The Adelaide artist explores a tale of illusion and soul-stealing intent.
Adelaide-based experimental hip-hop artist Vanté Kay has a knack for crafting an immersive sonic world.
With the release of his latest single, ‘Sera’s Interlude,’ the independent producer and musician continues to bend genres while weaving a narrative that challenges perception.
The track tells the chilling story of Sera, a character who believes they are experiencing genuine love, only to discover that their admirer’s affection is a calculated ruse with the ultimate goal of claiming their soul.
Blending atmospheric production with a smooth, late-90s aesthetic, Vanté Kay creates a cinematic experience that warns against taking things at face value.
The project is entirely written, produced, and mixed by himself, the single showcases a DIY ethos and refusal to be confined by conventional structures.
In our interview, he discusses the spontaneous magic behind his creative process, the community that inspires him in Adelaide, and the vast musical landscape he is currently building.
HAPPY: What are you up to today?
VANTÉ KAY: Just grinding, really. I’ve got a few projects I’m working on at the moment, so just keeping busy and getting things done.
HAPPY: Tell us a little about where you live. What do you love about it?
VANTÉ KAY: I’m based in Adelaide. I really love the amount of talent here, but also the community. There are so many creative people around, and it’s honestly a great place to be.
HAPPY: ‘Sera’s Interlude’ has a really smooth, late-’90s/early-2000s feel to it. What were you listening to while you were making it?
VANTÉ KAY: I appreciate that. Honestly, I wasn’t really listening to anything while I was making it.
Once I finished producing the instrumental, I just sat there and vibed with it for a bit, and that’s when all the ideas started coming to me.
HAPPY: Where did the idea of someone using love as a way to ultimately take someone’s soul come from?
VANTÉ KAY: I was really just building off the lyrics and vocals from the intro and outro.
When I added the last line, “now your soul is mine,” that’s when I started wanting to play around with the whole concept a bit more.
A lot of people assume the song is about a specific person, but I wanted to make it something that really grabs your attention when you listen to it; almost like Sera is speaking directly to you.
HAPPY: You wrote and produced the whole track yourself. What does your usual production process look like from the first idea through to the finished mix?
VANTÉ KAY: Yeah, I did. My process is honestly pretty spontaneous.
Sometimes I’ll start with lyrics, other times I’ll start by making the instrumental. There’s really no telling where it’s going to go.
I just follow the idea and see it through to the end, as long as I’m able to finish it.
HAPPY: Your vocals sit really naturally in the mix. What’s your vocal chain like, and how much processing do you tend to use?
VANTÉ KAY: I was mostly just experimenting with the vocals.
I stacked them up with about six takes in total: three in my normal tone, then another three with a doubler effect, but those were an octave higher.
I just played around with the layers until it felt right.
HAPPY: The harmonies are a big part of the track’s feel. Do you map those out beforehand or build them up by ear in the session?
VANTÉ KAY: The harmonies definitely played a big part in the track. I built all of those up by ear during the sessions. I usually just experiment and see what feels right.
View this post on Instagram
HAPPY: Do you mix your own work as well as produce it? If so, what tends to be the hardest part of mixing your own music objectively?
VANTÉ KAY: Yeah, I produce and mix my own work. With ‘Sera’s Interlude’, I handled the production, mixing and effects, then got some help from Deeza with the mixing and mastering side of things.
Honestly, I don’t really find mixing my own music too challenging because I know my sound and I know what I want to hear. If anything, the hardest part was probably just starting out. When I first got into it, I didn’t really understand any of it.
HAPPY: Are there any particular pieces of gear, plugins or instruments that have become essential to the Vanté Kay sound?
VANTÉ KAY: You’ll pretty much always catch me with a keyboard. I’m always experimenting, so I’m not really locked into any particular plugins or gear right now. But yeah, the keyboard is definitely essential for me.
HAPPY: What’s coming up?
VANTÉ KAY: I’ve got a couple of projects coming out really soon. Just to name a few, ‘30:5’, ‘Take I’, and hopefully the EP will be out towards the end of the year too.
There’ll also be more listening experiences and performances that people can come out and enjoy in person. So yeah, there’s definitely a lot more to come.
HAPPY: Lastly, what makes you happy?
VANTÉ KAY: Honestly, just everything. Waking up every day, being around my family, seeing beautiful faces, just being able to experience life and enjoy the little things. All of that makes me happy.
