An Interview with KiSMiT

Love, funk, and soul is what duo Kismit is composed of, as well as its two members Carly Barnette and Baz King. Barnette and King come from two different paths, merging into one to form a style of music that caters to the masses. Their electrifying style get's people movin and groovin along to their music. Earlier this year, the group released their colorful and sensual video for their single “Other Side Of You” generating over 1,000 views. Their most recent EP, Cosmic Love, received praise formrom bloggers and critics alike. Kismit is slowly is just getting warmed up and will take the world by storm. Stage Left had the opportunity to interview the duo about their music, performing and recording process.  Thank you so much for taking the time to do this! How are you guys?

"Thanks for taking the time to interview us Roy, we are so grateful!"

Congrats on everything you guys, your Cosmic Love EP, released earlier this year! Too good for words! I love your guys’ funk/ feel good music? What are your inspirations for focusing on the pop funk genre? 

[Baz] "Thanks so much - glad to hear you dig it! We’ve explored many genres - we started out a lot more singer-songwriter James Taylor - Sara Bareilles vibes but Carly needs to dance and I love funk grooves, so our music naturally migrated to a more energized sound." I also thought you guys KILLED the Feel It Still/ Panther mashup you both released not too long ago! What made you both want to mashup/ cover those two songs specifically? [Carly] "Dawww thanks! You’re making us blush with all these compliments! We wanted to mash up a popular song that’s on the radio currently with one of our tunes. I love the message of revolution in ‘Feel It Still’ and storytelling wise, we thought the lyrics were in the same world as our song, ‘Panther’, both commenting on our society right now and how we can change it for the better. Art is a commentary of the times and what insane times we are living through right? I am grateful every day to have music as a refuge to heal, explore & connect through!" I also watched your performance for SoFar Sounds! What was that experience like? [Baz] "WOW that was one of our first ever performances in LA. We were definitely nervous, but excited-nervous. That seems like an age ago as we are scheduled to do our 12th SoFar Sounds. They SoFar community is one of my most treasured in LA - it is a sacred fam in this industry for sure! Having an intimate setting and an attentive audience who are there ready to receive and share the experience of live music is every musicians dream." With memorable experiences, one question that I’ve asked every artist that I have interviewed so far is who was the first artist that you guys saw live? Who did you go with and where? How was your overall experience!?! [Carly] "My first concert was Jewel when I was 7 years old with my mom down in San Diego. Some of my first singing memories are of Jewel songs and I remember it being a treat to go on a mom-daughter date to see my favorite singer. We were so close to the stage and I was mesmerized start to finish. I was the smallest in the crowd so when she threw her pic at the end of the show, I caught it and as a star-struck kid it was like I had one the lottery!" [Baz] "I saw Janet Jackson in Cape Town at Green Point Stadium when I was ten. I remember being far away from the stage, she and her dancers were tiny, back then I remember thinking it was cool that she was Michael Jackson’s sister." You guys also performed at a wedding recently, how do you both go about performing at a wedding versus an acoustic session or a broadcasted performance. Do you guys have a different mindset when going into one versus the other? [Carly] "I will quote our dear friend & collaborator Balam Garcia in responding to this one - “Music is medicine, and everyone deserves to be healed’. Cover gigs can feel a bit soulless because our society can think of musicians as plants and furniture….but I live to perform so anytime I get to share what I’m here on this earth to do…it is a blessing!" [Baz] "There’s definitely a difference between those three; an acoustic session is precious and cherished; weddings are more of a service and a means to pay bills (although playing for first dances and processionals is such a wonderful moment to support, there’s always so much love in the air); broadcasted performances I find to be the funniest as the direct feedback from the other side of the interaction isn’t there, so it’s a quasi practice/performance." Is there a certain way you both go about recording/writing your music? Candles in the room? A dimmed lit room? [Baz] "Lol! We’re constantly refining our creation process, but it starts either with an idea for a song, a melody that won’t stop buzzing around in our heads, a guitar thing, or inspiration from artists we are listening to. We don’t really light candles in our studio, but we do have a ceiling with Christmas lights - like stars." [Carly] "It really does depend on the day and the mood. Somedays it is most productive for me to journal and sit at the piano and let something pour out. Somedays when I’m driving I start singing something and the next thing you know it’s a chorus." Who do you draw inspiration from with your guys’ music? [Baz] "Anywhere from the greats like Stevie Wonder and the Beatles to modern-day production wizards like Kimbra & Bernhoft, to our friends Drew ofthe Drew & Balam Garcia." [Carly] "LA is such a vibrant city for music and I’m constantly inspired by all of our friends locally as we all try and rise together!" Are you guys currently working on new music? EP? Debut album? [Baz] We are working on finishing as many songs as we can before the new year. From those songs we will workshop them with the band and play them out to see what sticks. From there we will rerecord and put together a collection of sorts. [Carly] All the while dreaming up and creating new music videos for the special songs that are asking to be said a little louder. I really live for music videos, it fuses together so many of my passions: acting, dance, music, fashion and collaboration. We have BIG 2019 dreams in the works - a west coast & east coast tour, multiple music videos, new music so stay tuned! Totally random question, but, is there a reason why the I’s in your group’s name lowercased compared to the others. My theory was is that theres no I in team since you guys are basically a team. Haha. Is there any meaning to it? [Carly] "I like your theory - that’s rad!" [Baz] "The lowercase i’s represent Carly and I, as the two little individuals within the name of our band and it looks cool in a palindrome kind of way but we will keep your explanation in mind :)"