Interview with Lady Kash and Krissy

Storming on the scene in 2008, Lady Kash and Krissy, began their quest to bring their unique style of music to a global audience. The Duo’s unique sound is something quite special with a blending of Krissy’s enchanting voice and Lady Kash’s non-stop rap barrage.

In 2009 the Singaporean pair decided to take up education related to their passion and also wanted to boldly try something new so moved to India to pursue their dreams. When asked why they chose India, they responded:

“We believe that one can make it in the industry from any part of world. There should be and are no boundaries and we’d like to prove that! It’s one industry as we see it.”

Over the 2 years span they spent in India they took on courses in audio and music and earned diplomas in the recording arts. In May 2010, now 21-year old Kash and 20-year old Krissy accomplished an honorable feat by being the youngest Vocalists to contribute to the Theme Song for the World Classical Tamil Conference scored by 2-time Oscar & Grammy Winning Composer A.R. Rahman and penned by the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Over 60 renowned Singers from all over India had also contributed to the splendorous Anthem that encapsulates the richness of the Tamil Language, Culture and Literature down the ages.

“We are extremely thrilled and happy to be a part of this anthem as Tamil is our mother tongue and India is after all, the land of our ancestral roots. It was a humbling experience and an honor to work with so many great talents! We hope everyone enjoys the anthem and feels the heart in it!”

More accolades were in store and they became the first International Singer/Rapper Female Duo to contribute to Soundtracks in the Indian Cinema. In July 2010, they combined vocals with 2-Time Oscar Award Winning Music Composer A.R. Rahman in the Soundtrack ‘Irumbile Oru Irudhayam’ (translates to: Heart of Steel) for Indian Cinema’s costliest Movie ever made, “Endhiran – The Robot” which had been directed by renowned Filmmaker S. Shankar, and of course Musically directed by A.R.Rahman himself! The song rapidly became the People’s Favorite and also went on to create a record by becoming the First Tamil Soundtrack Album to ever enter and top the International iTunes Chart – namely, the US, UK and AUS charts – that too, in just 4 days after the Movie’s Audio was released! Listeners also coined the song the compliment of being the ‘First International Sounding Soundtrack for Indian Cinema’. To top it all off, the Movie starred the biggest names of the Industry; Superstar Rajinikanth and the Beautiful Aishwarya Rai Bachan. It also went on to become a Milestone in the timeline of the World’s Movie Industry.

“This is our biggest achievement thus far and undoubtedly a dream come true for the both of us. Working on a massive and exciting project such as Endhiran with the most admired personalities in the Industry, at such an early stage of our career, is a truly humbling experience and will definitely remain as our earliest most memorable mark of our Journey even as we go forward to more experiences. Being on a soundtrack with Mr. A.R. Rahman is a joyful blessing and something we have always visualized eagerly. Dreams do come true.”

Most recently the duo has relocated to the UK and with a quickly growing Global Fan-base, they are steadily on their way to becoming a World Wide sensation and a Dual-Feminine Force the Entertainment Industry and World has never felt before!

It is a pleasure to meet you both. What I find outstanding is the amount of success you have had in such a short period of time. What would you attribute it to? Hard work, passion? Were there any struggles or doubts along the way?

Lady Kash and Krissy: Passion. Love. Vision and Belief. Most of the things we’ve accomplished are things that we’ve envisioned for a very long time, with a lot of faith. Once we had a vision/dream we ensure we work towards it while believing the Universe is already bringing that very vision into reality. Yes there were a lot of struggles on the way but these struggles have shaped us to be all the more independent.

You two were friends prior to forming your duo but had other career paths. What had you initially wanted to do?

Krissy: I initially wanted to be a dancer (which i still get to do thankfully!) or a chef ( I love food!) ! Once, I even wanted to devote my life to taking care of wildlife.

Kash: I’ve always been an aviation enthusiast and therefore, wanted to be a Pilot! I will definitely get an aviation license in the near future as it’s been a childhod dream! I’ve also always loved dancing. Thankfully, that is a part of our music career!

When you teamed up would you say you both had similar goals?

Krissy: Some goals (not all) did vary but not vastly, they were yet somewhat along the same channels. In addition to that, we could both feel the immense passion we had for the things we loved. All it took was to focus and go for it!

I love your message that Music is universal and there “are no borders”. Do you feel that you have proved it to yourselves?

Kash: Definitely, it’s an on-going process. We see no borders in our lives, there’s only possibilities.

Tell us about “Project One” which you launched in February 2011.

Kash: Project One is a dream project which we spoke about when we first met. In 2011, after much efforts and planning, we finally managed to make it a reality. It is nothing complicated. In fact, it is VERY simple. It is an initiative to facilitate the strengthening of UNITY in the World and into becoming one that is environmentally sustainable, socially just, eco-conscious and fulfilling. The strategy? Simple. One act a time. We believe that one act at a time and together, waves of positive changes can be generated. We want to empower the Youths and younger generations (the future) to stand for what’s right and to take action. After all, the change starts with YOU.

How would you describe your style best?

Lady Kash and Krissy: We don’t have a particular style, our style is being free and being creative. We’ll ride any wave we feel like riding!

When you write your lyrics do you collaborate with each other and how important is it that they have a positive message? What is your creative process like?

Lady Kash and Krissy: Absolutely! No matter what we write about, we do our best to ensure that there is either a positive tough or that the lyrics and tunes leave people feeling happy and positive. Usually, when inspiration strikes, we contact the Producer we feel will be able to cater best to what we have in mind. Then we explain the vision for the record, provide some rough recordings and reference lyrics. The Producers then sends us a rough and we take it from there. This is of course, given we’re working over the internet. We prefer working directly in the Studio. The creative process then is just vibing off the energy of all the creative beings in the same room, to have fun and create something hot and that connects!

You have done a lot of work on film soundtracks and collaborated on some with A.R. Rahman who has won two Grammys and two Academy awards. He was also named one of the world’s most influential people in 2009 by Time magazine. How did you meet up with him and what were your collaborations like? How big an impact on your career do you think it has had?

Lady Kash and Krissy: Playback Singer Benny Dayal, had heard us on a track for a different music producer so when Mr. A R Rahman asked him if he knew any Female HIp hop rapper/singer duo, he recommended us. The experience we had working with him in the studio are just mindblowing. HIs patience and trust gave us so much confidence to exceed our potential. Without a doubt, he has given us such a leap in our career. No matter how far we go in our career, we will forever be grateful to him for believing in us.

Tell us about your promotional album, “Unlocked”.

Kash: Imagine seeking a treasure chest. Now you have unlocked the treasure chest and what’s radiates out is an assortment of vibrant colors – the rainbow! That’s what “Unlocked” is to us. It is the unleashing of an assortment of colors that know no limits and can be felt around the World! It’s a celebration and it’s very special. Expect songs of different styles and different topics. As we evolve, so will our Art and what we create. Unlocked is also going to be special in that sense as it’s first set-product that we’ll be putting out. What’s even better? The entire album, professionally produced, will be available for free downloads on our Official Site. Listeners and fans will also have the option of ordering exclusive physical copies at a cost from the Site.

You are working on your upcoming record, “Take Me Home Tonight” now. What can we expect?

Krissy: You can expect a fresh, sassy and sexy record! This is the first record off our Promotional album ‘Unlocked’. It’s been about a year since we’ve released a new track so TMHT is more of a celebration for us! It’s also our first original dance record and it features US Artiste Augie Abatecola.

Tell us a little about the contest you had for the records cover artwork?

Lady Kash and Krissy: It was an idea to have our fans involved in the process leading up to the release of our upcoming record Take Me Home Tonight. As mentioned before, it is a special release and we wanted them to be a part of it! It was fun looking at all the clever and quirky submissions that came in and it was also our way of saying thanks to them for all the love so far!

Lady Kash, I know you are a big fan of tattoos and you have Sanskrit music notes down your arm. Do they have a personal meaning to you? Any plans of getting more?

Kash: Haha I don’t think I even need to explain the Sanskrit music notes running along my arm. Every tattoo I have on me is special and holds a meaning to it. I don’t really plan for any of them. I get it done when I feel deeply for it and know it is something rooted and connected to me. For example, the word DREAMS and the word LOVE. Two things I firmly believe it. I have one on each hand.

I enjoy the writing in your blog. Your posts come from the heart and reveal a lot about you both. You see things not at face value but deeper than some others do? That can make things hard when problems occur. How do you handle the ups and downs of the music business?

Krissy: Yes we do admit that sometimes we end up thinking about things too much. This industry can be very harsh but over the years we have learned to live and let live. We have also learnt to take in only what’s necessary and positive and not worry about the other things. We always remind ourselves that no matter what happens or what anyone says or does, as long as we are passionate about our art ,our visions are concrete, and our intentions are good, no one will ever be able to take us down.

What are your plans for the future and do you have steps you will take to reach your goals? Is everything mapped out or do you keep yourself open to see what may happen?

Kash: It’s a bit of both. We do have a strategy and at the same time, we keep our minds open. I think there needs to be a balance of both to stride forward. That remains constant – to always keep moving forward. Inevitably, we all have ups and down. But we’ve got to pick ourselves up and soldier on.

I love Double-K TV and the episodic, “Kickin with Kash and Krissy”. You are both very natural and fun in front of the camera. How has your Youtube channel been received and have you ever considered doing a documentary on your amazing journey together?

Lady Kash and Krissy: We’re glad to know that! Many times infact! A documentary is something we’ve spoken about many times. It’s something that we’d love to look into in the near future.

What artists and musicians inspire you?

Krissy: Beyonce, Mariah Carey, Michael Jackson, Mr Rahman for sure. They are not only amazing singers but performers all round.

Kash: Tough question! To name some off the top off my head.. Michael Jackson, Beyonce, Lauryn Hill, Ryan Leslie, Bob Marley, Shakira, Pharell, Missy Elliot and of course Mr A.R.R.

What do you both like to do when you aren’t working?

Krissy: I love spending time with my family, friends, cats, swimming, reading, dancing and cooking!

Kash: Spending time with family and dear ones. I love reading and doing my own research on various topic. Not to mention, I love doing sports, working out or just taking time off to myself and dreaming.

Where can we go to find out more information about you and your music?

Krissy: You can visit out Official Site at www.ladykashandkrissy.com for all the info you need! Or if you wanna catch some videos, tune into Double K TV at www.youtube.com/ladykashandkrissy. Follow us @KashAndKrissy on twitter or pop by the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ladykashandkrissyofficial!

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