Kari Faux is a tour de force. Having released her debut mixtape, Laugh Now, Die Later, Faux star has since risen, with the likes of Donald Glover remixing her songs and her debut studio album, Lost En Los Angeles , receiving considerable hype and critical acclaim for its boundary-pushing exploration of ‘internet rap’, hip-hop and more. Here, direct from self-isolation and ahead of the release of her latest project, “Lowkey Superstar”, we chat to faux about good advice, legacy, and Sims.

Hey Kari! How are you keeping busy during quarantine?
I’ve been playing the Sims… A LOT! I’ve put like 3 sims through college. LOL. Also, been binge-watching Nip/Tuck, cooking, writing and reading as much as possible.

Are you feeling inspired by self-isolation? Do you find that it’s fuelling or quelling your creativity?
I’ve been pretty inspired, but it is extremely hard to pull things off when you can’t be around people. I miss my team so much right now.

What’s your earliest memory of music?
Listening to the Parliament Live “P Funk Earth Tour” with my dad when he would pick me up from school.

Who was your favourite band or artist growing up?
It’s a 3-way tie between Destiny’s Child, Missy Elliot, and Outkast

When did you know you wanted to do this full time?
Honestly, I don’t know. It’s still pretty crazy to me that this is my job after all these years. LOL.

How would you describe your sound?
It’s a collage of genres that influenced me. Rap, jazz, funk, rock, gospel and blues.

If you could collaborate with one person, who would it be?
Bootsy Collins, fa’sho!

Can you talk to us about some of the themes that run through “Lowkey Superstar”?
The theme of “Lowkey Superstar” is to be all that you are, even when people don’t ‘see’ you. From personal experience, I know people are always watching and waiting for the moment when they feel like they can acknowledge or validate your existence. Don’t let other people stop you from being the superstar you know you are. They’ll catch up.

What was the inspiration behind the project’s name?
Me. I’m the Lowkey Superstar.

I love the album artwork; how much of a hand do you like to have in the more visual side to being a musician?
I have a major hand in the visuals. Sometimes I edit videos and pictures myself. I conceptualize my videos and cover shoots then bring them to my team to execute.

Your skit [above] is incredible; the flow is so smooth, is this something you think about consciously when you rap, or does it come naturally?
It comes naturally. I was never taught how to rap or flow. It’s just something I’ve always known how to do.

Do you find narrative elements and storytelling important to your songwriting, or is it a more abstract, emotion-driven process for you?
It’s definitely emotion-driven, but storytelling is important to me as well. Like, for example, I wrote “StickUp!” because someone owed me money and was acting very nonchalant about it. I was livid., and my co-producer Danio told me to just make a song about it. LOL.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
“Don’t do anything out of desperation.”

What’s your goal for one year from now?
To be more consistent in releasing music. I’m sitting on quite a bit of music. Also, I want to get into acting, modeling and starting my own clothing line.

If today was the last day on earth, what would you do? Where would you go?
I would go to Belize (never been) and do psychedelics while hanging out on the beach all day to watch my last sunset.

What do you want your legacy to be?
I want people to say I did whatever the fuck I wanted and it inspired them to do the same.