- Words Notion Staff
Off the back of releasing their sophomore EP 'u the real star here', kid apollo talk about their origins, influences and plans for 2023.
Making introspective music for metropolitan youths, kid apollo are one of Britain’s best kept secrets. Tackling teen anxieties, through smoky lo-fi R&B, the trio wear their hearts on their sleeves and speak with honesty. Forming a bond from early, the artists have full creative control over their process, which translates sonically into their output. ‘u the real star here’, kid apollo’s latest EP, puts them on the map, as they top various 2023 ones to watch lists.
Having performed their debut live gig supporting dexter, the band will play a handful of shows in 2023. They’ve just been announced for a performance in Leeds alongside Lord Apex, Finn Foxell and Mushkilla on April 28, aligning them with to a pool of talent on a one way ticket to the top.
‘u the real star here’ has plenty of standout moments. Nevertheless, “leave her”, with its subtle groove and timid delivery, leaves an earnest impression of kid apollo and their song-writing. Packing a sedative punch, lead singer Jimmy HM addresses breakups with sincerity.
We caught up with kid apollo to talk about their origins, influences, and 2023 plans.
Let’s talk about the making of kid apollo. How did you guys get together?
We met in school pretty young, around 12/13 and music only really came into it a few years later. We started mainly making beats in and out of school, it was quite trap/hip-hop based at first because that’s what we were listening to. We’ve just been making music together ever since and taken it more seriously the last couple of years.
Last December you shared your sophomore EP ‘u the real star here’. On your Instagram you wrote that this project took a little bit longer than you expected. Why is this? What was the recording process like?
Yeah this EP was definitely a process to get it to where we wanted it, sonically. There were a bunch of reasons why it took a while but it was basically just a lot of figuring out small details as we wanted this EP to feel like a more cohesive project.
I read that your EP is a collection of songs documenting the joy and strife of metropolitan youth. How would you explore this project’s themes and emotions in your own words?
J: Haha, this EP was just my way of expressing how I felt towards dealing with different types of people and the relationships that are had around these personalities. The place and time I was/am in when around all of this has a big effect on how I experience this.
This EP is pretty significant because it was produced, written, and directed by all of you. What made you want to take on all of the above yourselves?
We always have and for the most part always will. We do like working with people but we think it’s more of a passive decision because we feel strongly about having full control when it comes down to the whole creative process.
Did you face any challenges in the process of making the EP?
We did actually shoot a full video for one of the songs that we ended up not using as it just didn’t come out how we wanted.
What was the most rewarding part about compiling this project?
For us each EP represents the current stage or direction we’re in. It’s nice to be able to look back at this EP and know exactly where we were and what we were feeling.
You released a visualiser for your single “btw.” – it had a very nostalgic and escapist vibe. What message did you want to convey throughout this track and visualiser?
There wasn’t really a particular message we wanted to convey. We think the message people get from listening should be unique to them. We wanted to make sure it was atmospheric and as you said, nostalgic.
What music are kid apollo inspired by? Are there any acts in particular that scream to you as major influences?
We take influence from a bunch of different spaces in music, it’s mostly American artists honestly, but there’s some more local artists to us like, Berwyn and Tendai which are cool. We’ve also been taking inspiration from lots of old samples recently.
Last year you were put on Spotify’s Radar Class of 2022 and were praised by several publications as Ones to Watch for 2023, with that said, what exciting things can we expect from kid apollo this year?
More music, more visuals and definitely a couple more shows.
