If you aren’t yet tapped into what KeyDaIntro is doing, here’s another reminder to jump on the bandwagon. The Pittsburgh-based artist has been consistently putting out some of the best R&B jams year after year (take a dive through her Soundcloud catalogue if you don’t believe me). 2020 saw her release the brilliant Fleeting Thoughts EP: an immaculate display of smooth and lavish vocals harmonies pouring over laid-back and lush beats. And it doesn’t look like there’s any sign of stopping soon, with Key having dropped another sweet single, “Don’t Care”, this past February. In the interview below, she tells us about the track’s creation, her musical inspirations, and the other bright musical minds in the Pittsburgh scene whose work we ought to get acquainted with.
HotK: Your latest track, “Don’t Care,” is a cool, calm, and unconcerned response to a companion’s threatened departure. What were the thoughts swimming around your head when you wrote that song?
KeyDaIntro: While writing Don’t Care I was thinking about how I would publicly react to hearing some unsavory news about a lover or a bad fallout with someone I was once close with. I thought about the humanized embodiment of a wall I’d build up to hide my true emotions and vulnerability. I was also channeling this childish “nah-nah-nahnah-nah” thing the beat was giving me too. The best gave me an attitude (lol).
Haha, I love the attitude! The track features production from Yorel Tifsim, who’s been a frequent collaborator of yours in the past. How do you two approach the construction of a song when working together?
Yeah, he’s my “in-house” producer and I mean that literally.
The way we collaborate is almost embarrassingly simple. He makes beats and literally forgets about them until I randomly get the urge to create and I pick one off.
Fleeting Thoughts is one of my favourite projects from 2020. What were some of the inspirations and intentions that guided the creation of the EP?
With that project I just wanted people to know where my mind was at. Those songs are so personal. “Alright” is so relatable and my favorite because I struggle with expressing myself with words, which I ironically pulled off with FT. My boyfriend being a lethargic partner while under the influence inspired “Stay Up.” “Summer Baby Blues” is about my struggle with depression, particularly in the Summer time during that time because where we were living was so hot it made me lethargic and miserable. Every song was me in that moment. Being in love, upset, concerned about society.
Aesthetically, late 90s alternative and R&B are what I’m always trying to mesh together some way. Particularly artists like Timbaland, Aaliyah, and Shirley Manson from Garbage are some of the few that shaped me artistically. I wanted to show that with that EP.
The alternative and R&B scenes of 90s were full of iconic musicians, and you’ve even released covers of songs by Garbage and The Cardigans! What would you say makes the music of that era so special for you as a fan and an artist?
What makes it special to me is the memories it sparks off in my mind. It reminds me of a simpler time. A time where I had no responsibilities. It reminds me of my older sister who indirectly influenced my taste in music during her experimental phase. I was too young to understand the music at the time it came out but it subconsciously stuck with me until I got to an age in which I could listen deeply and relate. I can’t get enough. I just recently started seriously getting into the Cardigans and I’m low-key obsessed. Life and Grand Turismo are flawless albums. Definitely inspired the vocal arrangement in “Don’t Care.”
I feel much of the same way about music that came out during my childhood in the early 2000s. If I listen to it now, regardless of whether it’s something I was listening to at the time or something I’m now discovering 15-20 years later, it all seems to be cloaked in this nostalgic aura for me.
If we shift things back to the present day, who are some current musicians that more people need to be paying attention to?
People need to seriously tune into my city (Pittsburgh). We got something to say down here. There’s a lot of talent undiscovered. Few of my favorites are Ensilence who was featured on my song “SummerBabyBlues” from Fleeting Thoughts. Ensilence is literally my favorite rapper. She can do no wrong, one of theee best lyricists that ever did it. Lando Ash makes relatable great music. My homie Odell Lancaster and his producer Fletch has this crazy almost DOOM reminiscent sound. Buscrates, funky ass master producer. Fire as fuck is an understatement. Yorel Tifsim of fucking course. He’s a fire lyricist as well and has made so many beats for Pittsburgh. He deserves his credit. Check out Bored in Pittsburgh if you want a good ear to my city. On a more mainstream (but still underground level) Tinashe has been blasting non-stop, Smino is a crazy lyricist, Ari Lennox, Bree Runway, BOSCO, Danger Incorporated, Goldlink, Flo Milli, Greentea Peng, Kaytranada, Samiyam, ahh. So many lol.
Music is great, but there’s a lot of bullshit in the music industry that many artists put up with (not getting paid appropriately for their work, for example). What are some changes/improvements that you would like to see in the music biz?
Nothing. To me the music industry is just a bank. If they think you’re palatable (in bank terms if your credit is good) than you get a loan. It’s about knowing what you’re getting into. A lot of artists cry about it but it’s our responsibility to do the research.
There’s many options out there now for artists and we don’t even necessarily need the music industry anymore like artists did in the past thanks to social media.
I’d rather take out an actual loan to fund my own career from an actual bank. That way I can do things my way.
One thing I will mention though is that streaming apps need to pay artists more money per stream instead of every 1500 streams or whatever that shit is. I want to get paid per stream. It sucks because streaming is so convenient for the listener but it fucks up artists money. It’s evil.
I totally agree with you regarding streaming. Spotify has come out and said that they can’t afford to pay artists more (although the company is worth billions so I don’t know if I believe that). There’s an argument to be made, one that organizations like the Union of Musicians and Allied Workers are currently making, that if streaming service models can’t pay artists fairly, then perhaps they shouldn’t exist.
I will be joining that union. Artists get taken advantage of the most and we get the least support for our contributions. It’s so hard.
So what’s next for KeyDaIntro? Are there any upcoming projects that your fans should keep an eye out for?
What’s next for me? Hopefully an LP. I’ve been working for months trying to get a feel for what I want to do. I would also like to get some visuals out there and perform, something that I’ve always been afraid to do. I definitely want to fully produce a project of my own and perhaps for others one day.
I want to take this seriously for once.
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KeyDaIntro’s music is available for purchase here. Stay up to date by following her on Instagram, Twitter, and Soundcloud.