INTERVIEW: KVNYL On Balancing Self-Forgiveness And Responsibility
KVNYL. Photo by @lauren._hm.
Melbourne rapper KVNYL has just dropped his debut EP The Worst Of Me, and it’s a deeply introspective release that draws from KVNYLs’s personal experiences. He’s building on the world created within the EP through a short film made by Visionaire Media, and you can watch the trailer for the film below.
I spoke to KVNYL ahead of the film’s release next week, and discussed the relationship between film and music. We also chatted about the meaning of the EP, and what’s set to follow the release of the film.
Ben Madden: Firstly, can you introduce yourself and your music?
My name is KVNYL, I'm an artist from Melbourne and I'm here to push limits & have some fun along the way.
You’re releasing a short film, The Worst Of Me, to accompany your EP of the same name – can you tell me where that idea came from?
The first single I wrote was Hypocrite in 2018. The Worst of Me was a line from that song that the moment I heard it back sparked a whole train of thought recreating a project centred around my worst qualities.
What links are you hoping fans draw between the EP and the short film?
The film quite closely represents the treatment I drafted in between writing Hypocrite and the rest of the project. I'm quite excited to see how it fills the gaps in the way people have interpreted the project from only listening to it.
When choosing to extend the world of the EP with a short film, how did you make sure to keep the message consistent, and how do you feel about the relationship between music and visuals?
The project was created around a treatment I wrote. So in many ways, the music is based around the film. It took me two years to perfect the concept that by the time it came to shoot the film I had near every scene envisioned
Did the making of the short film change the way you view visuals in the realm of music, and did the shift in creative medium result in any unexpected learnings/epiphanies?
Again not quite, due to the inception of the film coming first. But it was awfully satisfying to watch the concept tie together in another medium.
Which should people consume first – the EP, or the short film and why?
The audio first. I have really enjoyed people pointing out the own observations and tying their personal stories to the base concept of the EP, which is to find the balance between self-forgiveness and assuming ultimate responsibility.
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Finally, what are your next few steps, both personally and music-wise?
The film will drop next week and then it's on to dropping some hits. I've spent two years prioritising the concept above everything. None of the songs on the project were designed to fit any sort of playlist/radio mould.
I still plan on experimenting but I'm now suddenly excited about writing a catching melody or making people feel good. Expect a whole bunch of variety.
You can follow KVNYL on Facebook here, Instagram here and Twitter here.