With her time split between Melbourne and Papua New Guinea since childhood, up-and-coming indie hip hop artist Kaiit recently released her debut EP.
The 20-year-old hopes that 'Live From Her Room' will help listeners connect as well as getting them through tough times.
“I'm so excited for people to hear this and be able to relate to it. Even though I've already gone through it, maybe it's something [the listener is] going through, then maybe I can help them out with that situation,” Kaiit says.
Kaiit got her start in music young; both of her parents were teachers at an art campus in Port Moresby, the capital city of Papua New Guinea, with her family living right next to a jazz campus. “I'd like to think that's kind of what has really drawn me to jazz,” she says. “But just being in my household, there was an eclectic range of music.”
With a family who loved everything from jazz to Morrissey, it's no wonder Kaiit grew up to have a huge passion for music. “My uncle was also really big into music and he gave me 'The Miseducation Of Lauryn Hill' [album], so that was a very pivotal moment too.”
Although 'Live From Her Room' was not actually recorded in her bedroom, the concept behind the EP stemmed from the many, many hours Kaiit spent listening to music alone in her room.
“I guess the concept was more to do with when I was growing up and I was first making music, and even when it was all just in my room for so long, and you know feeling these emotions and the things I was going through,” she muses.
“I started doing little performances and sharing little bits of me, and people would just be like 'yo, where can we get your stuff', and I don't think I even had a Soundcloud at that point. But I was like 'I need to let this out and I can't wait to'.”
Despite the fact she has played countless sold-out shows and festivals this year (including BIGSOUND), the teen says her highlight of 2018 is simply seeing people connect with her music. “I love when people have first just, like, listened, and they hit me up straight away,” she says.
Kaiit did, however, gush at the mention of playing Island Vibe Festival, a sustainable, inclusive music-arts-culture festival held on the shores of North Stradbroke Island (SE QLD) during the last weeks of whale migration season.
“I am so excited," she says.
“My boyfriend has been there before and he's just told me it's the most amazing place and yeah, I just love how it's very conscious of the footprint that it's making on to the planet,” Kaiit says.
As for her live show, she says it's all about creating a connection between her and the audience. “There's a lot of talking online and talking on social media and not seeing faces and people and their energy, like, in that exact moment.”
'Live From Her Room' EP is available now.
Kaiit Australia Tour 2018
Fri 21 Sep - The Corner Hotel (Melbourne)Thu 11 Oct - Oxford Art Factory (Sydney)
Fri 12 Oct - Tokyo Sing Song (Sydney)
Sat 13 Oct - Transit Bar (Canberra)
Fri 26 Oct - Island Vibe Festival (N. Stradbroke Island)
Sat 27 Oct - Railway Club (Darwin)
Fri 2 Nov - Bloodhound Bar (Brisbane)
Sat 10 Nov - Mojos (Perth)
15-16 Nov - Mullum Music Festival (Mullumbimby)
16-18 Nov - Strawberry Fields Festival (Tocumwal)
30 Dec-1 Jan - NYE On The Hill 2018 (Wonthaggi)
