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Interviews

A three-way conversation between Sound of Kalima, Malikai Motion and Jamie-Rose

It’s been over a year now since Brisbane-based artist Jamie-Rose first released her track Bombay. Though last week, when she unveiled her new video for the same track, we were once again hypnotised by her powerful and sultry music.

So fresh off the video’s release, Jamie caught up with the song’s two producers Sound Of Kalima and Malikai Motion to chat about how the song came together.

Fresh off the release of her new video for Bombay, Brisbane artist Jamie-Rose chats with the song’s two producers Sound Of Kalima and Malikai Motion.

Jamie-Rose and Malikai Motion interview Sound Of Kalima

MALIKAI: How does working as a duo benefit your production?

SOUND OF KALIMA: Working as a duo helps us bounce ideas off of each other and each of us have our own strengths. For example, one of us is an idealist and the other is a realist. The idealist would say “I wanna fly” and the realist would chime in with “well, this is how we build the wings”. Collaboration definitely breathes a better life into our ideas.

MALIKAI: Did you know right away that the beat was going to be for Jamie? What goes into deciding where your production gets placed?

SOUND OF KALIMA: We did not know right away that the beat was going to be for Jamie. She was living at our place at the time and she heard it as we were just cycling through some sounds while working on it and she really wanted to try something over it. It went through a couple of incarnations before it became what you hear now. In terms of production placement, we usually work with singers and make a beat for them while they are in the room but otherwise, it’s a randomized process usually. First come first serve.

MALIKAI: How did the atmospheres and melody come together for Bombay?

SOUND OF KALIMA – Honestly, it was a lot of messing about and just throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what we vibe with. The melodies came after the atmospheric was put into place which thereafter, Jamie did her thing on the demo beat. From there, we produced the beat around her vocals.

JAMIE-ROSE: What genre of music do you consider your work to be? Who are your major influences?

SOUND OF KALIMA: We actually don’t know what we would classify our music to be. It definitely has a hip hop undertone but we like to put a lot of our other influences ranging from classical to jazz to heavy metal to minimalism. Our major influences are (they change all the time) Gorillaz, Nirvana, Kendrick Lamar, System of a Down amongst a hundred others. We just absorb what we like.

JAMIE-ROSE: Could you briefly describe the music-making process?

SOUND OF KALIMA: This is a tough question to answer because every song is different. There’s not really a set process for us, it is really about following a feeling and catching its vibe. Hopefully then turning it into something beautiful.

JAMIE-ROSE: Is Bombay what you thought it would be all along? Or were you surprised with the direction it took?

SOUND OF KALIMA: Bombay was not at all what I thought it would be all along since it started as an ambient track with some pretty standard drums. Once Jamie took it and sang some stuff over it, we knew what kind of direction to take it. So yes, I was pretty surprised by what it turned into but surprises are good except on my birthday and during sex.

Sound Of Kalima and Malikai Motion interview Jamie-Rose

SOUND OF KALIMA: You make RnB and hip-hop type of music but what other genres of music are you into that might surprise people?

JAMIE-ROSE: I used to be a metalhead growing up so I got into heavy bands like August Burns Red and Bring Me the Horizon. That turned into rock I suppose then more into the real singer-songwriter vibes. So I listen to Matt Corby in the morning then switch up to 070 Shake at night. I just listen to how I’m feeling.

SOUND OF KALIMA: Everyone knows musicians have musical influences but what are some non-musical influences which inform your music?

JAMIE-ROSE: Yooo such a dope question. I’d say a big influence is the people I meet and the environment I’m in when I’m travelling. I don’t notice it much while I’m living wherever I’m living but as soon as I move somewhere else. I seem to take the vibe/culture with me. When I was living in Toronto I ended up saying ‘tingz’ A LOT and my writing became a little more aggressive and “Baka Not Nice” because I was living in a real rough part of The Six. Now that I’m back in tropical Australia, I find myself being a little more laid back and carefree with my songs but now I also write about leaving where I am.

SOUND OF KALIMA: Is there a consistent message or emotion that tends to creep up in a song now and again?

JAMIE-ROSE: I really wish there wasn’t but I find myself talking about the industry a lot; metaphorically or in some hidden context or just blatantly. I mostly talk about the difficulty of women being taken seriously and the things I have to go through personally as well. A lot of people use their stature as an excuse to get away with things and I don’t fuck with that at all. Apart from that, it’s usually about wanting to love people but I can’t. Man… I sound so dark.

SOUND OF KALIMA: Which Bombay lyric is the stand out for you and what does it mean?

JAMIE-ROSE: “This confidence ain’t wearing off, I wear it on the daily.” I think it’s just a dope line for anyone to use. I want it on a tee or something. Confidence is totally a choice. It’s just like the clothes you put on every day. I just thought it was tricky and meaningful and badass all at the same time.

MALIKAI: What are the positives and negatives that come with collaborations with international artists?

JAMIE-ROSE: Positives – I LOVE accents so switching up a track with a UK rapper or someone from The States is so cool to me. I love working with people I fan over too and most of them aren’t where I live. I also think it’s necessary, just like travelling, to be cultured by people around the world. It helps my music evolve and I learn a lot from it too. Negatives – Obviously time sucks. Big time (pun intended). Trying to find a time to call whomever I’m working with is difficult. I’ll be asleep when they’re awake and vice versa. Also not physically being in a room with someone you’re trying to create with is hella difficult. We know this first hand. The best music we’ve made is when we’re together where we can bounce off each others vibe and try things out.

MALIKAI: How does performing live influence your creation in the studio?

JAMIE-ROSE: I’ve taken into consideration over the years what my audience really loves. I obviously don’t want to change my artistry and what I write about too much because I do music for me but I’ve noticed that when my songs are very “don’t take shit from anyone,” they get a crazy reaction. I never thought I’d be doing these ‘empowering female’ kind of tracks. Fans also love it when I go all out with my vocals and hit those high notes and really show off my vocal abilities so performing live has made me more confident to go all out with my voice on songs. I also love creating a vibe. People will immediately fall in love with a feeling instead of words, so I try to encompass both.

MALIKAI: What was your favourite part about recording Bombay and why?

JAMIE-ROSE: I always go back and listen to the instrumental of Bombay. All the little ad libs and placements of certain sounds/recordings were the coolest parts of the production as a whole. We took parts of other songs I had recorded with SOK and manipulated them to fill out the track and add just enough trippy to the madness. I also love the low vocals I did for “Bang Bang hop in the whip…” The whole song was an experiment and I loved every aspect of the creation.

Jamie-Rose and Sound Of Kalima interview Malikai Motion

SOUND OF KALIMA: What got you into producing hip hop?

MALIKAI – I’ve always been a fan of hip hop but my rap friends are what got me into producing it. I was producing mostly dance music when I started but making hip hop beats allowed me to work with a lot of new people. It opened up a lot of new doors for me.

SOUND OF KALIMA: Do you have an end goal with music? If so, what is it?

MALIKAI: There’s never an end goal to this crazy life… New opportunities are everywhere so I don’t limit myself. A goal of mine is to travel even more than I do now so that I can work with artists from all over the world. I get so influenced by the different vibes.

SOUND OF KALIMA: What’s the most frustrating experience you’ve had when making music?

MALIKAI: My computer crashing for sure. By the time we’re at the late mixing stages, the computer starts to bug out. Jamie always likes doing a ton of layers so usually it’s her vocals crushing my CPU. All love though. (Laughs)

JAMIE-ROSE: What do you usually start with when working on a new piece?

MALIKAI: It varies but if I’m by myself I usually create the groove first. I find drums are easy for getting an idea out. Lately, I’ve been collaborating a lot so I have the chance to work with stems from amazing artists as producers. I love starting with someone else’s track and adding my spin on it. That’s what happened in Bombay and it turned out dope!

JAMIE-ROSE: When you heard the draft version of Bombay what vision did you have for it going in? And did it turn out like you imagined when you first heard it?

MALIKAI: The first time I heard the draft of Bombay I knew exactly where I wanted to go with the beat. The drop in the middle of the song came out exactly how I heard it in my head. I didn’t have a vision for the vocal sound when I heard it though. That was gradually shaped by Jamie and I bouncing ideas back and forth at the studio.

Bombay is available now. Watch the new video clip above.