South East-London artist Kai Kwasi has shared a new single called ‘Cracks’. It’s lifted from his upcoming debut EP, Jahlila, which arrives this March via Play It Again Sam. Listen to ‘Cracks’, produced by Sam Breathwick (aka Shriiiink), below.
“I wrote ’Cracks’ following a conversation I had with Joy [Crookes] about the feeling of spiralling and how sometimes it can feel like comfort in familiarity,” Kwasi explained in a press release. “We played ‘Cut Me’ by Moses Sumney and talked about the lyrics in that ‘Might not be healthy for me but seemingly I need – what cuts me’. It was one of those moments where someone articulates something you’ve been feeling perfectly. One of those moments where you realise we’re all living such a similar experience and that you’re very rarely alone in whatever strange emotion you might be thinkin’ or feeling.”
Jahlila is named after Kwasi’s late grandmother. “My Nana was and still is a huge part of my life,” he said. “She taught me kindness and patience and always encouraged me to do what was best. She passed away a while ago now but i still find myself reaping the benefits of the seeds she sowed in life. My love for art, my appreciation for the small things, my friends, my taste in music and tbh my general outlook on life. She takes every step I take with me, a model for how life should be lived. I guess i’m naming my first project after her as a further excuse to celebrate her.”
