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On another cloud but East London and proud, Kali Claire has been plucked from London’s bottomless talent pool as the next rising star of R&B.
It’s no secret that Kali adores where she’s from. This homebody doesn’t lack zest when she gets chatting about her childhood stomping grounds, proving a special place has been earned in the singer-songwriter’s heart.
Hailing from Hackney’s vibrant and swaggering streets, Kali is massively influenced by her surroundings and the people around her, friends, family and strangers alike.
“I feel like wherever your home is will inspire you,” she says, adding, “London is always gonna be home to me.”
Her musical beginnings were as humble as most – listening to her mum’s old school R&B favourites and bearing witness to her grandfather’s whimsical musical endeavours. “I was around music all the time,” she confirms. “I was subjected to whatever my mum played.”
Despite having picked up a few chords on the guitar from her dad, she is a self-taught, sonic powerhouse. By imitating other artists and obsessing over Mariah Carey, Kali found her voice. It’s needless to say, she has kept all balls in her court by producing her own tracks. “It’s more self-sufficient to know how to do things yourself,” she says.
Her musical debut, ‘Symptoms Of A Teen’, is a personal trophy of all the things she has achieved so far with more exciting times ahead. The workaholic says that she’s always in the studio, which sounds pretty much like a promise for new music soon to be released…
The prospect of an album, however, is a daunting one to the songstress. Having something important to say is the genesis of a good album, but Kali admits that she just isn’t in that headspace yet. Getting it right is crucial; understandably she wants to give the world “songs than mean things rather than just being ‘I love this man’.”
What the future holds for Kali Claire is unknown, but you know it’s coming soon and it’s going to be a work of the heart.
Where: Hackney, East London
What: Soft, electric R&B
Get 3 Songs: ‘CHG’, ‘Fix My Lonely’, ‘Good Love’
Fact: She used to hate her freckles but now adores them.
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BTS Next Wave Issue 113 with Tommy Jeans
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Words: Megan Berridge
Photography: Sophie Mayanne
Fashion: Zarina Shukri
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