Kleopatra
After a hiatus from the music industry, Scottish artist Kleopatra is back with a brand new single titled “Ukiyo”.
“Ukiyo” is a song about the ‘floating, fleeting, or transient’ world, a Japanese concept which refers to urban life in Japan in the Edo-Period - 1600 to 1867 - which was beauty, leisure and pleasure activity-centric. The song alludes to this period and takes its inspiration from the word’s meaning but also takes inspiration from beauty standards in modern society,” explains Kleopatra.
Captivating and authentic, the electro-pop single was produced by Lewis Gardiner.
With a brand new EP on the way, Kleopatra is continuing to create an innovative sound.
“Ukiyo” is now on major streaming platforms.
Hi !! How are you? What have you been up to since our first interview?
Hi Virginie! It’s so great to speak with you again! I'm doing well. Since we last spoke a lot has happened in my life. I finished my college course, quit the music industry, began scoring and sound designing for short films and visual media, started university at The Glasgow School of Art and eventually realised I couldn't stay away from making and performing my own music and came back to the music scene with a bang!
"Ukiyo" is your new single. How does it feel like to release new music again?
It feels absolutely amazing to be doing this again. I'm really excited about this track and I am so happy that it gets to have its own moment because when I left the industry I wasn't sure it would ever make it out there.
When did you start working on that single? Who helped you create it?
It was quite a long time ago - about 3 years ago that I wrote it in a little room somewhere in the Yorkshire countryside whilst on holiday. I am not very good at taking vacations - whenever I try to stop working or slow down I always seem to just keep going! I wrote the song and came up with a little demo for it and the amazing Lewis Gardiner produced it in early 2018. It was going to be released after Wasted on Youth in 2018 but because I took a break it just never happened. It’s wonderful it’s finally getting out - even if it is a couple of years late.
What made you want to release "Ukyio" as a single?
It was always meant to be a single in my mind so I'm just sticking to my mind's plan.
What do you like the most about this song?
The thing I like most about the song is the use of Japanese words in the chorus: "Take me to the ukiyo-e, cause babe I wanna go there. Take me to the inner city cause babe I hear its pretty. Take me to the ukiyo-e, cause babe I wanna go there. Take me to the maiko city cause baby I like pretty." I am writing a new song at the moment where I utilise much more of the Japanese language. It’s a real creative challenge writing in your second language rather than your first.
What can you tell us about the artwork?
The song's artwork is a comment on consumerist and capitalist society. A society which takes advantage of our insecurities and our need to be visually perfect by projecting its ideals, and therefore products, onto us with shameless advertising which saturates our lives.
As a producer, what equipments and softwares do you usually use?
Production wise you don't need much to make music - a lot of people I know (including myself) have little or no analogue equipment. I use my laptop, Ableton Live and sometimes a little MIDI keyboard.
What message do you want to convey to anyone suffering from mental illnesses?
For anyone out there struggling with their mental health, please know you are not alone. I am a long-term sufferer of anxiety disorder, depression and de-realisation disorder. It does not mean you are broken or less than if you are struggling and I would always urge you to get help. For me, doing something I really love helps me more than anything in reminding me of my purpose and giving me something positive to focus on. In my case it just happens to be music - but find what you love and do it.
What are your goals for 2020?
My goals for 2020 include playing shows all around the UK (London, Edinburgh, Manchester, Newcastle, Cardiff, Belfast) and to release a brand new EP which is in the works as we speak!
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