Calista Kazuko’s music is quite proudly presenting an innovative version of alt-pop, created through her relationship between skilful piano playing and sophisticated vocal melodies. The reason that she is capable of such experimentation within the genre is due to her incredible musicianship, accompanied by her studies of classical/jazz piano and composition at London’s Royal Academy of Music. The singer-songwriter hopes to present a catchy tune, but within a cinematic and atmospheric facade.
Her latest single ‘So Much Love’ is an emotional offering that is about the admiration for life, bright self-confidence, and the intense love you feel for your nearest and dearest. The song is built around her signature sound, and features her piano and vocal combination that is stripped back but dynamic enough to entice listeners in. The texture of the track is thickened by her backing band (Fred Claridge on drums and Sam Weston on bass), who utilise a sometimes restrained and sometimes improvised, jazzy style to reflect the fluidity of Kazuko’s performance.
Speaking about the release she claims: “So Much Love is my very first love song, can you believe it? I thought it was about time! We recorded while I was super pregnant and loved up on oxytocin, so this song is for the love you feel as a partner, a parent, a child, a friend, a human full of SO MUCH LOVE!”
In evermore exciting news, Calista is penning her debut music-theatre piece, a collaboration with playwright Stephanie Martin, premiering in early 2023 with support from Help Musicians UK. With so much under her belt, and a lot more in the works, we can’t wait to see where her career will take her.
