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“I just want people to have fun,” the 19-year-old singer and producer says today of her motives, displaying all-too-rare honesty. And with the world now eventually reopening post-pandemic, Kayne could scarcely have timed her call to arms better.
After just two releases, Two Seater and I Don’t Wanna Know, the Bristol-born teen has won the prestigious Ivor Novello Rising Star award (with Nile Rodgers as her mentor) and bagged a sync on the soundtrack for Fifa 22 all before even releasing her first body of work. Her eclectic pop productions mix hip-hop, hyper-pop and punk with hazy soul and old school beats; James Brown, Nas and MF Doom were all significant early influences.
Kayne has already had a huge amount of support at radio across BBC Radio 1 (Track of The Week, Jack Saunders Next Wave and Future Sounds), BBC Radio 6, Apple Music 1 and Kiss FM. Radio 1’s Sian Eleri commented, “mark my words she’s going to be massive.” Keypress have also picked up on Kayne with features across i-D, Notion, Dazed, and BBC News.
You can hear Kayne’s expansive taste in music in her ambitious compositions, which boast a spontaneity and a sense of anarchy sadly absent in a lot of contemporary pop. Thrillingly, listening to her output so far, you’re left with no real sense of where she’ll go next; just that she’ll seize every opportunity within her grasp. And one thing’s for sure: in Willow Kayne’s hands, the future of pop will be anything but boring.
