Calista Kazuko is a London-based artist whose unique brand of ‘pop macabre’ is full of drama, danger and delight. Her debut EP, Project: Love Me, was recorded at The Smokehouse in Tower Bridge with award-winning film composer Guy Dagul and will be released on iChi Ni Records on the 17th of March.
Sassy, soulful and sophisticated, Kazuko brings to mind talents such as Siouxsie, Kate Bush and Diamanda Galas, while Sir George Martin has described her as “an undoubted talent.”
We caught up with charming, theatrical Calista to chat about her influences, her musical upbringing and her dream to play a gig dressed as a Harajuku Little Bo Peep…
What are the 5 albums that have influenced you the most?
Mmmm… tricky one, but here goes!
Kate Bush, The Kick Inside
Carole King, Tapestry
Supertramp, Breakfast in America
The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Regina Spektor, Mary Ann Meets the Gravediggers and Other Short Stories 
Which other artists are you into at the moment and why?
I am literally obsessed with Diamanda Galas – I love her depth, emotion, darkness, theatricality, talent and balls (theoretical balls). She is definitely my spirit animal! Rocking ladies like St Vincent, Marina and Goldfrapp are also a constant source of inspiration to me. To chill out, I have Fly-Lo or FKA Twigs in my headphones – genius music, and so nice to zone out to!
GO MAD this weekend to the sound of @ScratchaDVA #POISON #Remix 😉💣👑🍸 https://t.co/eZYE97v7yC pic.twitter.com/q1jvLKj0c1— CalistaKazuko (@CalistaKazuko) February 11, 2017
Are there any key pieces of equipment that you are using to define your sound?
I was super lucky to work with the incredible Guy Dagul on my latest EP, Project: Love Me. Guy is a film composer and we wanted to make the sound very bold, cinematic and orchestral, with lots of sweeping strings and big brass sections. I trained in classical and jazz piano so this is always a key ingredient, and I write my songs at the piano. I have just started incorporating the accordion into my music, too, which is a lot of fun!
What would you say some of the challenges artists face today in the music industry?
I can only speak from personal experience, and I guess the biggest challenge I’ve had to overcome is staying true to myself as an artist and not being pushed this way or that way trying to please a certain demographic or to fit into a ‘genre’. You’ve just got to go for it, no matter what people say. Don’t let the haters bring you down, and have fun.
Where do you gather songwriting inspiration?
Life… I like to tell the story of the little voice inside that wants to pipe up but doesn’t have the balls. You know the one that wants to tell the world about her ‘daddy issues’, but then sensible voice tells her not to. Or the little voice that wants to scream and kill her boyfriend, but then decides one prison stint is enough… I’m also inspired by emotions: often I write songs full of love or hate, anger or obsession, and I don’t even realise what it meant until months later. Songwriting is great therapy!
Take us through your songwriting process. Are there any particular steps you take when putting your music together?
I tend to just sit at the piano for ages, and then something comes. Usually, the music and loose lyrics of a first verse and chorus just sort of… arrive! Then I ‘umm and ahh…’ for hours, structuring and completing the song – involving lots of screwed-up parchment dramatically launched at the wall. My favourite part of the whole process is once the song is written and you can explore it with your band and producer and watch your little baby grow!
What’s the best gig you have ever done and why?
I did a tour of the West Coast of America a couple of summers ago which was absolutely wild! The highlight gigs for me were on a rooftop in Las Vegas (I don’t remember much from that night, to be honest…) and at The Viper Room in LA, which is Johnny Depp’s club. Johnny wasn’t there, which was very disappointing as I had worn my best furs in preparation.
And the worst?
No such thing as a bad gig, darling – always a learning experience where you drown your sorrows in so much whisky afterwards that you have no recollection of the night before, anyway, and therefore it potentially didn’t happen. ‘If a tree falls in the forest’ and all that…
If you weren’t a musician, what would you be?
Something fabulous. A cigarette girl at the Moulin Rouge, perhaps. Or a mermaid. Or Norma Desmond.
If you could perform alongside any other band or artist, living or dead, who would it be?
Freddie Mercury – oh my!
Do you have any particular gigs or festivals that you dream about playing?
My next mission is to tour Japan. My mum is Japanese-American and I have this incredible vision of performing in Japan dressed as a Harajuku Little Bo Peep with a full Hello Kitty laser light show… YES!
Your bio says you were raised in a family “where music was the staple diet”. Tell us about the process of arriving at your particular style. Do you feel like you might have gone in many different directions?
My parents were both Classical musicians, and I was brought up with the happiest, hippiest childhood soaked in music. Instead of learning how to ride a bike we were taught to screech on the violin! We spent every summer at Dartington Music School, a completely magical place where I met countless incredible musicians and learnt so much. I am very grateful for this early insight into all things mystical and groovy! I was writing and out gigging with a keyboard by the time I was 13. The stuff I wrote then was pretty much streams of self-indulgent consciousness, but over the following years I explored all different kinds of musical traditions, including making a lovely experimental album with the awesome producer Samim during one hedonistic summer in Berlin, a brief stint in releasing funkyhouse bangers, doing the jazz circuit as a traditional singer/songwriter, a five-minute failed attempt as a Classical pianist…. So, yes, I’ve definitely gone in many different directions, and I will probably end up going in many more in the years to come! I am super happy with the sound and direction of my latest EP, though.
Songs like “Daddy Issues” and “Poison”, though emotive, also have an appealing sense of humour to them. From where, do you think, did this ‘theatrical’ aspect of your songwriting emerge?
I am a full-time, unadulterated, unashamed drama queen, so this was bound to come out in my music! I also love making people laugh and just having fun with music.
How are you feeling about 2017? How do you think musicians will be affected by this period of turbulence and uncertainty?
I am feeling crazy excited for 2017. Last year was a complete shit show for me, to be honest, so this year can only get better! I have embraced the changing music industry model and have realised that for independent artists such as myself, there has not been a better time to release your own music and just be whoever you want to be! The internet means people from all over the world will get the chance to hear you and get involved. Sure, we can’t all be the next Beyonce or Mariah, but having the opportunity to share your art with the world without a massive record label behind you is truly awesome. Power to the people!
Calista Kazuko’s Project: Love Me EP is out on March 17th through iChi Ni Records.
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