The UK scene is the gift that keeps on giving, and right now we’re taking in newcomer Klaudia Keziah. Emotionally driven with a sweet-toned melody to match, the rising singer has beautifully crafted her own signature sound in the scene, merging hard-hitting trap-tinged productions with nostalgic 90s R&B. Revealing her new single “Dedicated”, the singer navigates her way through a contemporary R&B production, using poetic deep-rooted lyricism and an abundance of soul. Sitting in between the likes of Cleo Sol and Pip Millett, the singer speaks her truth in the single and makes a stellar entrance.

“Dedicated to me is about knowing your worth and position in a relationship and giving your partner the ultimatum that if they can’t decide where they stand or how invested they are in the relationship, then you won’t let them waste your time,” Klaudia revealed when speaking on the single.

Having previously released a string of covers on YouTube over the years, the singer has steadily built up her own fanbase and is ready to step into the spotlight with her own sound. Eager to finally let people know what she has been working on the past year, the singer sits down with us talks us through her unique sound and inspirations.

Check out the interview below…

Hey Klaudia, we are halfway through 2021, how has it been for you so far?
The year feels like it’s flying by so fast! After everything that’s happened over the last year I really wanted to start the year strong. Since January I’ve just been focused on preparing for this release and trying to make the vision come to life regardless of all of the restrictions. Also being in the studio as much as I can.

With everything that happened last year, do you think your creativity was affected?
I always believe that you have to go out there and do some living, travel and experience different things to help write exciting new material, so being in lockdown for a year has definitely changed the way I approach making music. It kind of forced me to spend a lot more time experimenting with my sound which actually ended up being the starting point for a lot of my new songs. The strangest part was doing Instagram live performances. It’s such a different feeling compared to interacting with a live audience and seeing real faces looking back at you. I think I even said thank you and paused after a song, like I was expecting a crowd to clap! Super embarrassing.

How did you first get into music, what is your earliest memory?
I count myself lucky that I found my passion quite young and knew that’s what I wanted. When I was 8 years old and living in Lithuania, there was a music school right next door to my grandma’s flat, where I learned to play cello and piano. The level they expect from little kids over there is crazy, it was terrifying at the time, but now I look back I’m thankful to have had that experience for sure. I started to find my confidence singing when I was 16 and now living in the UK, when the lead singer of a College band I was in suggested I sung the song I wrote for the band myself. That definitely encouraged me on to sing and start writing songs for myself. I guess the earliest memory of music is me singing the Titanic soundtrack to my mum and sister when I was 5 with a hairbrush as a mic in the living room. My day one fans.

You’re a self-taught producer as well, what spurred on this interest?
This really came when I was in Uni and I was desperate to record my songs and ideas, but didn’t have the means to. I started watching every video online that could and annoying every producer I knew so that I could do it myself. I started working with Jojo F (producer of “Dedicated”). He loved the sound of my demos I brought to him, and started to teach me more. He ended up getting me to assist on his sessions which after a while, led to me actually working at the studio as a vocal and mix engineer.

And you’ve just dropped your new single “Dedicated”, take us through the production process!
The whole song started from a really simple idea me and Jojo came up with. At the time it was literally keys and a kick and I wrote the whole hook around that. We both really loved it and wanted to expand on it. We wanted the whole song to feel like it flows, and not have any section feel too similar. We collaborated with some great musicians on this song that really brought it to life and helped that vision happen.

It’s very poetic and breathes nostalgia, what made you want to tap into the theme of relationships?
I’m a 90s baby and 90s R&B really lives in my heart and I always try to tap into that in some way in my music. A lot of my favourite songs from that era we’re all based around a situation in a relationship, I wanted to take that and kind of flip it to tell a more candid story of a modern relationship, but still give a soft R&B feel.

You’ve also done a lot of covers over the years, which one has been your favourite?
If I had to choose, I think any Kehalni song. She’s one of my favourite artists for sure. And I really enjoy being able to put my twist on great songwriting.

What has it been like releasing music during such difficult times?
It’s definitely made it harder, to say the least. But in hindsight, I think it really made me and my team a lot more resourceful and gave us the opportunity to approach a lot of things we do in a different way. I think the growth in platforms like TikTok over lockdown, it’s opened up new ways to release and push music.

Who would you cite as your inspiration?
Musically, my early inspiration was artists like Nina Simone and Billy Holiday. I just loved how different their vocal tones were and how raw and personal the songwriting was. And like I mentioned earlier a lot of 90s R&B. I’m obsessed with layers and harmonies. It’s all about moments in a song for me. A lot of my other inspiration comes from the strong females in my life. I come from an all-girl family, and seeing how hard my grandmother and mother grafted in life, always pushes me forward to try and be the best I can. They taught me that there are no handouts in life, so you’ve got to go and get it for yourself. I think that strong independent woman example I was shown early, definitely influences my songwriting today.

What’s next for you? What are you most excited for?
With stuff re-opening, I’m really looking forward to getting back out and performing. Along with the new music I’ve been working on, I’ve got a whole new live performance to go with it. I’m really looking forward to finally letting people hear what I’ve been working on! Also, I’m going to be heading Stateside to work on new music as well, which I’m really excited for.