Kiraly Payne- A GGT Interview
Photograph by: kayodidthat_
Catch down below our latest interview. This go around it’s with the Chicago based artist Kiraly Payne
Say man first off- thank you for doing this. Getting right into it dood- you recently dropped your 5-track ep “Protect My He(art)” how long have you been cooking this for?
Kiraly: “Appreciate you having me bro. It actually happened really fast, 5HERiFF sent me a bunch of beats and I just had to write and record. The creative process took about a month in a half and the mixing and mastering process took a couple of months. So altogether it was about a 3-month process.”
Digging a little deeper now… the title has a double meaning in that it’s both a message of protecting your heart as well as your art. What do you mean in that title? Protect those two things from what exactly?
Kiraly: ”Yes it is a double entendre. Basically, on this project, I’m asking God to protect me from anything that will hinder my growth as a person (my heart) and my growth as an artist, hence the (art).”
Now due to the format of this interview I can’t tell what you previously answered so I’ll ask this: Today’s music industry climate is at a weird state in that it’s easier to be an independent artist more than ever before however, at the same time, labels and the entertainment industry as a whole is taking more predatory stances on artists creations for monetization purposes. How do you plan on protecting your art from this new corporate age in music? If you answered this question above already simply expand a bit.
Kiraly: “The thing about this is, I’m not necessarily opposed to a record deal but it just has to be the perfect situation for me. A lot of people don’t know this but I actually turned down an opportunity to sign with Island Records back in June because it simply wasn’t what I was looking for. I don’t just make music for money or temporary popularity, I’m in this for the long haul and I plan on waiting to sign a deal until it’s my definition of a perfect situation for me. In the meantime, ima keep workin on getting this shit out the mud.”
Photograph by: @kayodidthat_
Speaking on art a bit more… the art scene, more specifically the music scene, is booming in Chicago in that many are leaving the underground scene and reaching a more mainstream audience. You, being the great, yet underground, artist in the city you are: how do you plan on reaching the next tier? You don’t have to share all your sauce if you don’t want to simply just a rough layout will suffice.
Kiraly: “I plan on teaming up with the other artists in the city and combining our fan bases. We haven’t really exposed it to the world but myself, Isaiah G, Ausar, Myquale, Aaron Deux & Left Ear have started a supergroup and plan on being the first major wave of artists to come out of Chicago since the Chance the Rapper era. We’re all making noise on our own so once we start moving as a unit? It’s a wrap. It’s only a matter of time.”
Speaking on Chicago, you have someone in the city named IsaiahG. Cool guy makes some really dope music too. You put me onto him with a retweet. Anyway, it doesn’t take long to realize Isaiah and you are close, artistically at least (personally too maybe, I don’t know that much). How did you all meet? How long have you guys been making music and climbing the ladder in the city?
Kiraly: “I answered that last question before I know that you were gonna ask me about bro ass haha. But honestly it’s crazy but the only real way that I can explain it is all the raw niggas in the city just kinda would hear about each other through the grapevine of other artists or fans. It all just happened organically. A lot of niggas I follow would retweet his stuff and vice verse so it just kind of happened. Me and Zay have been friends for about 2 years now.”
Photograph by: @kayodidthat_
What does success look like for you in this? What will you measure your success in the music industry by?
Kiraly: “I personally want to be one of the biggest artists in the world but I also wouldn’t mind being an underground legend. Someone who never reaches true mainstream status but can still make a real living strictly off of music. That life sounds amazing. At the same time though, “making it” is subjective. I’ve done a lot of things in my career that has led people to say things like “oh you’re in a really good position” but to me, I haven’t reached what I consider to be “success” yet. Not until I don’t have to work a damn job anymore haha.”
Switching onto less deep and more lighthearted stuff… I’m from Dallas and don’t’ know much about Chicago. What’s the best place to eat in Chicago?
Kiraly: “That’s a tough question it really just depends on what you have a taste for. We definitely have the best pizza and honestly, you can literally pull up to any pizza spot in Chicago and the pizza will be good, no exaggeration. But my favorite is Giordanos. As you know, Harolds Chicken is amazing, and also Maxwell street polishes. Whenever I’m drunk on a Friday or Saturday night I grab me a Maxwell polish because they’re open 24 hours. It’s damn near a Chicago ritual.”
Photograph by @kayodidthat
Let’s say you’re headlining some big music festival. What are you putting on your rider?
Kiraly: “Shit, honestly I didn’t even know artists made outlandish ass requests for their riders until recently lmao. But off the top of my head, I’d say Green tea, a couple of bottles of Crown Apple, iPhone chargers. I don’t smoke but my homies do so some loud. Some food too. Ribs because that’s my favorite food. Probably a lot more that I’d think of at another time lmao.”
What do people need to know?
Kiraly: “I feel like people should know that with this project I wanted to challenge myself and take my artistry to the next level. I’ve always been able to rap well, it’s easy to this point. I wanted to show how great of an artist I can be and with this project, I feel I showed the world what I’m capable of.”
Leaving off on this note: Who is Kiraly Payne?
Kiraly: “I am a person who lives and breathes music. This shit is in me and I won’t stop until I get what I feel like I deserve. This is me and always been.”
Catch Kiraly Payne on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/KiralyPayne
Stream PROTECT MY hea(art) here:
