BY.SESSIONS KYÖTÖ
After moving BY.Everyone from OKC to Tulsa I was on the search for new artists and musicians. Mostly out of curiosity and desire for something fresh after an exhausting couple months of intensive building, research and development for our new space. While I was building, I ran across ‘BAiLARiiNA’ by KYÖTÖ. Instantly energized by the flow and 808’s from the new Reggaeton artist. I quickly threw his short discography on repeat till I finished the build. After a month in the new space I accidentally ran into him at Tulsa’s hot-spot Tina’s and introduced myself. He had a very humble and relaxed poise to him that attracts you to want to know more. After that, I thought it only right to have our first BY.SESSION back in Tulsa with the Venezuelan artist. Welcome KYÖTÖ to BY.SESSIONS.
Elyjah: What’s your name for the people?
Kyötö: The government is Daniel or Danny. Kyötö as an artist. Whatever people feel the most comfortable with. I don't mind either. I took it from Cudi to always introduce myself as my actual name. Break that ice and be gentle. Break the barrier. I’m human after all.
Elyjah: Where are you from?
Kyötö: I am from Valencia, Venezuela - South America.
Elyjah: When did you move to the states?
Kyötö: About 15 years ago?
Elyjah: How old are you now?
Kyötö: 23
Elyjah: So half your life now! When did you first start making music?
Kyötö: Picking up the mic itself maybe a little over a year ago but music has been a part of life since I was born. I’m Venezuelan so on Saturday mornings you hear merengue and salsa and that’s your cue to get up, that’s your alarm. Music helped me learn English. Staying up late night when I shouldn’t have been watching MTV, Kanye on the screen. I think it was the Love Lockdown video. That and early Cudi started getting me into American music. Obviously growing up listening to a bunch of Reggaeton, consistently so it has been a part of my life as long as I can remember.
Elyjah: In your music I hear a lot of influence from the American 808’s in the production and some of the swing and flow from Salsa. You said you’ve only been recording for a year now and you’ve made such strides in your musical identity. Did you put out some of those first recordings?
Kyötö: The first recording I made I put out.
Elyjah: Really!? What song is it?
Kyötö: It would be ‘desde la high’ which I’m guessing some people like, of course I still like it, but there’s some part of me that’s like damn, I wish I would’ve kept this lowkey. Maybe edited.
Elyjah: You’ll feel that way the rest of your life as an artist.
Kyötö: Every song I go back and listen to and I still trip out and can’t believe I made it but there’s that part of me that’s always like “I could do better.” Which I think is good because it’s what helps the growth. My homie Jake, he put me on to recording. For a while I wanted to do, I guess like, the Metro Boomin and Rick Rubin side of things. Creating and being behind the scene but not really getting on a mic and singing or anything like that. But one day he called me and was like “hey bro I’m tryna write this song in Spanish.” He’s from here but speaks Portuguese and lived in Brazil. He needed my help translating for the song and making sure I’m saying things right. I started working with him on the song and he handed me the mic and was like “here bro, hop on”. We had a rough skeleton of the song and he was like “man, I think you should dive into this”. At the time I was going through a situationship, through a heartbreak. Everything kind of aligned and it felt like the right time.
Elyjah: Have you always been able to sing?
Kyötö: Honestly, I don’t know if I can sing now haha. I most definitely use autotune.
Elyjah: You know how to use it and manipulate it though.
Kyötö: I’m learning. I’m no John Legend. 100% respect to the vocalist out there. Some of the major artists I look up to like The Weeknd (is an) amazing vocal performer. A bunch of salseros as well. I would love to get my vocal range like that. I’m just allowing the process to do what it does. If I’m able to get there, then dope but if not, there’s a reason I look up to cats like Travis and Kanye who learned how to manipulate the autotune to their range.
Elyjah: T-Pain’s the only artist I know that I like his voice better off autotune haha
Kyötö: His voice is insane!
Elyjah: In Oklahoma the most major music genres are Indie, Country, Rock and rap. What’s it like to do Reggaeton out of Tulsa?
Kyötö: It’s interesting man. I’m yet to truly put it into words but I think I’m in Tulsa for a reason. I haven’t felt the calling to leave Tulsa yet. It’s a blessing that could be disguised as a curse. Excuse me if there are musicians in Tulsa making music like me, let’s collab let’s link up, but as far as I know, I’m the only one really doing reggaeton here in Tulsa. It’s challenging. It’s easy to try and become a big fish in a small pond.
Elyjah: As a Latin artist, I know you don’t want to put a cap on what you can make. What’s your approach when you choose to use English or Spanish in your music?
Kyötö: I think it depends a lot on the mood of the song and the atmosphere that it presents. I know that a lot of the people I’m close to that hear the songs only speak English and some of them only speak Spanish. This is a little insider because every artist does this and if they say they don’t they’re lying there ass off. I try to speak to certain people through my music. Every good heartbreak song on the radio has a first and last name. They just won’t tell you. That influences a lot of the decision making. I know if I say this part in Spanish or English it will hit more depending on who I’m talking to. The community that surrounds me at this moment in life is English and Spanish speaking and I don’t want to put exclusivity on the music. I want when people pull up to a show they can have parts that they can sing too.
Elyjah: What projects are you working on now?
Kyötö: I have a few songs right now that have that invisible line to tie them together but I’ve been battling a lot with dropping projects or singles. The stage I’m at, career-wise, dropping EP’s is more music for people to listen to but like we were saying off interview, people’s attention spans are super quick. It makes a bit more sense for me to drop singles at the moment.
Elyjah: I feel like when you’re a new artist and the focus is getting people familiar with you, you have to do it in short bursts to make people a fan. Albums are for fans.
Kyötö: It’s challenging as an artist because a lot of the time the full length project is carrying a vision but like you said it’s for the fans. It’s a weird dichotomy of having the confidence to drop exactly what you want versus trying to play the game. Even as we’re talking right now, I’m thinking about the song I have dropping tonight.
Elyjah: What’s dropping tonight?
Kyötö: It’s called ‘mano estás muy sentimental’ which means “bro you’re too sentimental” haha. I feel like it’s one of the biggest critiques I’ve gotten in life.
Elyjah: So this song is about you then?
Kyötö: Per se.
Elyjah: Or people’s opinions on you?
Kyötö: Yeah I’ve gotten it a lot. Especially growing up. With shorties I would get told like “you get in your feelings too much”. Which it is, what it is. I think because of that though, maybe, I’m able to tap into certain emotions that maybe other people can’t express. Through the music I think that gives people room to feel understood. It taps into that in the first half of the song and in the second half of the song it gets more ignorant. It was a moment to say this is me but y’all want to turn up? Okay I’ll give y'all what you want.
Elyjah: So do you like to get ignorant, to turn up and party?
Kyötö: It depends man! If I’m with my people it’s definitely a different type of energy. I’m a very introverted extrovert. So when I’m with my people I can be extroverted and turn up but when I’m dolo, I like to stay in my own little world. It comes in seasons.
Elyjah: When's your birthday?
Kyötö: It’s in July
Elyjah: So what’s that make you? A Leo? I don’t know if Leo’s are really known for their balance!
Kyötö: I’m trying to break the norm!
Elyjah: Where’s your dream place to perform? Would you want to go back home and do a show in Venezuela?
Kyötö: 100%. That would be amazing. Definitely here in Tulsa, the BOK would be a dream. Puerto Rico has this legendary venue called El Choli that the biggest Latin artists you can think of sold it out multiple nights. Just in general the dream is just to be on stage and see people enjoying the music. Trippin out how I am in the studio and connecting with the lyrics. Providing alleviation.
Elyjah: Music is escapism. When you’re in the process is that something you’re thinking about?
Kyötö: 100%. The main things I’m trying to check off is creating that world for that person and thinking about how I could perform in it. I’m just making music for that 16-year-old me. What could I tell that 16-year-old me going through this and how would I be feeling about it? Would I be tripping out? Would I want to go on a long car ride and boost my confidence when I hear this?
Elyjah: Virgil Abloh talked about speaking to your teenage self a lot before he passed away. He always wanted to create from a sense of play and do it at the highest level. Everything’s so serious in the world. I think some of the best artists are in search of playfulness. With that in mind, what do you like to do for fun?
Kyötö: I started off drawing a lot as a kid. I was an only child so I would draw imaginary friends. Play soccer with the homies.
Elyjah: You still play right?
Kyötö: Yeah, not competitively though.
Elyjah: Nah talk your shit! People don’t know that Kyötö is like 6’6”, built like an NBA player! Haha
Kyötö: Nah, some homies put me in check forsure on the field! They might not be as big but they got quick feet! But yeah it’s all part of the creative process. Getting some fresh air, kicking it with the homies and relaxing when you hit a wall. Like you were saying, one of the biggest things we lose when we grow up is joy. We forget to enjoy things. My homies and I always joke about this but there's this Uzi interview where the interviewer asked what he’s been doing and Uzi said something along the lines of “I went outside and I was looking at a tree”. Which can sound mad goofy ‘cause it’s like bro it’s just a tree but it’s things like that that remind you to find joy in the small things.
Elyjah: Be like Uzi!
Kyötö: One of the things I hold to the highest regard in my life is my relationship with God and for me he’s always reminding me to remember my inner-child.
Elyjah: Did you grow up in a very spiritual house-hold?
Kyötö: I grew up in the church. My grandpa is a pastor. That definitely has a lot of influence in my life. As an adult it’s definitely been a journey. It’s easy to tune that stuff out. I don’t necessarily make Chirstian music. I don’t think there’s such a thing as Christian music. I think that’s kind of corny, because you’re the one with a soul and you can dedicate it or make the most “Christian” song ever but your heart can still be so twisted. You’re making that because you believe it can get 2 billion streams a month or something like that. It comes down to your heart posture.
Elyjah: I think people can find God in a BB King song, or a Travis Scott song. I think music is inherently a spiritual practice so why limit it?
Kyötö: It all depends on your perception of it. I know plenty of people that have been hurt by the church, I’ve been hurt by the church. So it all depends and I think it all comes down to not setting a limit on God. I feel like as long as your heart behind it is obedient, it translates.
Follow Kyötö here.
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Kyoto is wearing our latest selection from Sunflower available here.
Photography and interview by Elyjah Monks
