Audio Cantrips: So, there are just so many things we could discuss. You released an album in 2012. You're in the process of putting out another album. You have some strong opinions on a number of issues that are within the scope of this site. You did a fantastic remix of a song by one of the bands I mention every once in a while on this site. And you have definite insight on a particular market niche that goes neglected at times, that being electronic instrumentals.
Without further rambling, first question: For those readers who might not know who you are, could you give a brief introduction?
Kaia Young: Hello, I’m Kaia, a racially ambiguous, ex-fundamentalist, lesbian, transgender, social worker and part time photographer whose life is saved by music every day.
Audio Cantrips: The next couple of questions are really sets of closely related questions. As someone who does pure instrumentals, how do you best gauge change and growth in your work over time? It's easier when songs have lyrics, because people can see subject matter differences, for example. But people have to entirely interpret your messages through the music itself. How does someone best understand the ideas you're trying to convey? How do you get your points across without words? Do you think there's a difference in how much personal meaning the listener projects onto the interpretation of instrumentals?
Kaia Young: My songwriting ideas are definitely theme based, buts it’s interesting that you bring up the listener projecting personal meanings onto the songs. Most of my songs are tied to specific memories or image. I design the songs (and albums) to narrate the sequence of moments to tell the story. Over time, my production and writing skill has increased, so I have been more able to gets what’s in my head onto the computer. I’ve been very happy (and a little surprised) that a lot of people pick up on the narrative quality, even without knowing the specifics of the images.
I had recently written out a huge blog post about the stories of some of the songs on the new album, but decided not to post it after receiving quite a few emails from people expressing what the narrative meant to them. I even received one email that more or less exactly followed the narrative of particular song that I hadn’t talked about publicly. That level of connection fascinates me, and I’m not even sure that I understand how it happens! The point of the music has always been the emotion, not the specifics, so I don’t want the specifics to become a barrier to the overall experience.
Audio Cantrips: How do you market your music? Do you find it more difficult to sell instrumentals? What have you found to be the best ways to convey value in your releases?
Kaia Young: Interestingly enough, marketing isn’t something I had really thought about until the past year or so. I didn’t start producing instrumental music to be “successful” because I honestly didn’t think it *could* be successful. My fanbase largely developed by word of mouth, though it has been interesting to note some particular trends that intersect with some of my other interests. There has definitely been interest from the gaming community, as well as many forums for literary/visual art inspiration. Even just casually glancing over the market demographics, it’s very apparent that instrumental music has more appeal to people who are artists, musicians, or writers themselves.
Selling instrumental music has definitely had some unique barriers to overcome. Most popular music is generally very vocal-centric. The hooks are vocal, the melody is vocal, entire genres can even be defined solely by the style of vocal delivery. It’s pretty rare to hear an instrumental electronic piece outside of certain niche markets, unless it’s meant to dance to.
It seems that many people have trouble relating to music outside of the context of vocals. At least half of the places my songs are posted will have multiple comments like “where are the vocals? Why is this instrumental, where is the real song?” From a marketing standpoint, it would definitely make sense to just add some vocals, but I’ve really come to enjoy the challenge of trying to make music that people find engaging without relying on vocals. By intentionally denying people their expectation of vocals, you interrupt the script of what a music listening experience is supposed to be, which gives you an opportunity to take the listener on a journey that they might not have otherwise. I think that different approach has actually become one of the primary selling points of the music.
Audio Cantrips: You have another release coming soon that you've been working on, if I'm not mistaken. What can you tell us about it?
Kaia Young: The title will be “The Day the Curse Grew Stronger”, and it will feature to 10 new instrumental tracks. Overall, it is a bit more straightforward and targeted than “This is Bloodlust.” During much of the writing process, I was also working on material for my other hardcore/punk band, so I think that some of the same ideas carried over. There is definitely a lot less wandering around, it’s very up front about what it is. The orchestral elements I’ve always played with definitely have a much bigger role on this album. I’m currently in the mixing phase and am anticipating an April or May release. One of the things I’m actually most excited about is that I completed a series of concept photos to go along with the release. The music has always had a visual component in my mind, so exploring the same ideas in a different medium was an interesting diversion from my normal workflow. The pictures will be part of the package, and I may do a release on physical media if there is enough interest.
Audio Cantrips: This Is Bloodlust seems to be a little more smooth around the edges than your previous releases, in my opinion. Even though this album is still very much your style with the punk and metal influence, there's a little bit of softness in some places, and there seems to be a hint of ethereal influence. Am I off the mark? What would you say makes This Is Bloodlust unique?
Kaia Young: With that album, I was going for a more balanced approach to songwriting. Instrumental albums can quickly become repetitive in tone and direction, or gimmicky by trying to do too much, so I wanted to experiment with a very broad range of textures while still keeping a unified theme and focus. The album was really designed to be one complete work, rather than a collection of individual songs. It’s actually interesting that you would describe some of the passages as ethereal, as that’s exactly what I was going for! In exploring my own biases, I found that I had always worked hard to try to keep the listeners interest, so I wanted to make an effort to become more comfortable with just sitting in the moment with nothing specific happening.
Audio Cantrips: I was completely floored by your remix of I:Scintilla's "Skin Tight". You turned what was dark and sultry into something high-energy and flat-out rabid. What went into transforming the song like that? Also, what was it like working with I:Scintilla? Do you intend to work with them again?
Kaia Young: Usually when working on a remix, I only use the vocals, and let them guide the writing process. I really liked the original track, but definitely wanted to try taking the song in a different direction. The melody was very simple, so there was a lot of room to experiment with movement, tension, and different chord progressions in the accompaniment. I was instantly in love with the pre-chorus vocal bit, so I knew right away that it would be the driving focus of the song. Once that was in place, the rest flowed organically. Brittany has a fantastic voice, so coming up with ideas was not difficult at all. Overall, they were happy with the mix, and some guest vocals were offered, so I may have to take them up on that in the future!
Audio Cantrips: You are very much open about your stances regarding eliminating social injustice, particularly in regard to race, sexual orientation, and gender identity, both in general and within the scene. If you had to summarize what you stand for though in a nutshell, particularly to the readers of this interview who don’t know you, what would you say?
Kaia Young: I stand for full equality in every measure. I stand for equal opportunity in access to employment, housing, healthcare, education, legal rights, and quality of life. I want to combat negative media images and stereotypes. I want the counter culture to actually be countercultural, instead of mirroring mainstream society’s ideas, biases, and power structures.
Audio Cantrips: As both a musician with a meaningful following and someone who is biracial and has satisfied the L and T components of LGBT groupings, have you found yourself to be a role model to others? Have people sought help from you? Has your status in one role aided in your success in the other? Also, in general, what advice would you give anyone still struggling with the things that you have struggled with, yourself?
Kaia Young: Being a minority of a minority of a minority does make me stand out a bit, which has its positive and negative sides. Being a role model isn’t really something you choose, it’s kind of an expectation that is put upon you. My success in music and other areas has definitely made me more visible, but I’m still in kind of a weird position due to my personal intersectionality. Media entities still tend to sensationalize transgender people and issues, so I often have to be careful to keep any dialog in balance. While I’m very open about my transgender history, it’s not *all* that I am. Even though I’ve been out for years, it’s still not uncommon for comment threads to devolve into speculation about the state of my genitals (and I’m trying really hard not to call out one particular country that is notorious for this…). Surprisingly, even my race can still be an issue for some people. The last time I played a show in Chicago, I was interrupted while setting up my gear multiple times by people commenting that they didn’t think that the band I was playing with was big enough to have a roadie.
The midwest can be an exceedingly hostile environment to be trans (or any minority) in, so privacy and stealth are generally very high priorities when you are still in the vulnerable stages. Despite that, I actually have been approached by people, some in the process of transition, others who are afraid to start the process or even come out. Some need help with practical things, but many just want someone to talk to. Sadly, many of them have actually been turned away from their local LGBT resources. There’s still quite a bit of trans discrimination, even from within the LGBT community. Most viable supports and resources for the trans community are solely operated by us, so even though there is a lot of crossover with the L’s and G’s, there has not been a lot of reciprocity. Things are getting better though. I’m encouraged and humbled by many of the people who are brave enough to keep up the fight, even when it seems hopeless.
My advice? Don’t give up. Refuse. Resist. Thrive. Understand that you are beautiful, and that your experience makes you stronger than your oppressors can ever comprehend.
Audio Cantrips: When you were in more tumultuous times, particularly when you were still coming to grips with your own sexual orientation and gender identity, did you seek encouragement, inspiration, or assistance from musicians or other entertainment figures?
Kaia Young: When discussing trans visibility, you almost have to break it up into pre and post Youtube. Sadly, there weren’t a lot of easily visible out trans musicians when I was a kid (back in the dark ages before the internet and cell phones), so I’m thrilled to see so many now, particularly in the various subcultures such as Mina Caputo and Laura Jane Grace.
Ironically, my struggles are what got me into underground music in the first place. I was definitely attracted to the open-mindedness and lack of judgment in the goth/industrial scene, particularly regarding gender. It was also a convenient excuse to explain away wearing makeup or fingernail polish! As the scene has adopted more mainstream influence, it also picked up some of its misogyny and racism. I’m happy that there is a conversation about it, but where are the minority voices? I don’t really go to many shows any more, the harassment has been pretty severe at the last few.
Youtube and blogging in general really revolutionized trans visibility. The availability of such resources finally gave trans people their own voice without it being filtered through mainstream media. Loneliness was a major struggle for me, even with the support of my partner. The hostile environment here keeps people hiding (I didn’t have a face to face conversation with another trans person until I was 27… in Bangkok), so youtube channels and blogs *were* my support. I learned how to navigate the system, voice, basically everything by other people just telling their stories.
Since surviving transition, I have reached out to a few musicians/entertainers that had similar experiences. There are definitely some unique challenges within the punk, metal, and (increasingly) the electronic music scenes. Music has always been a bit of a boy’s club, but there’s definitely a level of hyper-masculinity that comes with these cultures that can be very toxic to those who don’t fit into it, particularly when you have people looking up to you. Laura Jane Grace’s story really moved me. I had actually been a fan of Against Me for years before she came out, so it was inspiring and heartbreaking to see someone have to go through the same thing I did, but on a much larger scale. I actually saw them live back in November, and almost punched some guy on the front row who was yelling some pretty rude things. So, if you’re reading this Laura, call me if you need a hug, or someone to be punched!
Audio Cantrips: Finally, I have no qualms with saying that I think your music sounds like it should be in video games. Has anyone else told you that before? Do you see where my assessment is coming from?
Kaia Young: I actually get that quite a lot, and I don’t disagree! I’ve done my fair share of gaming, so I’m sure that it had an influence on me. I’d totally be open to doing some soundtrack work for a project I can get behind. Once I get this album finished, I fully intend on hitting up a few companies looking for work!
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