Fueled by her Grammy-nominated album Every Where Is Some Where, and song “Blood In The Cut”, K.Flay is propelling her career to the next level. Now, with her new album Solutions and accompanying full U.S./European tour, K. Flay is ready to take on the world. The excitement surrounding K. Flay doesn’t stop there, because the music video for “Sister” is out now. The video is a follow up to her video for “Bad Vibes” and is the second installment of a three-part video series titled the Solutions Trilogy. K. Flay is also changing the podcasting industry with her new music-focused “microcast” titled “What Am I Doing Here”. Equipped with a mobile studio that includes high-quality microphones, “What Am I Doing Here” is hosted, curated and recorded 100% live by K. Flay herself. By including interviews with Sam (X-Ambassadors), Bishop Briggs, Michael (Fitz and the Tantrums) and many more friends and family, “What Am I Doing Here” is truly a one of a kind experience. I was lucky enough to catch up with K. Flay before her highly anticipated show in Buffalo, NY to talk about her new album, music videos, and current tour. 

First, I would just like to thank you for taking the time to answer my questions! So, you just kicked off your “Solutions Tour”, how has it been so far? I saw on social media that you had a huge bruise on your leg, what happened? (I hope you are okay!)

Tour has been insane. In the best way 🙂 The crowds have had such amazing energy. And we’ve got this pretty awesome set of cubes that I get to climb all over. It feels like a jungle gym on stage. The bruise actually came from rehearsals, when I tripped over a light and completely wiped out. But the human body is incredible and I am ok.

One thing I have always loved about your performances is that you always have a live band with you. Is it important to you to always have a live band perform with you?

The live band is essential. So much of the last two albums were recorded with live instruments or samples of live instruments — there’s no other way to communicate the energy of the songs, to capture the instrumentation, to create multiple points of motion on stage.

Congratulations on the release of your new album Solutions! How has the response been so far?

Thank you. The response has been really positive. And my parents really like it. Which is very important to me!

Is there anything that you tried to do differently on Solutions compared to your past releases?

My approach with solutions was to take my feelings of pain and confusion and sadness (which are the usual starting points for my songwriting) and shift my perspective a bit, in a more hopeful direction. I’m a firm believer that the right thing to do creatively is the scariest thing. And for me, the scariest thing was to be positive. To look for light.

So, your new video for, “Sister” is out now and it is the second part of your “Solutions Trilogy”. What made you want to do a trilogy and what is the connection between the videos?

The trilogy is just another way in which I’ve aimed to create a solutions ‘world’, an aesthetic and a storyline that help enhance the music itself. The three videos are all part of a longer narrative that takes place in a slightly dystopian world, but it’s told out of order. “Bad Vibes” is chronologically the second in the series, “Sister” is the third, and the final video is actually the first.

Finally, considering that 88.3 The Buzz is a college radio station it would feel wrong to not ask you about your experience at Stanford. So, how would you say that your college experience influences your music? Are there any bands that really had a lasting impact on your while you were attending Stanford?

Well. College is where I started making music. And why I started making music. So without that experience, I truly would not be where I am today. Not even close. But in a broader sense, my education really solidified a work ethic and a curiosity that has guided my career since the beginning. Especially in this modern era of music, I think you have to have skill sets that extend so far beyond just songwriting — there’s production, merch design, web coding, engineering, marketing, performance. and my time at Stanford has helped me develop all of that.

Intro and Interview By: Chandler Poczciwinski

Photo Credit: Koury Angelo