Introspective art-pop artist KENICHI & THE SUN – aka Katrin Hahner – released her bewitching new album WHITE FIRE on October 9th.
Her most inventive and ambitious release to date, WHITE FIRE showcases Katrin’s unique ability to create boundlessly immersive soundscapes that are undeniably striking throughout. Each track flows effortlessly into the next, creating a powerful narrative from the offset that is both dreamlike and haunting. Katrin’s deep, rich vocal tone soars effortlessly over the percussive flourishes and swirling synths, creating a sound akin to the likes of Björk and The Knife.
In this interview spotlight, I chat with Kenichi about the latest music, technology, challenges and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Let’s dive a little deeper into You, the artist and your music. What attracted you to this genre(s) or style(s)?
Oh I am simply interested in a lot of different things and am not one for boxes. I think being a human being is messy and all over the place and delightful and weird and fun and painful at the same time and why would that not reflect in my music?!
I call my style SCI-FI-Gospel as I draw my inspiration equally from past and future. Music and art are are my worldly way of paying my respect to life itself, the greater forces that are at play and to honor the beauty that surrounds me (and that includes the painful bits!). It´s my way of worshipping life if you like. Making sense of this experience.
How long have you been creating and sharing your music with the public?
KENICHI & THE SUN was formed in 2019. I have released three albums before that under the name MISS KENICHI which were more of a dark folk, americana style. And KENICHI & THE SUN just naturally evolved out of that. I started to write music when I was in art academy and had a “painters block”. Someone left their electric guitar and an amplifier in the studio during the summer holidays and I just went there every day staring at a blank canvas and writing songs. These became my first album “Collision time” as Miss Kenichi.
Over the years the art aspect and the music moved closer and closer together, I started to work in theatre as music director and composer for plays and also for film. So naturally my music became more and more expansive and genre defying and so I felt the need to close the gap between my art and music persona. KENICHI & THE SUN now functions like a hub and involves my art making and filmscores/performance work as well.
Who or what influences your playing and/or writing? Also, what motivates you to keep going?
Everything influences me! I am like an open channel and I take everything in like a sponge. I got pretty good at discerning if I want to keep and cherish those influences though. It´s one thing to take in everything and another to let it clog your system.
I pick and choose and collect all the time. Nature, movies, books, poetry, art, people, travel, conversations. Usually it´s odd bits and pieces that catch my attention and then I draw a whole new reference around it. For me creativity or creating something, wether it be music or art is to take in information and re-link it in a new way. Create a new prism and connect the dots in a new pattern. It´s part conscious and part intuitive.
What keeps me going is just the bliss of doing it. I feel like art and music nourish me and are an integral part of my life. It´s one of my basic needs to do what I do. I am always searching for beauty. And with beauty I mean a sort of acceptance that dark and light belong together. That there´s a holistic beauty that includes the pain as well as the joy. A larger harmony that includes the mess of being a human being in the strange world we created. The earth and our world are almost like two separate things, which want to be reunited again. I like to explore the magnitude of our spirit and still relate it back to my small, fearful little human body experience. I want to expand my ability to see. Other artists and musicians help me with that, so I hope to add my bit to that giant wheel of inspiration too.
When I had all that death happening around me while making the album I really expanded my way of looking at things. How to find joy amongst all this shit. How to squeeze out a moment of light in times of despair. I think I would call that ability my superpower.
Were you trying to accomplish anything specific on this new project? Creatively or otherwise?
For my new album “WHITE FIRE”, I explored a new way of working. I wrote the songs more like stories. Not composing them on one instrument, but writing them out one chapter at a time. I would write a “scene” of about usually 1min or so and completely flesh it out, write all the arrangements for it and then let it rest and add the next chapter a few weeks later. Often I wouldn’t even go listen to the first chapter, but just add the second chapter to the first and then listen. It was always such a surprise and it almost always worked. Sometimes I had to add bits and pieces, but essentially I felt like writing a story while it happened, if that makes sense? I wanted to surprise myself and be the character and the creator of the story at the same time. I walked myself through the songs as if I entered a new space that I know nothing about. And I did not censor myself. Any weird little remark or interlude or an instrument or line that would not “fit” in the traditional sense was more than welcome and I just put it in. Now while writing this I think it was a crazy form of “stream of consciousness” mixed with storyboarding mixed with watching something strange in your minds eye and commenting on it with notes and melodies and lyrics. The´s how a lot of it was written. The mix was intense, as we had three songs crammed within one, three different sets of instrumentation usually and almost no song ever goes back to the beginning! We had to make sense of it all. But we did and I love the result.
What was the last song you listened to?
“Oh How We Drift Away” by Tim Heidecker and Weyes Blood
“The String of Everything” my Mariam the Believer
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
Vinyl and wavs.
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
I really like Bandcamp. Being able to by from an artist directly and sell to fans directly. Especially in a time where we are not really able to connect at a concert that will be one of the options to directly communicate. Which is so important and valuable!
My “White Fire” Vinyl for example is available in different packages. The DREAMER Art-Bundle comes with a limited handprinted silkscreen and a personalized note. Or if you don´t have a record player you can get a print that comes with a digital album. These options are available only through my website and on Bandcamp.
Other than the digital era overwhelming us with access to an abundance of music, what are one or two of the biggest challenges you face when trying to attract listeners to your music?
I think it’s all gotten a little (or a lot!) too crazy with the algorithms to be honest.
Do you gig, tour or perform? Do you ever live stream? Where can music lovers see you live?
My concerts were moved due to COVID restrictions. Yet I do a lot of ceremonial work where art/music and ceremony, plant medicine etc meet. I do different varieties of these and they´re done in person in very small groups or even online. I always use my songs in a stripped down version as musical catalyst. So just check out my calendar.
It’s a bizarre time and we make sense of it by weaving new experiences together, which is an awesome opportunity.
Where is the best place to connect with you online? Discover more of your music?
Here you can listen watch and contact me directly!
My website : www.kenichiandthesun.com.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kenichiandthesun/
Bandcamp: https://kenichiandthesun.bandcamp.com/music
My newsletter comes out every other week and it usually covers all kinds of topics. I am always happy if people sign up and connect with me and discuss.
It´s a raw kind of newsletter where I speak about all kinds of stuff, sometimes more intensely.
http://bit.ly/kenichi-lovenotes
And of course all other platforms such as youtube, Soundcloud, Spotify etc.
Any last thoughts? Shout outs? Words of wisdom?
Your life is measured by the amount of beauty you are aware of” (Agnes Martin)
