an interview with Asi Kemera

Asi Kemera is a 20 year old up and coming bedroom pop artist based in Atlanta & LA. I had the pleasure of interviewing her about her music and art, astrology, and her new single “honey bb” that’s out on all platforms.

Ikaika G: In preparing for this interview, I listened to a bunch of your music and  it's so good. First of all, I just wanted to say that like, I feel like music is so twinkly like that was the first word that came to my mind when I was listening to it. It was so great. And I wanted to like wash my face, that's actually weird nevermind. Like I want to like wash my face to your music, like it feels like what you put on when you're doing self care.

Asi Kemera: Yeah, I love that description. Wash your face. That sounds great. 

I: Yeah it was great. So anyways, how would you as the artist describe your music and its genre?

A:  I don't know about the genre because it's just like, so authentic to who I am. I don't know. Music that makes you feel like you're floating. That's the best way I can describe it, I don't really have any words for it.

I: Definitely, you definitely succeed in that. 

A: Thank you. 

I:  What are some of your musical influences?

A: I would say Stevie Wonder is like my favorite, but other than that I don't really listen to like, I mean, I'm not really influenced by a specific artist or anything. I listen to so many different things, I listened to freakin like, even sometimes country like just random stuff. 

Oh, and Varnish La Piscine. He's French. He's someone who influences me lately, but I don't have like many people I can name.

I: Nice. What about any non musical influences?

A: Um, really just like, going outside influences me a lot, like the sunshine and, the air and just being present and like nature. That's influences me, and yeah, that's it.

I: Nice. Yeah. Beautiful, I love that. In the thing that you sent over, I saw that you are a multi instrumentalist. What instruments do you play?

A: I play the guitar and the bass and a little bit of keys. But really, that's just for producing. I don't really like, I can't shred on a piano.

I: Nice. When did you start playing those instruments and stuff? And when did you start singing and writing and all of that?

A: I started making music when I was like, literally a kid. Like I started writing songs. But I didn't start playing guitar until I was like 12, and the bass when I was maybe 15. And I started producing when I was like, 17, or something, but it was on my iPad so it wasn't like what I do now. 

I: About producing, I guess you kind of just answered that but how did you really get into it?

A: Really, I just got like, GarageBand like, at first I got it on my computer and I was like, I don't really like this, it was too complicated on the computer. So I tried on my iPad, and I just started playing random stuff together, random chords. And it was like already set up to where you could just press a chord, like, you could just press E major and it would play it out for you. So it's like a really simple way to start and get my feet wet. Then eventually I just started like playing the instruments myself and just went from there. 

I: Nice, that's so cool. What do you like more, because you do everything. Do you like playing guitar more or songwriting or producing? What do you think is your favorite?

A: I don't have a favorite because I do all of them together. But if I do anything separately, sometimes I just hold my guitar and just like play random chords and stuff, but I can't say I like it more than producing because I don't know. I just like them equally.

I: Nice. I feel like that's probably why you have such a specific vibe in the music because you have so much you do everything like you produce, you write, that's so cool. How do you think you put out that vibe because it's just such a good one. I can't even describe it in your music.

A: Really I just like to make my music from like a peaceful state. So I usually don't make music if I'm like, I mean, sometimes I'll make stuff if I'm sad, but I still have to be in a relaxed state when I make it and I try to relax the people who listen to it because my energy is matching what I'm putting out. Other than that, that's just how I try to create the vibe for my music.

I: That's so cool. I love that. Thank you. Nice. Your recent single "honey, baby", I love that, it's been stuck in my head all day. How did that song come about? 

A: I was just like, dancing around and producing. And my boyfriend actually co produced it. Yeah, I was just drinking wine and dancing. And I just started playing some chords. And I was like, Ooh, this sounds nice. I got really excited when I played the chords out. Like, that was the moment I knew that I love this song. Yeah, it was just the way the chords made me feel. I was just like, yeah, this is it.

I: Yeah, it totally has that energy. I feel like, with that context that makes the song even better.

A: Yeah, thank you

I: I also I saw you said something in the press release about the song being about your Gemini side. 

A: Yeah, I'm a rising Gemini, and I have a tendency to just switch things up. So I was basically just saying that like, I'm a dominant person in real life, like when it comes to  just doing things in general. But that song was about my submissive side in the bedroom. So, just like the switch up, that unpredictability.

I: As an Aries with the Libra rising I relate to that. 

Do you think like astrology affects your music like that? 

A: Yeah, absolutely. I feel like I make my music from my Aquarius moon. I don't know, it feels like that to me.

I: I feel like I come across a lot of Aquarius moons in my life. I'm also very into astrology. I'm a musician too, and I definitely feel like there's a correlation there. 

Cool. What does your music mean to you?

A: Honestly, it's just a way to express myself in the most authentic way I can. I mean, there's other outlets, I could choose to do that in but I've been doing music for so long that it's just natural for me to pour my emotions, whatever I'm thinking into my songs. It makes me feel happy when I make them, like I can relax and listen to them and be like, yeah, like, I healed through that when I was writing it. It's comforting.

I: Cool, nice. What's some music you're listening to right now?

A: Varnish La Piscine and Makala. I love them so much. Other than that it's just random songs, I couldn't even tell you they're just random.

I: Eclectic. That's nice, that's cool. 

Do you do visual art? That wasn't on there it just came to me.

A: Sometimes, it's not like frequent for me, but like, I made like an art piece with my boyfriend a few months ago. It was called 1492 and it was this felt piece. And I really love it. But I haven't made like too many pieces since then. Sometimes I'll scribble in my notebook, but it's not really like, I'm not a great artist. Oh, and sometimes I paint but like that shits like kind of trash. But I still do it. It's relaxing. You know?

I: Even if people aren't good at painting they should paint, I think everyone should paint.

A:  You know, exactly. It's just like a way to like release even though like I'm no Picasso, but you know,

I:  Yeah.

And how much say do you have over the album covers and music videos and stuff? Do you get really involved with that?

A:  Usually, I've made all the album covers except for honey baby. And as far as the music videos, I've directed all of them up until this one. This one was directed by Hassan. It was really fun working with him like working with somebody else besides myself because usually I just control everything but it was nice having his input. It was nice, it was refreshing.

I: Cool, yeah, cuz I feel like the energy of it and your overall vibe is so well curated. I feel like It makes a lot of sense, and it's really soothing.

I'm a Pisces Mercury, if that makes sense. Anyways, I think that leads me to my last question, do you have any advice for young musicians and producers, especially like women who are young?

A: If you want to do music, don't let anyone else try to sway you out of that. I feel like for me, it was really nerve wracking because I was in school, and I had everyone in my ear, like, "No, do school, do school, like you have to do that", and at the time, it just wasn't  who I was, it wasn't what I wanted to explore. I felt like pursuing music was the most authentic to who I was and I wanted to do it in a way that was most authentic to me, like making the sounds that just feel like me and not like, resort to sounding like other things, because you think that will sell, you know, so yeah, just go after what you want. And be most authentic to yourself and true to yourself at all times.

I: That's good. 

A: Thank you.

I: Thank you. Do you have any like last things to say anything? I didn't ask that you want to say.

A:  Not at the moment.

I:  Okay. Well, thank you so much, this is great. 

A: Of course.