Interview: Asi Kemera on trusting herself, being a Gemini and new track ‘honey bb’

Screenshot from “honey bb” by Asi Kemera ft Seijioda. Verified shot/directed @by.hassan.

Producer-artist Asi Kemera, having released two singles and an EP already is continuing to take the world of bedroom pop by storm. Ashamed Magazine’s music writer, Seeham Rahman, caught up with her to discuss her new single ‘honey bb’, how she gained the confidence to follow her dreams and about her spiritual practice.

“I’m a Taurus sun, Gemini rising and Aquarius moon. So, I feel like I really identify with Aquarius, but also my Gemini rising as well because it brings out the quirkiness out of me.” says Asi Kemera with a smile on her face, explaining the details of her new song ‘honey bb’. Such is the energy that radiates throughout our zoom call when the 20-year-old excitedly discussed with us her artistic growth and what’s to come musically, as she plans her move from Atlanta to LA with an album’s-worth of songs in her pocket.

SEEHAM: What have you been getting up to? What’s been bringing you joy in this difficult time?

ASI KEMERA: Good! I’ve just been making music and planning my move to LA. Honestly, I've also been meditating to get through this pandemic. It's been helping me a lot mentally, and with making music it’s a combination of both. Yeah, just like getting into my spirituality, with music, and without it.

S: In the past, you’ve talked about how R&B, rock, Bollywood, Ethiopian sounds are your inspirations. What sort of music do you listen to now and who are your musical inspirations?

ASI: I would say Stevie Wonder is my one inspiration. I can pinpoint the point where I was like yeah, he inspires me. But I listen to so many different genres. What really inspires me is the production and the chords and sounds artists use. Especially how the production makes you feel. That's something about Stevie Wonder that I really love. His chords are so luscious and make you feel like you're on a cloud.

S: Can you pinpoint a moment where you knew that music was something you wanted to make yourself?

ASI: Honestly, that happened really young. I wasn't sure that I wanted to do it as a career, but I started getting into like old school 70s music and R&B back when I was literally 10, or like, maybe seven. I don't even remember; it was a really long time ago! I just loved the way it made me feel. I started writing songs to kind of emulate that feeling, even if they weren’t that good.

S: I think taking the leap to follow your dreams is super inspirational! What would your advice be to those who also want to follow a passion?

ASI: That's where my spirituality comes in because I've been meditating so much and journaling. I started to find that music is really all I want to do. Some people might not necessarily want to do music, but if they do feel that there is something they really want to do, then I’d say meditate on it and then just go after it. That's my biggest advice, you know, to just do it. Because you never know what's going to happen until you try. A lot of people have never tried and never take the first step towards their passion. And I feel like the most important thing is just seeing what works and what doesn't. At least just taking that first step in attempting it and then trying harder next time. You know, continuing to find your way. That was super difficult for me at first, because I was insecure and would think about staying in school or do what I was told because it was the responsible decision. But it’s really important to be most authentic to yourself and just go after what you really feel is for you.

S: In a previous conversation you had, you also opened up about being a black woman in bedroom pop. Sadly, there is clear mistreatment of people of colour in the music industry, particularly black artists. Feel free not answer, because you don't owe it to anyone to speak about this, but if you feel comfortable - what kind of change do you hope to see in the music industry, especially in the genres you are involved in, which as you've discussed as quite white-dominated?

ASI: I hope that when other black women see me, doing this quirky black girl thing that it inspires people to be open about who they are. Especially since I know, there's a lot of people who are scared to be authentic to themselves because of the biases that people put on you. People expect you to be a certain way, because of your skin colour and then they just box you in and they're like, oh, you're a black girl, so you must make stuff like this? It’s difficult to hear that and I definitely went through that. Some people thought I was weird because I wasn't sticking to what people expected me to do. I would just say, I really hope to inspire people to be themselves. You know? Because I know it's hard when people really want to box you in, especially in this industry.

S: It’s really great that you're being the representation that you wanted to see yourself. How did you get the confidence not to listen to others and make the music you were passionate about?

ASI: It took me a really long time, to be honest. In the past, I've made music that people expected me to make and I was trying to fit into the box. But then I was like, this is not authentic to who I am at all and I just want to be true to myself. So, it's really a journey and something that I felt like I owe to myself. To just be true to who I am and unapologetic about it. It's definitely scary. I was very intimidated to do it. But I still just dove in and gave it a shot.

S: In ‘In Ur Dreams’ you discuss how you were in a situation where being curved helped you realise your worth. Similarly, in ‘On A cloud’, you talk about falling for someone and ending up alone. You say you want to create positive, dreamy energy in your songs but with those sensitive and emotive narratives, it must be really difficult to. What’s your process for turning difficult moments into the optimistic sounds you want to share?

ASI: It's a difficult process for sure. I'm having to address those emotions. But I like to make beauty out of a situation, so that's like the motivating factor. Even if I'm feeling sad about something, I love turning it into something that brings me peace and healing. And sometimes I'm going through it and then other times it's in the past like In Ur Dreams I wrote it as I was reminiscing and thinking like, wow, that happened, and here I am in a better position! So yeah, I felt healed and wrote it from that perspective. While in On A Cloud I was going through the experience and I was sad. But to be honest, when I finish a song after the situation has passed, I've healed from it. I'm not sad anymore. Especially since I try to make music when I'm feeling in a state of peace. Like, I usually meditate beforehand, or if I'm just feeling peaceful from life and being appreciative. That’s where I make my music from. Because I want to bring that peaceful feeling to listeners. I don't really perform from a hurt place. Usually, I just perform from a spiritual place.

S: It’s impressive that you can move forward that way. What advice would you give to someone who is going through those initial stages of sadness and heartbreak right now, who maybe doesn't have creating music as a medium to heal?

ASI: I would say, just take time for yourself, because healing isn't an easy process - and it's not fast. It definitely takes time, patience and being nice to yourself in those moments when you're feeling sad. But especially being patient with yourself, that’s the biggest thing I’d recommend. In time you’ll realise your worth if you didn't know already.

S: So, you have a new single out! That's super exciting. How are you feeling about releasing new music and what made ‘honey bb’ jump out to you as the right song for this new era?

ASI: I'm very excited because it's been almost nine months since my EP came out. I also feel like my last EP was very mellow and slow, which is great, but I wanted to switch things up. I really like the vibe of ‘honey bb’, it’s very quirky and dancey and fun. It’s something contrasting to what I’ve released in the past, so I'm really excited! I just wanted to make sure that the vision was perfect before I did it, and everything came together just the way I wanted it to.

S: You've described how you wanted this song to be pretty and feminine, sensual and soft. I really love that description of it and your vibe definitely emulates those dreamlike qualities. What does being pretty and beautiful and feminine mean to you?

ASI: I feel like pretty is on the chords and then the feeling of the song. I gravitate towards chords that just make you feel dreamy and luscious, so I gravitate towards those chords. It's just a way for me to describe the base and the foundation of the production and mostly it's just a feeling.

S: It definitely seems like a feeling. I also really love that you said ‘honey bb’ is influenced by your Gemini personality. What do you mean by that? As a believer of astrology, I have to ask, what are your sun, moon and rising signs?

ASI: I was just going to get into that! I’m a Taurus sun, Gemini rising and Aquarius moon. I feel like I really identify with Aquarius, but also my Gemini rising as well because it brings out the quirkiness out of me. With the song, because it’s a sensual song, the Gemini in me influenced it in the way that I’m usually a dominant person, and the song is very sexually submissive. So it's just kind of like switching it up and having two sides.

S: You definitely get that from the lyrics and even the video, where the visuals are quite soft and radiate feminine energy. What made you want to write about that in particular?

ASI: Honestly, it was just kind of natural, I feel like I've changed a lot from the time period of when I made Daydream EP to now. It’s just a reflection of growth rather than intentionality.

S: It’s also your first song featuring another artist! What makes you want to collaborate with another artist and why Seiji for this track?

ASI: I felt like Seiji just brought this energy to the song that was just so bubbly and animated. I love what he adds to the song and I just knew he'd be a perfect fit before I even asked him. I was like, who do I want to feature on this? Because I wanted to do something different. And I immediately thought, Seiji, Seiji, Seiji! Because I knew he was gonna kill it. Then, when I got back, I was like oh, my god, he did! It was great. I was so happy with it!

S: You’re definitely right. Both of you together are very musically alluring. Do you have plans to feature other musicians in the future or any dream collaborations?

ASI: I don't have any like dream collaborations besides maybe Varnish La Piscine from France. Yeah, that's somebody right there. Him for sure. But right now, I only have one other song featuring somebody and that's Tom The Mail Man. But other than that, not really! I typically like to do my songs myself so the feature was a rare thing for me. But if the song calls for it and I feel like it needs another voice, then for sure, I'll reach out to someone.

S: I especially love the retro, cute feel of the video. What inspired that?

ASI: I reached out to Hassan because I've been wanting to work with him for a while. I just thought he'd be perfect for this video because his edits are crazy and so, so cute. They're so fun. I love them. I wanted to bring that feeling to the video, but we didn't plan too much. We just kind of got on set and just started having fun and having a good time.

S: The song seems like it would be great to dance around to live. Do you miss performing?

ASI: Absolutely I miss it so much. Oh my god, like last year at this time, I was performing my first headlining show and that was one of my first performances. Like, ever, period. It was the best experience I've ever had and I just can't wait to do more shows in the future. I’m really looking forward to it. But Instagram has been serving me well, with the live streams! I've also been talking to my fans in my DM’s and comments so that’s been pretty great.

S: What else can we expect from you in the future, aside from ‘honey bb’?

ASI: I’m releasing a few more videos, within the next few months. But for now, I'm just going to be releasing some singles and maybe a project in the future! I mean, I have an album's worth of songs, but it’s not made to be an album yet! I haven't put in the process of making an album so we’re still kind of waiting on that. But, I'll definitely keep everyone in the loop!

Listen to ‘honey bb’ and Asi’s other music on music streaming platforms now!

Interview by Seeham Rahman (@rseeham)

(she/they)

Support Asi Kemera: @asikemera

Edited by Halima Jibril