IN LONDON WITH KANII: LIVING A DREAM THAT DIDN’T HAPPEN OVERNIGHT
Photography by Rhys Williams
Although he’s only begun his days as an ‘adult’, Kanii’s life has already taken a significant turn. As we catch up ahead of his headline show in London, he’s noticeably relaxed. Although he’s introduced to extraordinary experiences day by day, he exhibits the characteristics of the atypical teenager - head in phone, initially reserved - but perks up as his post-shoot Nobu booking is confirmed.
Taking over the aux to play some personal unreleased music alongside some UK sounds (with tendai being his most popular choice), his vast musical knowledge extends far beyond his youth. No surprise then that when we get to chatting he speaks about Michael Jackson as one of his earliest inspirations. On the early days of making music himself, Kanii reminds me that none of this can be described as overnight success: “I remember writing lyrics when I was seven, eight years old. But when I got to my teenage years I was like “fuck it” and started properly making music.” says Kanii, “I was listening to a lot of X[xxtentacion] at the time, and he was always telling people to chase their dreams, so I had to chase mine.”
In all the years of musical development, Kanii believes the best artists are always the most versatile ones, so he explains that his sound - which he describes as “retro futurism” - is a result of “a lot of trial and error, with consistency and repetition”. As we converse thousands of miles away from the bedroom he made his viral hit ‘I Know’ in, he’s grounded in the same essence that catalysed his musical ascendance. “I came across the beat whilst I was in my room and thought it was fire. I began creating, without any intent, and didn’t think the song was anything special.” After releasing it on his alt account initially, it’s only when he signed to Warner and they suggested it should be his first single after signing that it was publicly released. Before he knew it, the song was everywhere, disrupting TikTok feeds, shutting down dances, whilst Kanii was… still at school.
“It was a lot to take in, I really had to adjust as I was in my senior year of high school” says Kanii about the aftermath of his debut release, and he expresses a gratitude for music as his “foundation”, citing he’d “probably be dead” if not for it. Like any other young adult, he’s taking a multitude of change in his stride, but every now and then the realisation of the magnitude of his song hits him: “Like what the fuck, I never even thought I’d be able to afford to come to a place like this [London]” he admits, but it’s now a balancing act, a journey of satisfying different degrees of fanbases he’s acquired whilst enjoying the process and the music he’s putting out.
“You get one hit, and there’s a temptation to keep doing that to get you more” admits Kanii, but that’s never been his way. His love/hate relationship with TikTok, and the internet more generally takes twists and turns, but he’s focused on continuing to refine his craft, even if that means his discography isn’t full of algorithmically favourable tracks. With a supportive label that has his back and ample time on his side, he’s in no rush to be filling his walls with plaques just yet – but if it happens, then so be it. “I’m hella young, I’ve got time, and I’ve always made my best stuff when I’m just making it just to make it, not caring about how people perceive it.” Just the reminder I needed that I’m getting old. Additionally, he explains how taking his time with his craft has meant that his relationship with his fans lives far beyond the internet, with him being able to sell shows across the pond as a testament to that.
Whilst Kanii continues to forge a unique path himself, he tells me how having frequent collaborators and good friends Riovaz and Nimstarr on similar journeys to him keeps him motivated. “It’s super needed. They push me to break barriers, push boundaries. I hear one of them drop a new song and I’m like ‘damn, I need to step my shit up!’ Kanii says, “I can talk to them about so many things, especially Rio as he’s also signed.” In the near future, the trio are dropping a project together, something Kanii says he’s not meant to tell me, but if the energy is similar to anything I saw when a video of the three artists performing in Central Park landed on my feed, then it’s certainly one to be excited for.
And as a successful EU tour comes to an end, Kanii is back on the road much closer to home as he supports PinkPantheress on her US tour. Speaking highly of her, and visibly nervous as he finds out he’s just had a studio session confirmed with her the evening we shoot, his appreciation for such an opportunity does not go amiss. “It’s something so new, it’s a lot of eyes, and I already get nervous at my own shows,” Kanii confesses “I actually love her music a lot, so I think it’s pretty wild that she chose me to come on tour with her.” As he scribbles down on a scrap piece of paper, jotting small illustrations around his name which he has written, it’s clear he’s quite the fan of PinkPantheress, talking about how excited he is to properly meet her, but also to head into an escape room with her, something Kanii tells me he realised they’re both fond of.
As someone living out so many of his dreams at such a young age, I ask him what keeps him chasing, what success looks like for him in the long term as he hits milestone after milestone. Even though his answer is a morbid one, it’s one that certainly resonates.
“Success to me is immortality through music. When I pass away, and somebody is still bumping my music long after I’m gone, then my career was successful.”
Until then, he’s enjoying the wins along the way.
