KYLE: “The Journey of People Pleaser” [Interview]

KYLE (aka SUPERDUPERKYLE) is showing us around his superduper LA apartment, yep it’s exactly how you imagine. “Over there, the ocean… that’s Santa Monica. Over there, Beverley Hills”. Even through an iPhone camera 5,000 miles away, we can appreciate a cracking view. “That over there is Hollywood, that part down there is downtown”. The sun is streaming through the windows onto a modern and relaxed decor, the SoCal singer shows off his vinyl collection proudly. Where old and new school collides.

If the purpose of life is to find good energy and hold onto it, then our subject today may have found the sweet spot. Beaming from excitement during our chat, KYLE tells us about his next big adventure. Having worked with some of the most recognisable names in the world from Rico Nasty, Khalid, Kehlani and Lil Yachty, it’s hard to imagine what he could achieve next. After making music for over a decade he’s still daring to colour outside the lines of genre and style, and while he’s as all-American as they come, KYLE actually has a unique connection with us Brits.

Growing up, some of his relatives used to visit from the UK and bring with them the underground sounds of Grime and Garage; sped-up tempos unlike anything he had heard before. During our conversation, he quotes Big Narstie, Wiley, Dizzee Rascal and Craig David as the names that stick with him looking back at those formative years. Having released several singles in 2021 culminating with the uber-funky dancefloor jam “Perfect”. His 3rd studio album “It’s Not So Bad” is out today. New Wave Magazine were able to sit down with KYLE (virtually) and talk through his latest obsessions, the power of vulnerability and the next chapter of his dreamscape.

A self-confessed lifelong daydreamer KYLE has always allowed his inner-child to roam free. Constantly jumping from interest to interest, dabbling, tinkering, trying out anything and everything. His positivity might take some by surprise but it doesn’t come across as fake or toxic, it’s simply a genuine expression of who he is. Showing no signs of slowing down he’s recently taken his fandom to the next stage, creating the ‘KYLE Hive’ on Patreon and turning his art into cryptocurrency, building an even stronger connection with his supporters and keeping afloat above the shifting tides of technology and content creation.

No one could have foreseen the last two years of our lives changing so much but it pushed KYLE to think outside the box and study what people were doing online. “The pandemic trapped me inside a house with nothing but a phone and no way of reaching out to my fans. No real way to be connected with them in person. No real way of being reminded of the value of what I’m doing. And all I could do is just sit there and compare myself to other people…"

"And comparison is the thief of joy."

“It’s Not So Bad” was announced to be released in an NFT (non-fungible token) format via Opulous, as well as on standard streaming platforms. As complex as the conversation around NFTs is, we understand that a fan who purchases the album as an NFT would then gain a percentage of the royalties distilled from the project (before taking part please do your own research). As technology has progressed so much in the last decade, KYLE is quick to point out the issues as well. “Technology reminds us of how much shit we forgot to do… We used to remember how to fill and alleviate our boredom but now we have no clue! Now we have something to fill all of the in-between time of us doing something meaningful and that’s called social media!” His press shots for one of his latest tracks ‘Sunday’ show him in ‘Back to the Future’ chic which plays on his love of nostalgia as well as adding his own modern twist. "Sunday" does exactly that, for KYLE to have a track that pays homage to one of his heroes was a huge high for him. Craig David’s legendary ‘7 Days’ even 20 years on from its conception, gives "Sunday" the simple chord progression that takes hundreds of thousands of people in the UK down memory lane. A pretty ballsy move from an American.

A recent comment on the video for "Sunday" exemplifies its reception: “One of my favourite childhood songs, reinterpreted by one of my favourite artists of all time, this is crazyyyyy.”

KYLE explained to us, “Craig David is such a f*cking legend… If I wasn’t going to flip this, I don’t know who would… As of right now, I have this obsession with UK music. It’s a thing man, music for me is always like a journey. Try and find something that makes you go "woah". I just enjoy making my albums like that… When making this album I went on this long-ass journey. Starting with lo-fi music, that transcended to lo-fi R&B, and then that transcended to up-tempo R&B, and then we have UK Garage. Which is like, sped up R&B samples! That shit is really grooving. And then I’ll be like, damn, I really mess with House though and Drum & Bass is dope too. A lot of these genres have UK artists doing them the best.”

“I’m just happy to be somebody giving Craig David his flowers.”

“I love everything that derives from House music, anything that’s in that electronic dance music world. Something about it is deeply connected with my genes, my DNA. Something in my DNA catches all dance music immediately. You feel me?” KYLE goes further, “You know what dance is? It’s a visual representation of humans evolving. It’s a physical representation of music changing. You know what I mean? You can watch somebody dance from the 50s. Doing the twist and see that’s how we felt and then watch a video of someone crumping, and you’re like music was changing at this time. This is how they felt… It’s one of the weirdest things that humans do.”

We asked KYLE how he felt he has changed over the last 15 years, “That’s a really good question, I’ve always been very very cerebral. Like, every aspect of my life. I’ve kind of always lived in a daydream. I’ve always just been daydreaming. That fueled a lot of my artistic expression. It fueled my life and got me to where I am now... I think growing up, I’ve realised I’ve had to come back into reality a little bit and try and make peace with the normal world and not just daydream all the time. Applying myself in my relationships, in my friendships. I’m trying to apply Kyle the human now, not just KYLE the daydreamer. I’ve become more planted in reality... There’s always this period of when the album is done that you play back the music and you’re like maybe I don’t even connect to that music anymore. With this album, (“It’s Not So Bad”) I don’t feel that at all because everything was made off of what I was feeling, with no thought pattern, no need to analyse it, it’s just how I feel.”

When we touch upon inspiring, influencing and sharing with the younger generation of artists, KYLE expresses his love for so many people. “There’s this kid called Nevi, his song was the first song I heard that fully inspired what I wanted to do. It’s a song called ‘Invoice’ and he was 14 when he made it. He’s like 16 now. I would kick it with him, and make songs together. It’s just fresh… I’m always searching for what’s new. There’s no point in doing it if it’s not fun. That’s why I try and kick it with young artists. My favourite artist of 2021 was PinkPantheress. She’s hella young but her shit is refreshing! It just makes me feel at home. When I hear those songs and her voice comes in. Singing like being honest emotionally, that shit is refreshing. It makes me feel ok on the inside... I love tapping in with young artists, because if there’s anything I can provide them, whether it’s advice, whether it’s advice on shit they don’t need help with. Ways to navigate and do things. I just provide information as I can.”

“This shit really keeps me alive. Making, creating and going through that process is how I work through shit inside of myself. Everything I’ve ever made is a reaction to some sort problem I’ve had inside. For me it’s always about looking at myself deeper and finding more and more things that need to be said and when I do that I start glowing. Because that weight is coming out of me and I’m like ‘wow I’m 10lbs lighter’... The SUPERDUPERKYLE thing was another form of creation in response to a problem. I was in high school, I had never really connected with who I am in music… In response to (a period of) depression, I would look at myself in the mirror and do this weird thing where I would be really super super nice to myself and say nice things to myself in the mirror and then I would walk around high school and high five people… I started to turn myself into this superhero version of myself that wasn’t vulnerable, and sad and could be optimistic all the time.”

“As I mature and I ground myself in reality and move away from the daydreaming and the alter ego. I’m realising how to conserve my energy with good things and keep away things that aren’t good for me. That’s the best thing about being. Giving yourself too much of people will drain you, and I’ve tried really hard to tackle that subject. Like what does it mean to not be ashamed of making someone not feel better? I would genuinely be ashamed of myself when I made people not feel good. That’s what becoming an adult is, to learn how to truly take care of yourself and take care of your energy. It’s being a little more selfish with the energy and using it to be productive in your own life.”

“You gotta enjoy yourself!”

“I had to do inner work to realise, that doing things selfishly for yourself can do good for the world. It can make people feel better.” During our conversation we were able to touch upon the concepts of masculinity within music and specifically Rap as a genre that KYLE grew up with. “I still genuinely believe the people who have the most rough exteriors have the most to prove. Life at its core is supposed to be about joy… I think there’s so much that we get confused with masculinity, like things that are really just robbing you of joy and comfort. I am not going to live forever and I don’t think I need to spend any of my time being cold, being aggressive, being rough, in order to prove something to somebody that I don’t need to.”

“Rap doesn’t need anymore tough people. I don’t feel the need to add any unnecessary aggression or something to how I am. I am comfortable with myself and that makes other people uncomfortable… I’m very intentional with my feminine side. It usually is the biggest contributor to my art and my art coming from a unique place. It’s usually stuff I picked up from my mum about love or being sad. That’s why I connect with so many female artists. Real strength comes from real comfort.”

Speaking of how this album is another step forward in his journey he explained: “This new album is the first time that I’m going out of the circle of people that mess with KYLE. Songs like ‘Optimistic’ and ‘Sunday’ are going to speak to a crowd that’s always known about me but I’ve never necessarily served them with music, and I’m excited to see what the f*ck happens! It’s like I’m going to a new school! I’m excited to see what they feel. I’m lucky enough to have one of those fanbases that supports me throughout genres, because they know. They don’t want to tie me down.”

We learn today that the man himself, Craig David is featured on the track "Unrepleaceable", a full circle moment for KYLE. A testament to how an artist so deep into his career has been able to constantly change and evolve in his pursuit in fulfilling no one else’s dreams but his. Surfing on the edge of the latest trends and growing his core fanbase exponentially, there’s so much more to see. "It's Not So Bad" brings together the most exciting musical trends of the last two years: UK garage, nostalgic dance music as well as Afrobeats cooked up with KYLE's signature charisma and experimentation.

Remember his words:

“Just boom, make a song and say what you want to say right now. Just be you”.

Listen to KYLE's brand new 3rd album "It's Not So Bad" here.