross-genre music — blues with rap with dub with dance with folk with electronica… Organic electronica.
Please describe your creative process
It always starts with an idea– what if I mix square dancing with electronica (“Box the Gnat”)? Or dancehall reggae with the 17th century (“Allelujah”)? Or how would the wife of Major Tom (from David Bowie’s “Space Oddity”) feel, left at home alone? (“Mrs Major Tom”).
What are your artistic goals?
1. Create music that is unique and true to my heart… but accessible and universal enough for people to resonate with.
2. To be able to give someone the same feeling of transcendence I got when just hearing a good song changed a dark day into one of light.
What are your views on the industry?
The internet is great– indie artists can get a worldwide audience. The internet is awful, people no longer value music enough to pay for it.
What advice could you give to emerging artists?
Make music that is true to yourself. Celebrity is not the goal. Realize that it takes 10 years to become an overnight success. Don’t twitter.
Additional Comments
Make music without ego. Arrogance ruins art.
WEBSITE: nu4ya.com
