Born just outside of Boston, Kenzie May moved to London at the tender age of six where the honing of her craft began. Growing up on a healthy dose of rock and roll, she now makes exactly the kind of enchanting, soft and soulful pop that we love. We invited the talented Miss May over to i-D towers for a chat, and with her beautiful brown-eyed self, she brought a ray of sunshine. Radiating enthusiasm, Kenzie broke down her lyrics, discussed feminism and planned a concert on Mars.
So what have you been up to recently?
I just got back from writing in Berlin. I’ve been in the studio loads recently.
Do you get to spend any time at home in London?
Yeah I guess so… not so much in my home, but in other people’s homes. I’m a bit of a travelling gypsy.
Are you often in Berlin then?
No, that was actually my first proper time over there. I went over last summer to Splash Festival, but that was for like three days. This time I had two sessions at the beginning of the week and the rest of the time I just got to chill and hang out and party.
Did you check out Berghain?
I didn’t, no. That was the one place I didn’t go to. Everyone was like, “Oh my God you have to go there!” but I was with Berliners and they were like, “No, we’re a little bit past that. We can go to Watergate though!”
Are you a big house music fan?
I try to get educated but I’m more into singer-songwriter, bass stuff. I grew up on rock and roll but I have been getting a lot more into electronic stuff, and obviously I’ve been on some more electronic tracks like the Sub Focus one.
What’s your earliest memory of music at home?
I used to run around the house singing Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, you know, the Disney song? But I didn’t know how to end it, so I would make my family film me for like 20 minutes where I’d run around dancing.
I saw on your Soundcloud that you make playlists, do you do those regularly?
I do those once a week, and honestly it’s because I’m really shit at finding new music unless I’m forced to do it. But with these it’s nice because I can curate my own listening library and I have these awesome playlists that I can listen to every week and then I can also share it out.
So who are you feeling at the moment?
Right now, Gold Lake. I don’t know if it’s one dude or whatever it’s a collective, but the stuff I’ve been hearing is sick. Kaytranada has been doing a couple of their tracks.
i-D got an exclusive mix from him when he played XOYO, were you there?
No! I don’t know why I didn’t make that show but I was kicking myself instantly.
It was wicked. What would be your dream show line-up?
Well Erykah Badu would have to be in there. This would be a fucking weird show though as it’s cross genre… Earth Wind and Fire… Pink Floyd would do like a 200 minute set, followed by Flying Lotus, and then Lil B would just come out like POW!
Where would it be?
Mars.
If you could follow just one person on Instagram, who would it be?
Craig David, have you seen his Instagram? It’s so good. It always wins.
So what do you like to get up to outside of the studio?
I go out a lot, I’m not a party animal but I love to dance to good music. I like to do art, I don’t know if I’m good at it but I like to do it.DIY clothing is my thing.
What was the last thing you made?
I made a pair of gold trousers. But when I say made, I mean I bought a pair of really cheap trousers and painted them gold. It was fun.
What can we expect to see at a Kenzie May live show?
A lot of jerky head banging, good vibes, good songs, and smiles.
Tell us the story behind Skeleton Key…
Skeleton Key was written at my friend’s studio. We were just slinging back some beers at 10pm and started talking about nights out and the difference between love and sex. Do they have to exist together? Can they be mutually exclusive? It explores that, especially from a female’s perspective. It’s something that most females have experienced but a lot of people shy away from talking about.
Would you consider yourself a feminist?
I think that people think feminism is about being the dude and being in control but it’s actually just about celebrating what it means to be a woman. I would like to consider myself a feminist but I feel like as soon as someone labels themselves one, people are always like, ‘well, you’re not doing it right.’ Which kind of goes against everything that feminism is about; it’s about building a sisterhood.
Finally, describe yourself in three words.
Loud. Happy. Hair.
Credits
Text James Hutchins
Photography Olivia Rose