We had a chat with cutting edge alt-pop artist Klemntyna following the release of her long-awaited debut album SHE
Her expansive and genre-defying brand of pop has made rising Warsaw born artist Klemntyna into an increasingly exciting and revered presence in modern music, boasting a broad, nuanced appeal that runs throughout her intricate soundscapes and the thoughtful tone of narratives that often explores themes like relationships, ambition and growth.
The artist’s potential and rousing appeal is cemented with the release of her debut album SHE, a release that is five years in the making and showcases the full range of the artist’s scope and appeal while feeling captivating and immersive throughout. We love this new album and had a chat with the artist to find out a bit more about her experiences putting it together, her expansive approach and what influenced it, and where the artist sees the project and her sound going moving forward.
Hey! We love your new album SHE, what more can you tell us about it?
SHE is my debut album that talks about the ups and downs of navigating the world while coming of age. It’s a project I’ve been working on for almost 5 years, produced and mixed by Jake Tavill, and recorded at his studio in Brooklyn, Indigo Soul NYC. The album features 11 original songs about navigating personal growth, ambition and relationships. SHE is a bit like my personal diary from my early 20s and I hope that people who might be going through similar experiences will resonate with it.
What was the process like putting it together?
It’s been a long process as the album took almost 5 years to finish! I started writing some of the first songs in late 2019. The first two songs I co-wrote with Terrell Kiser, who introduced me to Jake Tavill. Jake and I began talking about working on an album, but COVID slowed down everything. It was still a very productive time for me in terms of writing more music. Over the next 2 years, I’d write close to 100 songs, 11 of which were selected by me and Jake for the album. Then in 2023 we began producing and recording SHE. The entire process took around 3 months, and the final engineering process including mixing and mastering took an extra less than a year. It was a very collaborative process during which I had an opportunity to work with a lot of talented artists, thanks to whom this project came to life!
What were your biggest influences when creating the album?
Growing up, I have always been inspired in terms of singing and performing by the powerhouse artists, such as Beyonce and Whitney Houston, as well as Michael Jackson, but in terms of production my inspirations included The Weeknd, Billie Eilish & Finneas, and Lana del Rey. SHE is a very diverse body of work that ranges from genres such as Alt Pop, to R&B, Synth Pop, to even drawing some inspiration from Trap and Rock. As a songwriter, I have also been inspired by Beat Poetry, such as Allen Ginsberg, as well as Rap such as JAY Z and Mac Miller. Each song was inspired by something else, but what ties them together is a modern-sounding, synthy sound. There’s a decent number of songs that are pretty upbeat, as well as more ballad-style songs that are very emotional.
What inspired you to experiment so much with genre so much on the album?
I’ve always enjoyed experimenting with sound. I get bored of doing the same thing, and prefer much more creating a sound that feels fresh and unique. I also listen to a lot of various artists and genres, therefore, I think I naturally tend to mix so many of my inspirations when working on my own music. Two artists that I admire when it comes to innovation in music are Beyonce and Michael Jackson. Both of them have excelled in reinventing themselves throughout their careers. This is what I aspire to be able to do eventually as well.
What else do you have planned for the near future?
I have just had my album release show in London, and am currently planning more shows to promote my album in the upcoming months. I will definitely be performing again in London and hopefully in NYC soon. Other than that, I will be releasing two live vocal performance videos in the upcoming weeks. The first one for my song “DISTANCE” is coming out Thursday, July 25th. The next one I have yet to announce 🙂 If you’d like to stay tuned about my future releases and announcements, make sure to follow me on Instagram at @klemntyna, or visit my website https://klemntyna.com and sign up to receive email updates!
