|
http://www.okayplayer.com/news/the-okayplayer-interview-eryn-allen-kane.html
The Okayplayer Interview: Eryn Allen Kane On Prince, Racism & First Tour
BY KEVITO
Gifted, strong and blessed with the pipes that shed light on the ills of the world, Eryn Allen Kane is budding star from Detroit’s East Side. After profiling her in our First Look Friday series, the 26-year-old singer-songwriquite the demanding 2015. From television appearances on Chicago airwaves to rocking the stage alongside Prince, Ms. Kane had superbly kept her name on everyone’s radar with intriguing music and powerful performances.
For those who happened to miss our introduction (you can catch up HERE) —
Eryn Allen Kane is steeped in soul, rooted in success and driven to become one of the new greats in our era. The Detroit School of the Arts graduate—yes, the same as the lateAaliyah—has utilized her talents for the booth and the camera and unleashed them to the masses approval. As her recent EP, Aviary: Act II, continues to earn new listeners and fans — Eryn’s excellent appeal is rooted in her every woman appeal, her charismatic sense of self and her duty to fight against injustice.
We were blessed to have the Chicago transplant grace our office to talk about her first tour. Kicking off in New York, Eryn Allen Kane was as humorous as she was fiery about elevating her style past what’s expected. Despite the craziness she told us about her inaugural night, the artist dubbed as one of “Prince’s favorites” is cooler than a polar bear’s toenails and funnier than Kevin Hart trying to change a light bulb. So, as we enthusiastically showcase the “How Many Times” crooner’s style, please read this exclusive chat where she offers little known treats about Prince; shares her thoughts and concerns about American racism and provides thoughts about her debut road act.
—
Okayplayer: How do you as an artist feel about EPs over LPs? Your other treats, Aviary Act I and Act II has been short offerings.
Eryn Allen Kane: Okay, so, I’m new in the game and I know that LPs are long-plays. Which do I like better? Well, I like the full-length joints better when I want to listen to music, yet they are more expensive to create. The EPs are great because it kind of gives the world an introduction to who you are as an artist and that’s what I wanted to do with this. In that sense, I love them both—EPs and LPs—it’s all music to me. There are really no cons to liking either one. There’s a little bit more energy and effort that goes into the LP, but the reward is the same.
OKP: Do you feel like the material that’s on the EP is going to be on the LP? Or do you want to start off your next project off fresh?
EAK: That’s a really good question. I’m already starting to make plans for the next thing. People are asking, “Is it going to be Aviary Act III…?” and I’m like, “No,” (laughs) “I think Aviary is dead at this point.” Now, we have to fly out of the cage and explore the world! We’re gone at this point and it is a beautiful time. With us doing this whole new thing for the next album, we’re more or less going to find ways to definitely tie into Aviary Act II.
OKP: How did your 2015 get you prepared for the life you’d be living in 2016?
EAK: Oh, shit! Yeah, it did. We did a lot of wonderful, beautiful, exhilarating things in 2015. How did it prepare me? It taught me a lot about myself and how to prepare myself for the next step. I was in a movie with Spike Lee for Chiraq, plus I got on a song with Prince. Everything just went really fast in 2015, it was super fast paced. Just very surreal. I kind of fell into a groove, so what I took away from that was the ability to be prepared for the craziness. In a sense, it also taught me a lot about working in music because I really didn’t know a ton about the business.
I also learned a lot about collaborating within a collective or group. I worked withChance (The Rapper) and Nico (Donnie Trumpet) on Surf, so taking away tools on how to collaborate and be in a studio with other people was ideal. Yeah, that would have been the biggest thing that I learned in 2015. Another thing I learned was to trust myself and the ability to hear sounds and arrange music because that’s what I was useful for in 2015. I arranged for Transit and worked on my stuff, as well as helped other people with theirs.
OKP: After working with Prince a few times, it has been said that you’re one of his favorites. Are there any thoughts that you have on his “A Piano and a Mic” concert show?
EAK: Actually, I haven’t seen it yet, and I want to so bad! That is one of my favorite moments with Prince—when he gets on the piano—he sounds spectacular. My personal favorite song that Prince does is “How Come You Don’t Call Me,” boy that sounds so good on a piano! I remember the first time that I ever saw him. It was at the United Center in Chicago, three or four years ago. I bought tickets and was in the nosebleed seats, but I was super-happy to be there. He was there for like three nights and he had this huge band. It was like an orchestra on one side of the stage and on the other side of the stage he had a huge horn section.
There was one point during the show where he just told them all to shut up! Everybody stopped playing. He walked over to the piano in his little heels and just started getting down, playing “How Come You Don’t Call Me,” and I just cried. I was like, “Ohhh, I’m not worthy. I shouldn’t be, you know, looking at you.” I wanted him to come to my opening show in Chicago, but then he ended up going on tour in Australia.
OKP: It’s common knowledge that the Purple One doesn’t have a phone, so how do you get in touch with him?
EAK: (Laughs) He emails.
OKP: He emails?
EAK: Yeah, it’s easier than you’d think. We talk quite frequently. It’s funny because he does email unlike anyone else I’ve ever known. He will write out text in the subject all the time. It’ll basically be like the bulk or the meat of his email will be in the subject line of the email (laughs). He knows how to put text in the body of the email, but sometimes (laughs), it is like nobody just sat him down and told him, “Body, subject.” He’ll go all the way in, but it is OK.
OKP: When you and Prince worked on “Baltimore,” what was your level of knowledge on the musician? He’s had so many phases, but he seems like an artist that you grew up with.
EAK: I knew of him as a younger kid because my mom and dad were super into him andChaka Khan. When he hit us up, I had already been to his concerts and cried because he was (and still is) a pretty big part of my life.
OKP: Do you keep up to date with the continued brutality that’s happening across the country? Or do you have someone filling you in as far as what news is going on these day?
EAK: I keep myself informed. It’s very important for everyone to be aware of what’s going on around you. To be fully aware, not just listening to what other people say is the goal I stick to. I always investigate for myself to discover things that will get me closer to the truth. I really try to delve into whatever is going on because I’m very passionate about justice for the people.
If you really look at some of the ignorant situations that are going on—like that black woman protestor being bullied at that (Donald) Trump rally—I think those acting out against the protests are uneducated. They’re uneducated on what it is to be anything other than a white person living in America. I don’t know… it’s hard for me to look at that sometimes because I am half-white.
It’s difficult to see news like that or to hear about that happening because you want to think that you’re living in a “progressive” society. You think that that kind of shit is not going to be tolerated, but, lo and behold there are idiots everywhere.
OKP: We are now living during a time where #BlackLivesMatter are entering into politics. DeRay McKesson is running for mayor of Baltimore, which is impressive, but what’s your perspective on that whole thing? What do you feel about the song “Baltimore” now a year and some change out from when it debuted?
EAK: It’s great and admirable of DeRay to fight for genuine changes in Baltimore. It’s absolutely awesome that he’s running for mayor. He just doesn’t care that there’s this whole stigma around #BlackLivesMatter, and he is driving the conversation about racism and police brutality forward. I’m appreciative of the whole movement. These are topics that have always been swept under the rug and those two are just a few. People always want to ignore that there were 400 years of slavery and discrimination against those of color. We, the offspring of that abuse, haven’t even had enough time to heal on top of the fact that no one wants to talk about it.
Racism, police brutality, injustice and all of that need to be talked about because if it addressed, then people can begin to move past it. There is no movement without it being addressed and talked about. I’m really happy that that’s happening and that people—black, brown, white, whatever—are part of the #BlackLivesMatter movement and are keeping the conversation active.
I’m glad that people are standing up and talking about it. It needs to be talked about because if you address it, then you can move forward. You can’t move forward if you can’t address it. I’m really happy that that’s happening and that people are, black people and white people, are part the movement and talking about this.
OKP: Do you feel like since being on “Baltimore” with Prince that you’re more connected to the place even though you’re from Detroit?
EAK: I feel connected to all these places, to be honest. It’s not just Baltimore because I made a song about it. You’re right, I’m originally from Detroit, and we’ve had some of the same issues. Riots there and in Chicago, we’ve all been through similar stories. I remember back when we first released the song, Prince wanted it to initially live on my YouTube page. “Yeah, you can get some more hits,” he said, and I’m like, “Cool!” So, it was there and we forgot to turn off the comments (laughs). We’re walking around Los Angeles all day, getting emails sent to my phone from the YouTube account with the most racist, crazy comments coming in. I could not even believe that people like that actually existed.
After awhile, I started getting personally hurt by what was being said. And I know that this is the Internet and there’s trolls, you know, but that shit actually really hurt to see and read. I hit up Prince like, “Yo, you looking at this shit?! I really want to take this down because I’m not used to that.” At the time, all my videos get like jokes or roasts, “Oh, you look like you’re constipated,” which is like the most harsh comment. “Baltimore” had people telling me to go kill myself because I’m black, so I hit up Prince and he’s telling me, “It’s the norm. We’ll take the comments off.”
That moment really opened my eyes to just how long this country has to go before doing away with fear.
I’ve experienced discrimination since a young age. My brother’s been beat up by the police, so when someone is saying these hurtful things, it’s a whole other level.
OKP: What have you learned about yourself and your voice that others have yet to notice?
EAK: That’s a good question. Hmm, I have a lot more power than I thought I did. Back in the day, I used to make these R&B joints like Jhené Aiko. I was afraid to do it all out, so I would sing in my shower instead of in front of people. I was really scare of missing the mark. I learned in performing at these shows is that I can push through it, even with colds, proving to myself that my voice is stronger than I thought it was.
OKP: What has been the best experience so far during your first tour?
EAK: My crazy dad and brother went to my first show in New York, so they were enamored with the opportunity. They both came through—my brother drove with his homies and my dad flew in—and were at the show. Things got pretty wild after the show ended, and my dad may or may not have been challenging his college buddies to drinking contests (laughs). I ended up dancing and acted crazy, plus the band got into a big fight at the end of the night (laughs). I won’t go any further than that, but if this was how the first show went then I cannot wait to hit the road!
Eryn Allen Kane’s Aviary Act II is out now on iTunes, Google Play and Soundcloud.
|
Printer-friendly copy 
Email this topic to a friend
General Discussion
