In a world full of @s, be a .com. At least, that’s the motto coder-slash-full-on-popstar Klemntyna goes by. Having launched LiveRoom Media, an online platform for music live-streaming, back during her college days, she’s just shy of one sudden burst of karaoke fun before she entirely turns into her television alter ego from Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist sans the wispy red hair. That and the chaotically pining away jazz hands, replaced by disco-leaning metallic skirts, rocker guitars, and debut album SHE. The 11-track piece came out in June of this year under the helm of Jake Tavill as both producer and feature. ‘HAPPY’ spotlights his vocal abilities, which wouldn’t at all sit next to a smiley face (an emoji she often drops in our exclusive chat with her) considering its reflective anguish.
We spoke to Klemntyna about her Polish upbringing and some of our own favorite sound elements off the album, and since we’re deep into this whole girl in STEM theme, what song would best turn into a website?
Hi Klemntyna. Welcome to the hive! From the get-go, your name provides such star power and is of Polish origin, having been born in Warsaw, Poland. Are there any Polish singers you admire or even music traditions that have since inspired your own music?
Hi! Thanks so much for having me! 🙂 I was raised in Warsaw and educated by Polish singers, so naturally, their influences became my early influences. My first voice teacher, who taught me the foundations of singing, was very inspired by jazz and instilled in me admiration for both Polish jazz as well as international jazz, particularly Scandinavian, with artists like Viktoria Tolstoy. Some of the first songs I had to learn for my voice classes were also by Polish artists of the 60s/70s, such as Anna Jantar. I remember my teacher would say that because Polish as a language is very demanding and requires good diction, it’s important to learn to sing in it before moving on to English songs. I have always been obsessed with American music culture, particularly R&B, so I studied both simultaneously.
‘DISTANCE’
‘DISTANCE’ is a powerful ballad about realizing just how much space is between you and your dreams, and it also coincidentally applies to the mileage between Poland and New York, your current home that you’ve moved to from the age of nineteen. What was your headspace like when you realized the States is such a bigger pond?
At the time of writing ‘DISTANCE,’ I was in NYC, and it was the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. Since 2018, I have been splitting my time between NYC and London, and so distance was a big inspiration for me, particularly in the context of a physical space between the US and the EU. At the same time, I knew from a very young age that I wanted to move to LA/NYC.
Living in LA was my dream as a child, but when I got a bit older and visited NYC for the first time, I decided this was where I wanted to be as soon as I graduated high school. Ever since a very young age, I prepared myself for this move. It started with me learning to sing and perfecting my English. Then, in middle school, I began to learn more about US college applications, and going into high school, I already knew the next steps I’d have to take to be able to move to NYC.
Do you have daily manifestation rituals that help make your mental health more manageable while still being able to satisfy that side of yourself who’s ambitious?
This is a great question because this is exactly what I’m learning to do right now in my therapy sessions 🙂 I’ve always been very motivated, and I think I subconsciously manifested a lot of the things I’ve achieved so far, but it came from this inner belief that if I put in the necessary effort, I can accomplish anything. I did just that, and it worked for a lot of the things I dreamed of achieving as a child.
Lately, I’ve noticed my mental health has been decreasing because of social media, namely the way it impacts my confidence. I’ve been struggling with this so much to the point that in 2020, I decided to start an online collective, FemZquared, with the goal of sharing more authenticity on social media and empowering women. Still, even now, social media is often triggering for me, and I’m learning to manage it. I try to remind myself every day that I’m doing, and have done, a great job so far and that I have my own path.
‘DISTANCE’ is a perfect focus track for your debut album, SHE, as it lays the groundwork for someone to understand your cultural background and how much you’ve had to sacrifice. But what other song on the record would you give to a first-time listening fan so they could gain some knowledge on what direction you want your music career to go in?
Every song on the album tells a slightly different story and shares a different part of me. They’re all cohesive and yet differ in terms of style and vibe. If I had to choose, I think I’d encourage people to listen to ‘IN LOVE’ as well as ‘SHE.’ They both have a bit of an experimental, alternative pop vibe, and it’s something I’ve been particularly inspired by in recent years. ‘IN LOVE’ is also a very personal song. Still, I’m open to different directions depending on how I feel when I write my next album.
The Creative Process
Someone who’s helped you flourish those career goals is Jake Tavill, who goes from a behind-the-scenes creative partner, working as the producer, mixing engineer, and then with some writing credits, to a duet partner on ‘HAPPY.’ Can you describe the contrasts between working with him on those two roles?
Jake had a lot of influence on the album, particularly as a producer and, in the case of a couple of songs, also as a songwriter. Most of the songs on the album were already written, but Jake and I worked together to perfect them during the pre-production process. Working with him was very easy, probably because we’re also just really good friends. It felt like the entire production process was very fun and collaborative!
Is there a sound element that you particularly loved working with him on? For example, we absolutely love the intro on ‘BUBBLE,’ written with the help of Rellz, who introduced you to Jake. It sounds like a glittering, celestial spaceship that will capture us into our imaginative realm rather than let reality set in.
This is also one of my favorite intros, as well as the one for ‘ON THE LOW.’ I think working on the intros might be my favorite sound element, as well as figuring out synths to layer on each song. Jake has a great collection of various synths, which made the process very fun and inspiring!
You create the perfect run-on track from ‘DREAM’ to ‘CHASE.’ From a tracklisting point of view, you’re beautifully describing this need to chase your dreams in a broader sense. Still, when listening to the songs themselves, they represent the toxic catch-22 of desperately holding onto a relationship that isn’t healthy. How has your mentality around releasing developed?
Writing songs that talk about all the personal challenges I’ve faced, such as holding on to toxic relationships, has helped me deal with my thoughts and emotions and look at those experiences from another perspective. It’s not something that I have entirely moved on from, but I’m definitely in a totally different place right now, and I have learned a lot from that experience! At the same time, I hope that by talking about these challenges, I can empower my listeners to know they’re not alone if they’ve been through a similar experience.
Other Interests
What’s also really interesting is that the record label you’re under, The Color Indigo, seems to link onto Indigo Soul NYC, where you also model, participating in their Fashion Week. Has the creativity between both worlds always been so fluid to you?
I consider modeling just a fun chapter in my life because music has always played a much more important role in me. Having experience as a model and participating in the Fashion Week, as well as having a chance to meet some people from the fashion world, taught me a lot of transferable skills that I use in music, too, particularly when working on the visual aspect of my album and shooting photos for promo.
While music is essential to getting to know you, tech is also important! What initially drew you to that world, particularly sparking you to launch Girls Code Fest?
I’ve always been inspired by tech and how it could be used in the context of arts and immersive experiences! I even went to NYU’s Tandon School of Engineering in my freshman year. I’ve been particularly interested in extended reality and creative tech. In 2020, while still a college student, I co-founded a music tech startup with a team of 3 other co-founders. We built a live-streaming music platform for independent artists called LiveRoom Media, thanks to which I gained more experience in tech.
I was also fascinated by the idea of virtual worlds in gaming and hosting music experiences in the metaverse. Perhaps this is where my interest in organizing Girls Code Fest in 2021 came from! Girls Code Fest was an online STEAM conference that I organized as part of FemZquared, my digital collective that empowers Gen Z women through storytelling. It hosted 20+ female leaders in 6 different STEAM industries and invited over 500 attendees aged 13-30. Our goal was to educate girls and women on the benefits of STEAM education, inspire them to pursue their passion for tech, and foster networking opportunities.
What song from SHE has the most potential to become a website if we consider turning its soundscape mood board into a website theme?
I love this question! I would pick either ‘SHE’ or ‘FYS’ because they both have a very particular aesthetic. ‘SHE’ is experimental, edgy, and a little sharp, which I’d associate with dark blue-green and silver colors. On the other hand, ‘FYS’ has a more dreamy, uplifting, and smooth vibe, which I’d pair with pastel/light pink, purple, and silver tones. I think they would both look awesome as two different websites! 🙂
We absolutely loved chatting with Klemntyna! What song from the album best makes you feel like a force to be reckoned with? Let us know through our social media, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook! Because while SHE is the moment, so are all of you just by listening to it.
Check out more of our exclusive interviews here!
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT KLEMNTYNA:
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | TIKTOK | YOUTUBE
