Willow Kayne Explained

Willow Katherine Kayne
Birth Name:Willow Katherine Kayne
Birth Place:Bristol
Occupation:Musician
Years Active:2020–present
Current Member Of:Loud LDN
Website:http://www.willowkayne.com

Willow Katherine Kayne is a British singer. She won an Ivor Novello Rising Star Award in 2021. She is a member of Loud LDN.

Early life

Willow Katherine Kayne[1] was born to Toploader's Dancing in the Moonlight.[2] Her sister makes classical music, and her mother, Emma, was a teaching assistant at St Patrick's Catholic Primary School in Corsham,[3] who had previously produced music videos by The Prodigy, Nick Cave,[4] and Erasure.[5] In 2011, the Wiltshire Times noted that a "ten-year-old" Willow and a classmate had addressed Wiltshire Council, following threats to withdraw the subsidised bus she was travelling to St. Patrick's from; the same article noted that she travelled there "from Melksham".[3] She also attended Wiltshire College & University Centre.

When she was fifteen, she temporarily lost the sight in her left eye, and permanently in her right;[6] she had contracted acanthamoeba, which ate three out of four layers of her cornea.[7] At the time, she was interested in a career in graphics, but changed course after listening to her favourite songs while blind and hearing things she had not heard before.[6] She started making music in 2018, after receiving a new computer bundled with GarageBand; she would later make music with a torrented version of Logic Pro. Early tracks were released on SoundCloud.[8]

Career

2019–2022: Playground Antics

In 2019, she and Kenya Grace made the Top 21 in ISawItFirst,[9] a nationwide search in collaboration with Capital Xtra intended to find new women musicians, winning a music video for "Ctrl Alt Dlt".[10] On 28 April 2021, she released her début single, "Two Seater";[11] the song had been written a year earlier. After being used in a TikTok advert, the song received over 1,000 abusive comments,[6] which Kayne responded to by writing her second single, "I Don't Wanna Know",[12] which she released on 22 July 2021.[13] In September,[8] she won an Ivor Novello Rising Star Award in 2021, along with mentorship from Nile Rodgers,[14] and later that month "Two Seater" turned up on the FIFA 22 soundtrack.[8] On 2 November 2021, she released a third single, "Opinion",[15] which had been written the year before, and about abusive comments she had received.[16] On 1 February 2022, she released the EP Playground Antics, which featured "Two Seater", "I Don't Wanna Know", and "Opinion".[17]

2022–present: Mr Universe, Loud LDN and "Cola Head"

On 5 May 2022, Kayne released the single "Final Notice",[17] a commentary on her experience as a woman in the music industry, which was released alongside a Human Traffic-inspired music video.[5] On 1 July that year, she released another single, "White City",[17] an ode to inequality in White City, London,[18] which featured "Final Notice". On 22 August, she released "Rat Race",[17] which was also about her experiences of living in London,[19] and which featured "White City" and "Final Notice". On 23 September that year, she released the four-track Mr Universe EP,[17] the title track for which featured General Levy and was produced by Toddla T,[20] and which featured "Rat Race", "White City", and "Final Notice".[17]

In November 2022, Venbee used a November 2022 NME article to point out that she, Piri, Kayne, Charlotte Plank, A Little Sound, and Charlotte Haining were members of Loud LDN.[21] On 19 May 2023, she released "Cola Head",[17] a song about infidelity,[22] as an independent artist,[23] and then the following April she released "Robot Lovers", about the effects of technology on love.[24]

Artistry

Kayne's primary influences are Pharrell Williams, British rave culture, and Bristol,[2] although when "Mr Universe" came out, she cited M-Beat and E-Z Rollers as inspirations,[20] and when "Cola Head" came out, she cited the Neptunes.[22]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: MR UNIVERSE . ASCAP . American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers . 10 July 2023.
  2. Web site: Willow Kayne is the 90s-obsessed rapper making videos like Uncut Gems. Vice. 7 May 2023. 7 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230507010138/https://i-d.vice.com/en/article/k788px/willow-kayne-music-interview-two-seater. live.
  3. Web site: Wiltshire schools told to run their own buses. 16 September 2011 . Gazette and Herald. 7 May 2023. 7 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230507091313/https://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/9254093.wiltshire-schools-told-to-run-their-own-buses/. live.
  4. Web site: Willow Kayne is making nex-gen pop with a throwback aesthetic. The Line of Best Fit. 19 May 2023. 19 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230519115359/https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/willow-kayne-on-the-rise. live.
  5. Web site: WILLOW KAYNE: 'FINAL NOTICE' (New Release). New Wave. 7 May 2023. 7 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230507085811/https://www.newwavemagazine.com/single-post/willow-kayne-final-notice. live.
  6. Web site: Willow Kayne: "I Know I'm Not Sh*T". 27 August 2021 . Notion. 7 May 2023. 7 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230507010141/https://notion.online/willow-kayne-interview/. live.
  7. Web site: Willow Kayne is planning to record in Los Angeles next July. 23 December 2019 . Wiltshire Times. 7 May 2023. 6 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230506235227/https://www.wiltshiretimes.co.uk/news/18119425.willow-kayne-planning-record-los-angeles-next-july/. live.
  8. Web site: Willow Kayne: "This record was me hitting back to the doubters – it's absolute revenge". 15 February 2022 . NME. 7 May 2023. 7 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230507010136/https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-radar/willow-kayne-this-record-was-me-hitting-back-to-the-doubters-its-absolute-revenge-3161397. live.
  9. Web site: 2021-09-27 . First Look – I SAW IT FIRST . 2023-09-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210927222543/https://www.isawitfirst.com/pages/firstlook . 27 September 2021 .
  10. Web site: 2019-12-18 . ACM Alumni Reach Final of Nationwide Music Competition Hosted by Top Fashion Brand . 2023-09-29 . ACM . en-US.
  11. Web site: Two Seater. Spotify. 7 May 2023. 7 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230507010136/https://open.spotify.com/album/6jeI2vq1aQd9lUrDX1p57A. live.
  12. Web site: "I Don't Wanna Know" is the unfiltered new single from Willow Kayne. The Line of Best Fit. 7 May 2023. 7 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230507011640/https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/new-music/discovery/willow-kayne-i-dont-wanna-know. live.
  13. Web site: I Don't Wanna Know. Spotify. 7 May 2023. 7 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230507010137/https://open.spotify.com/album/0KkBcgEkMKsBe8ZI1WbSUq. live.
  14. News: Bristol Ivor Novello winner says her music was 'accidental'. BBC News . 29 September 2021 . NME. 7 May 2023. 17 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230517041558/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-58731954. live.
  15. Web site: Opinion. Spotify. 7 May 2023. 7 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230507010137/https://open.spotify.com/album/1zR96H40EoUG62VmJ7fK6A. live.
  16. Web site: Willow Kayne pushes back against stupid comments with her assertive new single, 'Opinion'. 2 November 2021 . Dork. 7 May 2023. 7 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230507010136/https://readdork.com/news/willow-kayne-single-opinion/. live.
  17. Web site: Willow Kayne - Discography. Spotify. 7 May 2023. 7 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230507010135/https://open.spotify.com/artist/7b6l5JehVDc5Wb7L8iPvJN/discography/all. live.
  18. Web site: Willow Kayne delivers new song "White City". The Line of Best Fit. 7 May 2023. 7 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230507094916/https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/news/latest-news/willow-kayne-delivers-new-song-white-city. live.
  19. Web site: Listen to Willow Kayne's jagged new track 'Rat Race'. 23 August 2022 . NME. 7 May 2023. 7 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230507094901/https://www.nme.com/news/music/listen-to-willow-kaynes-jagged-new-track-rat-race-radar-3296056. live.
  20. Web site: Willow Kayne teams up with General Levy and Toddla T for 'Mr Universe'. DIY. 7 May 2023. 7 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230507094903/https://diymag.com/news/willow-kayne-general-levy-toddla-t-new-listen-mr-universe. live.
  21. Web site: Venbee: thrilling, cathartic drum 'n' bass from 'Messy In Heaven' hitmaker. Jolley. Ben. NME. 2 November 2022. 8 January 2023. 24 January 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230124001906/https://www.nme.com/features/music-interviews/venbee-messy-in-heaven-goddard-interview-pinkpantheress-radar-3340236. live.
  22. Track Of The Day 19/5 – Willow Kayne. 19 May 2023 . Clash. 19 May 2023. 19 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230519113343/https://www.clashmusic.com/track-of-the-day/track-of-the-day-19-5-willow-kayne/. live.
  23. Web site: Nieuwe single Willow Kayne – "cola head". 18 May 2023 . Dansendeberen.be. 19 May 2023. 19 May 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230519113637/https://www.dansendeberen.be/2023/05/19/nieuwe-single-willow-kayne-cola-head/. live.
  24. Web site: Willow Kayne returns with the new single, "Robot Lovers" . 2024-04-27 . The Line of Best Fit . en-US.

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