Photo Credit: Garret Hayes (@garrethayes_)
By Alissa Arunarsirakul // June 29, 2020
Here’s what you need to know about Kyd The Band: he’s here to stay. Even after he’s felt so incredibly out of place and lost all hope, he’s still pushing forward and dropping fantastic music while he’s at it. As a follow up to Season 1: The Intro, Kyd The Band has unleashed Season 2: Character Development, which explores his adolescence with the utmost honesty and vulnerability.
On Season 2: Character Development, Kyd The Band reflected,
“The content of ’Season 2: Character Development’ is really part two of my childhood and adolescence. These are the first results of taking that kid and all his influencing factors (environment, upbringing, people, etc) from ’Season 1’ and letting him be on his own for the first time.”
To celebrate the release of his new music, we recently chatted with Kyd The Band about genres, collabs, and of course, Season 2: Character Development.
HH: How did you come up with the moniker Kyd The Band?
KTB: I started out doing music with my brother, and “Kyd” is the first two letters of his name and the first letter of my name put together. That by itself didn’t sound complete so we added “the Band” to it.
HH: What’s your opinion on genres? Do you love or hate them?
KTB: I think with anything people want to be able to wrap their heads around something. They want to be able to grasp what they encounter. Genres do that. And I kinda hate that. But right now in music there is a lot of genre-bending, so that’s cool that listeners are being open-minded.
HH: Season 2: Character Development ties in so seamlessly with Season 1: The Intro. Before you released any music, did you already know you wanted this thematic significance?
KTB: Thanks for noticing that. I didn’t know exactly how I wanted to package the music, but I did know it was going to be reflective of the stages of my life. I write from what I’ve lived and when I listen to it, it’s like I’m listening to the timeline of my life.
HH: How did you choose which tracks would be included on the EP?
KTB: Wrote a ton of songs, and chose the ones that I felt the strongest about that said exactly what I wanted to say and portrayed what I’ve experienced.
HH: What was it like working with Elle Duhé and gnash on “Easy” and “Heartbreak Anthem,” respectively? What’s your process when collaborating?
KTB: Elley is brilliant. Melodically she’s in her own world, and her voice is so special. More than that, she’s a really kind person. gnash is very creative, he’s got a really unique perspective. He’s also a great person. Collaborating has to feel honest to me, and be with someone I genuinely connect with. That makes the process fun and easier actually, in my opinion.
HH: What do you have to say to people who feel like they haven’t found where they belong?
KTB: Keep going, keep being true to yourself, and don’t let yourself believe there’s something wrong with you. Might take time to find it or you might have to create it, but don’t stop.
HH: If you could turn back time and write any hit song, which would it be?
KTB: “Umbrella” by Rihanna. It’s the coolest “I’ll be there for you” contemporary pop song ever written, I think.
HH: What are your three hidden hits?
KTB: “Guilty Conscience” by 070 Shake
“(No One Knows Me) Like The Piano” by Sampha
“What I Want” by The Band CAMINO
The Hidden Hits 