KNIVES
Classen Coffee is the ideal spot for meeting local artists. Entering this quaint café there is always a buzz of energy. People are there to get things done. I walk up to the counter and order a hot vanilla matcha. I snagged a table and set it up for the interview.
Kennedy, also known by their stage name KNIVES arrived shortly after me. Dressed mostly in black with the coolest necklace I had ever seen, she sat down.
Kennedy who is from Houston, TX, was raised by musicians, which is how they found their passion for music. Her mother is a singer and their father is a bass player. Kennedy has followed in her parent’s footsteps and also plays bass and sings.
It’s not just Kennedy’s parents who are musically talented either. Kennedy’s sister is in a band called Good Girl in Houston, TX, and her uncle plays guitar and sings as well.
“I have always been around music.”
Kennedy realized that she wanted to sing ever since she was little. They sang in church and choir. “ I’ve never not been singing, and then one day someone was like you’re not too bad, and I was like wait really?”
Kennedy went to university at UCO ACM for vocal performance. “ I loved the program I was learning a lot theory wise”.
Kennedy couldn’t put themselves in a music genre. They have experimented with making a lot of different music from all sorts of genres. They have made EDM tracks, indie rock tracks, and hardcore tracks just to name a few.
“The word I would choose is eclectic.”
Kennedy creates music in her room on her laptop. Their songwriting process is different from what I have had other artists tell me. Kennedy will take inspiration from a song, an album, or a feeling and then translate that into an instrumental track. Normally artists have told me that they write down the lyrics first so the fact that Kennedy translates their feelings into music was very interesting.
KNIVES just released an EP called The Vault 1. Their EP is a collection of songs that were written when Kennedy felt trapped living at home and not in OKC.
“It was about everything that was going on in my head”
The Vault has four songs. “The whole EP is a homage to my family and Houston and all the things that I grew up with that inspire my music.”
KNIVES is a solo creator, however for the Norman music festival this year they have gotten a band together.
“I make everything myself.”
KNIVES' favorite song to perform is Therapy in the Age of Garageband and her favorite cover is Marvelous Things.
Kennedy is also in a band called Larry in the Weeds which is a hardcore noise band.
KNIVES is working on new songs and is looking to do bookings in the future.
When asked if Kennedy had any final words they said, “Never let anybody tell you that you have to sound a certain way, and never let anybody that you have to put things out a certain time. Do whatever feels right because if you’re not doing what feels right then you’re not making real music.”
As the interview came to a close we stayed for a while a chatted over the rest of our drinks. If you want to check out KNIVES follow them on Spotify @KNIVES or Instagram @basshater
