Photo credit: Hannah Edelman
Psychedelic rhinestone cowgirl, Kitty Coen, releases her debut EP Disco Lemonade; out today. Through a series of genre-bending songs, Coen leads the listener on a path of love, lust, heartbreak and self-acceptance. Coen’s dark and brooding lyrics combine forcefully with a mix of intense synth beats, rhythmic guitar strums, and the gleam of new-age indie disco. Fighting her way through the wild west of genres, Coen strings together alt-rock and electro-pop to create her Disco Lemonade, an EP that can’t be tamed.
Originating from Austin, TX, the 24-year-old powerhouse draws influence from the electronic indie beats and vocals of Tame Impala and STRFKR. Kitty Coen says,
“Disco Lemonade started as the idea of something being so enjoyable, carefree and candid that you can’t deny you love it. Whether that be a person, feeling, place or thing it is really up to the listener.
Although that is how this concept started, it soon developed into much more. Sometimes things are not so black and white. You can love something but hate it at the same time. You can feel happy but still worried about what is to come. Life is not a series of concrete emotions, there is a lot of in-between.
Tell us about the story of your act
It’s rock n roll baby. I’m a solo act, Kitty Coen. I write the music and then compose it and produce with my collaborator Justin Johnson. From there I hire a band to play it live with me and we hit the road.
What is the message behind your art?
Be yourself. Don’t let people put you in a box and if they do who cares. Like live and be kind to others because tomorrow is never promised.
Tell us about your latest release and how it came about
Kurt Cobain is a huge influence for me as far as writing goes. Fleetwood Mac as, well.
Who is an artist that you look up to more than others today?
Young Thug
All time favorite record?
“For Emma, Forever Ago” by Bon Iver
Tell us about your latest release and how it came about
It’s called Disco Lemonade. It was a year-long process of finding my sound, figuring out what that sound looked like, and creating a world for it to live in. In this case, disco lemonade is a psychedelic desert landscape with a wild west flair. Fun music is also music to drive to… and cry to. It might not be the most sonically cohesive album but it wasn’t supposed to be
You seem to be fusing several musical genres. What inspires your sound?
Tame impala, 90’s rock/alt, dream pop? This is such a hard question because I feel like I’m a combination of all the things I’ve ever loved when it comes to music and that’s a lot. Simply a product of my environment in that sense.
What excites you the most about what you do?
The fanssss. They are the sweetest people ever and I want to be best friends with every single one of them!! Tour showed me that. I’m a bit of a loner in my day-to-day life so it is nice to know there are people who love me and I love them.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Hopefully touring the world doing what I love. A good team and people I can trust around me. I don’t have a manager or label at the moment and that can make things hard. I would love for that to change.
Your style is very original and elaborate. How do you take care of your aesthetics?
Thank you!:) I really do spend a lot of time on the visual aspect of all my projects. It is almost as important to me as the music because I love to give people an image to connect to the song. Each song is different but with a record, they all live in the same world so it’s important to make them connect in some way.
What was the most daunting moment in your career so far?
Eh heavy hahah. Probably not having a team when I need it most. Also the entire idea of Spotify playlisting. Feels like that is the only way to “blow up” without label backing or a parent that is already in the industry. But just have to keep pushing and making cool shit. People will catch on.
What is the best advice you’ve ever gotten?
“Give yourself up completely, expect nothing in return, and success shall be yours”
Where do you think the next game changer will be in the music industry and entertainment scene?
Probably in the live realm. Live streaming is the future.
