Kaleema

Photo by, Federico Andrade

Meet Kaleema

The energy is super sparkly in this blog right now. All thanks to this dazzling chat with the powerful pop person Kaleema. Descending from their throne of otherworldly charm Kaleema chats with us about live music, pizza, and NYC parks.

THE OBSERVATORY: A Fill in The Blank With Kaleema

Our class went on a field trip to an EMPATHIC observatory. It was located on top of a TRAVEL, and it looked like a giant SEED with a slit down its CAT. We went inside and looked through a NIGHT and were able to see DOGS in the sky that were millions of WAVES away. The men and women who DANCE in the observatory are called STARS, and they are always watching for comets, eclipses, and shooting LEAVES. An eclipse occurs when a BOOK comes between the earth and the AVOCADO and everything gets INTUITIVE. Next week, we plan to MEET the Museum of Modern WINE.

Would You Rather

only eat burritos or pizza for the rest of your life, which would you choose?

Pizza

Some questions with Kaleema

What was the creative process like working on your 2020 single ‘Portales’?

I started recording all the instruments in my studio, the xylophones, drums, synths, percussion, flutes, and vocals, it usually takes me a couple of days to develop the structure of the songs, and mostly, it takes time for me to write the lyrics. But for some reason, it was really easy to write the melody and the lyrics of Portales. The intention and inspiration were really clear for me, and that’s always the core of my creative process.

What do you miss most about live music?

The energy of the people dancing

What has been your brightest moment throughout all of 2020?

Dancing old school reggaeton & cumbia in the living room with my friends.

What is your favorite park in New York City?

Prospect Park

What kind of music was playing in your house when you were growing up? Has it influenced the music you are making today?

Beethoven, Mozart, Juan Luis Guerra, salsa, cha cha cha, merengue, Rubén Blades, and a lot of electronic music. I remember when I was 6 my parents took me to an open air show of Celia Cruz that was amazing. My father is a huge fan of german electronic music, like Kraftwerk, Liaisons Dangereuses and Nina Hagen. He used to take me to see live shows and performances at the Goethe Institue in BS.AS when I was maybe 12 or 13 years old, and that really changed my perception of music by that time and helped me to start studying violin and experimenting with electronic sounds.

Do you have anyone in your life who you bounce ideas off of? Why?

I like to bounce ideas with other musicians, friends, and artists because I feel that it always helps me understand and materialize my own thoughts and concepts, but when I work in the studio I do it by myself, in an intense & constant dialogue until I finish the track.

What is your dream neighborhood to live in, and why?

One with rivers and forests and all of my friends, family and pets ;)

Any final comments? (This is your electronic soapbox for one last answer.)

Related to the creative process, I learn something really helpful, like my creative mantra, so to speak:

Dive in, step back.

Dive in, step back.