Photo Credit: Mai Kino (@mai__kino) & Greg Tate
By Alissa Arunarsirakul // February 19, 2020
As a child who’d constantly locked herself alone in her bedroom, Mai Kino very much felt like an outsider. The London based songstress credits Billie Holiday and Laurie Anderson as some of her most notable influences, but it’s clear that Kino has honed her unique sound all on her own. Her latest single, “Swim” is a prime example of her tendency to face life in the flesh in her moving songwriting.
Written for her newborn niece, “Swim” has Kino questioning what emotions we feel when entering the world for the first time. This lullaby-like tune beautifully showcases Kino’s velvety vocals and gentle touch we see in every one of her touching releases. Co-directed by Kino and Greg Tate, the “Swim” visual depicts a teary eyed Kino as she exudes the apprehension newborns presumably experience.
On “Swim,” Mai Kino explained,
“I wrote it as a gift to my baby niece who was born a few days after my own birthday. I wondered what it must be like to come into this world for the very first time… the beauty and terror of the unknown.”
The Hidden Hits 