The Khi Lo Interview
INTERVIEW
1. At what age did you know that you wanted to be an artist and how did you get started in the first place?
Probably when I was 16? I wasn’t running from anything. A friend of mine died in high school, so that made me wonder if I had any dreams worth chasing. I did.
2. Who has been your biggest support throughout your journey as an artist?
Honestly, my family. Through thick and thin, they’ve not only supported me doing it… they’re practically fans themselves! To be fair, my dad says I peaked on SoundCloud.
3. How do you prepare mentally before each and every show?
I just imagine the crowd is having a good time, which is tough sometimes when you rely on shitty openers. As long as I can perform by 9PM, I’ll sing my heart out.
4. What song of yours has been the most personal to you and why?
As media-trained as it sounds, my next one. I have to give my producer Wali (Wolfpacc Music Group) a lot of credit for allowing me to take my time with the new record. I don’t like explaining what I write about, hence me wanting to put it in a song, but I think we can leak the title…CRY4HELP.
5. What do you like most about the music making process and what discourages you the most?
I enjoy the collaboration. The whole room can see where we’re going, but no one person knows the entire way to get there. The best songs feel like magic, and the worst ones are still music.
6. Who are some of your biggest influences and why?
The Weeknd for his melodrama.
Childish Gambino for being grandiose.
Rihanna… she’s so damn catchy.
7. What are some things you have learned throughout your music career that has been very beneficial to your career as an artist?
Being humble is very underrated. The only competition you have as an artist is yourself. Hard work beats talent every time.
8. For those who haven't heard your latest EP "Side A" What can they expect? And what was the inspiration behind the project?
With Side A, I wanted to highlight how people struggle nowadays to find “real love”. The imagery for the single and the EP was meant to look romanticized & almost unreal in an airbrushed-magazine-cover sense; we continue to hold people up to these insane expectations when the reality is that finding love is about making sacrifices for the right person. Sex is about making love with the right person. Side A just reflects me going through it to learn how my heart fits in.
9. Where do you see yourself in 5 years and what do you hope to accomplish?
In 5 years, I hope to be surrounded by world-class artists. I hope I can make a legacy of getting into rooms and leaving a meaningful impression on the truly generational talents who the limelight seeks out. I hope I’ll have found someone to share all of that with as well, but for now I’ll settle for my lovely dog Murphy.
10. How do you want to be remembered at the end of your career?
Well if art is about what you can get away with, then I hope I can steal the Moon. To borrow another cliché: if I fail, I’ll end up amongst the stars.
11. What artists would you like to work with in the future and why?
I hope I get to work with Vic Mensa one day. He’s a genius. I almost did this year actually, but I wasn’t ready and it wasn’t the right time. I hope I get to work with Johan Lenox in the studio as well. He was the first person in the industry who gave me validation. Both of them have no idea how much better I got! (Fun fact: they’re friends and have a song together called High in the Woods which everyone needs to hear, non-negotiable).
12. What was the inspiration behind your song "Need Ya Love"?
NEED YA LOVE! came from a place of sobriety, funny enough. I think everyone’s had their share of issues with addiction, but I was losing mine when it came to alcohol. The point of the song is to remind myself how drinking can still be fun & safe (like the annoyingly catchy chorus). In hindsight, it’s sugary but it works.
13. What advice would you give to someone looking to pursue a career in music?
If you don’t quit, you’ll eventually make it. Thing is, making it isn’t about being famous. That’s one of the worst things you could have happen. Just have fun.
14. What has been one of the most toughest challenges throughout your career, and how did you overcome it?
It’s extremely challenging when you want to be heard and seen as an artist but you aren’t ready yet as a person. I’m talking about race, being a racially ambiguous Indian American, but it really extends to being vulnerable as a person. I’m still overcoming it, but it helps to know that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own. Took that last part from Google by the way, it’s the definition of ‘sonder’.
15. What are some of your goals you are looking forward to accomplish in 2024?
In 2024, I am going to release my most authentic records ever. The music has to be undeniably fire, otherwise, what’s the point?
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