Hiya Kat Kikta, thanks for joining us in the virtual RGM lounge today. Grab a brew and take a seat.
Hi, Thank you, It’s great to be here.
I’m drinking a very special herbal tea from the Tatra mountains actually.
What made you decide that music is a thing for you?
I think music chose me!
I had such a loud piercing voice when i was very little, that our downstairs neighbours, and the neighbour across the hall would say to my parents ‘ooh she’s gonna be a singer, isn’t she?’ I was very vocally expressive since I was a small child, and I’ve always been writing songs. I think I’ve always been a very reflective person – even as a kid – I would go on walks in nature with a pen and my notebook and I’d write little poems… it was a way of connecting with myself and nature…
I didn’t realise it at the time but it was a very energetic and spiritual activity. The little poems, observations and songs were written just for me – I didn’t ever consider sharing them – I think that’s a good way make any kind of art – to do it for yourself and not for anyone else.
Introduce us about you and your musical history.
I grew up in the Slovak High-Tatra mountains. When I was 18 I came over to London with forty pounds in my pocket and set about working my way through a Performing arts degree. My focus was on training to be an actress, having grown up in a sleepy village with only movies to tell me about the world.
I was lucky enough to work in physical theatre, films, voice overs, also as a radio presenter.
My music had its beginnings in video art films and accompanying ambient field recording- based soundscapes I made for them. That was before I had fully committed to writing and performing my songs. It was after a breakup (as it sometimes does) where I looked around me at where I was and what I was doing and decided to do a BA degree in Creative Musicianship – voice and production, followed by an MA in songwriting at ICMP London.
After graduating – I spent time on producing, recording, mixing and mastering my songs and now I have two albums and one EP ready to come out.
What’s the live music scene like in London right now?
London is incredible – it’s like being on the back of a dragon – it’s not without a dark side but there is an immense energy here. It is a city filled with multi talented musicians.
I’ve seen a lot of people struggling for support recently online. What’s your view on the industry?
I see it too. I’m only at the beginning of my journey – this is the first album I’m actually releasing, so I am still hopeful… despite seeing MANY people struggle to make ends meet within this industry. I think since there is SO MUCH new music being self released daily – it is harder than ever to promote it, and actually stand out from the crowd. But everyone is listening to music and the key is to find ways to connect with your audience.
As an independent artist you are competing against manufactured acts who have huge budgets and teams of people working for them, helping them make, as well as promote their music, so the beginnings are a lot more challenging in this industry… Also all the social media companies are businesses who are set to make money from advertising, so if an artist doesn’t have much of a budget – not only their music is often not gonna be that well produced, but also they’re not gonna have much money to put towards marketing. I think now more than ever you have to be creative in finding ways to get to your audience.
Artists nowadays needs to wear (too) many hats – being a writer, singer, session musician, producer, marketing specialist, content creator – and do all of that before they even make any money from their music, so unless they are lucky (privileged) they also need to have a day job or a very supportive background to simply survive in this day and age… so being an artist is unfortunately becoming a career not everyone can afford to get into.
I strongly feel a lot of things need to be improved within the industry, as it’s increasingly becoming an industry only accessible to people from a more privileged background.
Where do you feel you currently sit within the music industry?
My vocal mentor David Laudat wile I studied at Tileyard described me as a Bjork’s and Enya’s love child – I liked that.
My musical style is a blend of ambient and electro-acoustic avant pop with cinematic intentions. Some songs are leaning closer towards pop, some are more alternative and cinematic, and I’m also working on a purely ambient album. I am strongly inspired by sound healing and the physical effects music can have on us. I find they can be hugely positively transformational.
Tell us two truths and a lie about you.
I have worked intensely with Ayahuasca and plant medicines, which has influenced the sound and production of this album.
I love teaching singing and running creativity workshops.
I’m learning how to play the fujara (if you don’t know what that is look it up its amazing)
Do you ever worry about people taking things the wrong way or cancel culture? Discuss….
I was concerned about releasing this single, as it’s obviously war related… and while war is always the worst thing that can happen I didn’t want to be political.
I intend to talk about what I know, what I’ve lived through and I reflect on my own experiences. If someone disagrees with me or doesn’t resonate – that’s fine. I don’t expect everyone sees the world the way I do, I’m just expressing my journey. So if someone doesn’t agree – that is fine – we all need to be free to express our own individual ideas.
Live and let live… Don’t like what I do? Scroll away, skip to the next song/video/etc.
I think the world would be a better place is we all looked in the mirror and tidied up our lives before judging and criticising others.
Do you sign up to any conspiracy theories? If not, why not?
I believe in the good in humans, but I generally question everything I hear on mainstream media and if I want to know something I do my own background research on many topics which interest me.
I find that mainstream or socially accepted status quo isn’t always accurate. People like to be the ones to tell you, educate you about things- wether they know the truth or not.
So in many cases I wouldn’t even use the label ‘conspiracy theory’ to talk about something. The Egyptian pyramids interest me alot- there is a lot of information… yet socially accepted ‘truths’ aren’t actually in line with archeological findings…which makes them even more interesting.
I think there is certainly a lot of information which gets filtered and covered; we don’t hear the truth about everything through the mainstream media…
What was your best experience on stage?
My best stage experience was actually while acting – during a physical theatre performance for which I made sound, but I was also acting in it.
There is something magical about being part of a team and co- devising a physical theatre performance. A group of international actors and theatre makers came to London, we spent a week together to devise a theatre performance with Medusa as the main theme we explored and devised around… And to cut the story short – when everything works so well – from sound, movement, set, interactions between the whole ensemble on the stage – it’s basically magical!
What was your worst experience on stage?
OOOhhhh gosh! Ouch!
I was a baby actress at that time, it was before I went to University to study Performing Arts. I was performing in a showcase at a small theatre in Covent Garden, London.
I was sooooo nervous… and at that time I wasn’t at home in English language yet. When the lights pointed at me – I messed up my text, I got my props all mixed up and suddenly I didn’t know what i was supposed to say and do… I almost froze, but then remembered some of my text… and completed the performance, yet from the nervousness my accent got all thick and diction went out of the window… phew!
The worst experience on the stage ever, especially because I used to perform as a kid – and I was one of those calm kids – never nervous prior to performing, and I knew everyone else’s text as well. Well not that night, in Covent Garden… 😉
Tell us something about you that you think people would be surprised about.
I would secretly like to play a witch or a dark wicked queen in a movie – it would be so much fun! I’m fascinated by those extreme characters – they are so rebellious and exciting and they use voices in a very freeing way! Perhaps it’s the suppressed dark side of my psyche seeing a socially acceptable expression 😉
What are the next steps you plan to take to reach the next level?
Release the two albums I’ve just finished producing (not all at once) and get on with producing my ambient/sound healing album. I am talking to some companies about putting my music into movies – as It’s my dream to hear my music in a cinema, set to picture.
I hear you have new music coming out. What can you tell us about it?
My single Cherry Trees is out – Yeeeey! I wrote it because of how I’ve felt about what’s been happening in Ukraine.
I feel more voices of compassion, love and harmony are needed, and those voices need to be louder than the voices talking about tactics, reasons for division, fears and suffering.
I want this song to make people feel like making peace.
Ultimately, I think it all comes down to self love and love towards people around us.
This track originally started out as a guided meditation, it was designed to soothe people’s anxiety about the war.
I liked the track and felt it had more work to do in the world, and would have more purpose as an actual song with lyrics. It’s always been a track with a mission.
What was the recording process like?
Cherry Trees has perhaps been my most challenging songs to produce!
I recorded most of it in my home studio – which was smooth, yet I kept criticising my voice in this song, and also I kept questioning whether I should release it or not, and also – for ages I wasn’t completely happy with how the song sounded… yet I didn’t know how to resolve it.
At one point I was thinking of leaving it behind because, well – firstly self criticism, and also I thought it was too experimental, not easily fitting within a genre, as well as being too deep/heavy/political (so basically a lot harder to market… yet I couldn’t leave it behind as this song really helped me deal with the Russia/Ukraine war…
It wasn’t until one late night last year when I was sat up in my meditation pyramid. I was listening to my favourite meditational playlist on soundcloud, where I had the current (at the time) version of Cherry Trees. And as the playlist finished, Cherry trees started playing and ‘waltzed into my meditation’. And at that point I knew exactly what was missing and what I needed to record.
I wanted the song to be more positive, soothing, uplifting, so it would feel like a sonic hug 🙂
I suddenly heard all the sound healing instruments which I yet needed to record. So that’s what i did, plus I added extra vocal harmonies as I wanted to create a healing and soothing atmosphere which would sonically reinforce the positive message:
“let the strength, love and light grow inside of us all. We become beams so bright, permeate the night. Don’t underestimate yourself, and your light.’ It was a lot of extra work but it’s made it what it was meant to be.
What was the biggest learning curve in writing the new tunes?
I have been quite experimental in my creative process – which definitely has its pros, but also huge cons.
What I found hardest when producing and recording these songs was to emotionally get myself back to the place where I was when I originally wrote a song – which isn’t always easy… I had a big resistance to getting back to recording and producing the song, as it was bringing me back in time, back to these uncomfortable emotions in me which originally led me to writing that song.
You need to look after yourself whilst undertaking creative work that asks this much of you.
Would you change anything now it’s finished?
The only thing I’d change is – I’d release it earlier and spend less time doubting myself.
Never doubt yourself.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
Think less, do more. Are you scared? Great – it means you are alive! Stop overthinking and get on with what you need to get on with 😉 Just do it!
It’s precisely what I need to keep reminding myself every day, haha!
Thanks for doing this with us today.
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