POP SHOP UK meets up with inspiring new Icelandic artist Kria–Read the full interview
Tell us about yourself ?
We are ice cold. KRÍA is from Reykjavík, Iceland. I began playing the piano when I was six and I was in various choirs up until my late teens. Then I began taking classical singing lessons in my late teens. I wrote my first song when I was 21 and that’s when I began using garage band as well. I write and produce all the songs for my project. For the live performancesI have two drummers > Adam who plays the drums is from Warrington and Nathan who also plays drums is from north London.
Band members / instruments played ?
KRÍA – vocals, synth, sampler
Adam – Drums
Nathan – Drums
When did you start your music career?
I was writing and producing songs that I was really happy with in 2013 so id say that thats when it started. I was studying the institute of contemporary music performance studying creative vocals and that’s where I made my first EP low hype and self released that in august 2015. So I started gigging on my own around London since then and then the drummers joined in December.
How did your band form? Where does the name come from?
it was really inorganic how the band met lol. my manager put up an ad out for drummers on star now. With the name i asked my mom what i should call my project and she just said ‘KRÍA’. KRÍA is the Icelandic word for an arctic tern (a bird).
Where are you based?
London
Your main influences/inspiration?
for now its space, aliens, horror movies, the hidden people from Icelandic folk tales, ghosts and stuff. The streets, GusGus, I know it’s a cliché but also Fever Ray, Massive Attack
About your release ?
Sonically, i drew inspiration from horror films, time traveling and aliens, as in how i imagine time traveling would sound like and how aliens would sound like.
the material is more selfish than on low hype, the lyrics are about how i was dealing with myself at the moment and accepting my self. My second ep is called ’altaka’ im going to be releasing it in 4 parts. LEVELS will be my final song from the ep aiming for the 1st of August so around then I guess. I have 2 singles being released as a concept duo at the end of July.
Who was the producer / studio where recorded ?
KRÍA – also produced with Rupert Roberts, Rotem Haguel and Jak Kobayashi-Owen. Recorded and produced in my bedroom in Lewisham and in Ruperts flat.
Where can we find you online ?
http://www.facebook.com/kr1amusic
http://www.twitter.com/kr1amusic
https://soundcloud.com/kr1amusic/
http://www.instagram.com/kr1amusichttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Edh7vCE9_0Y
https://soundcloud.com/kr1amusic/skinhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/Skin-KR%C3%8DA/dp/B01GN8S0E0/ref=sr_1_3?s=dmusic&ie=UTF8&qid=1467031966&sr=1-3-mp3-albums-bar-strip-0&keywords=KR%C3%8DA
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/skin-single/id1120704055
Icelandmusic
http://www.icelandicmusic.com/Music/Album/1676209/kria/skin/
KRÍA’s second E.P was produced by Rupert Roberts, Rotem Haguel and Jak Kobayashi-Owen. The E.P is entitled “Altaka” and features the brand new single “Levels”.
“Altaka” will be released on Rare Candy Records on 1 August 2016.