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First On: Kyla La Grange

Soaring notes and dynamic melodies.

Posted 9th April 2011, 1:38pm in First On, by Harriet Jennings


Not shy of a bit of drama, Kyla’s music explores all things dark and twisty. Team that with some soaring notes and added dynamic melodies, and you know you’re on to a good thing. With her debut single out in March and an album in production, you can expect to see a lot more from this indie-pop-folk-rock princess.

You’ve been playing music for quite a long time, how did you start out?
As a child I joined lots of drama and singing groups, and always really enjoyed it. When I was at school we’d have this big performance where we could dance or sing, and I always used to sing.
I wrote songs at home on my own but I never had the guts to perform them. At university there were so many open mic nights I plucked up the courage, went along to a few, didn’t know anyone and just played my songs.

Then you moved to London?
When I left university, it was like “Shit! London: where do you even start?” How do you even start trying to play music in London? I put a couple of tracks up on MySpace and people listened to them and booked a few gigs. It was all quite organic.

How would you describe your sound?
I suppose it’s sort of a big crossover of folk and indie and pop and rock, and it’s all quite depressing. Epically depressing, I think.

What can people expect from your live show?
Very emotional. Big choruses and lots of quite odd dancing on my part because when I’ve looked back at videos of gigs, I just think, “Goodness, I look half deranged,” but I think that ties into writing and not wanting to over think it. When I’m on stage, I don’t want to think about what I look like. That’s why I always end up looking like a complete idiot.

You’re down to play SXSW - who are you looking forward to seeing there?
God, there’s quite a lot of people. I’m really looking forward to seeing tUnE-yArDs, who no one seems to have heard of. They’re really weird and beatsy and fun.
The stage we’re playing, The Communion Stage, has some fantastic people like Marcus Foster and Matthew & The Atlas, who are amazing.

What can you tell us about the album you’re working on?
All the tracks for it are written but we’re still recording, so we’re trying to work out the way they’ll be recorded. I’d say it’s half way there because when recording often you do one version and everyone’s like, “Oh, no, I preferred it when it had these drum beats!” So then you have to do another version. But, yeah, it’s getting there.

When do you think we’ll be able to hear it?
I would like to release it early next year but it really depends on what happens with the tracks and how it all comes together. I know of bands who’ve had their whole album recorded and then the label kept putting it off and putting it off, so you never know, it just depends. Definitely in the near future.

Kyla La Grange’s debut single ‘Walk Through Walls’ is out now via Noir.

Taken from the April 2011 issue of DIY, available now. For more details click here.
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