KYTES “Without sounding too esoteric – it has to come to you”

We had the chance to link up with KYTES for a quick Q&A. Find out what the German Indie band had to say about the current state of social media and its impact on music marketing, favourite music video experiences and their next steps! Read along:

You’ve just released your new single “the beat is on hold”. How did you cope with the absence of concerts in the last two years?

It’s been tough. Playing shows and also going to live shows is such an inspiration and motivation for new music, so it’s been challenging!
We took a break in summer 2020 and started writing afterwards. Can’t wait for festivals, live shows and tours!

What are the biggest challenges you face as an up and coming artist in the digital age?

It’s the endless possibilities and there are so so many good artists you’re “competing” with. Also it’s all about a constant delivery of content – this can be tough and exhausting – also being a band it’s not just one person on social media who can be who he or she is. In our case it’s four individual and unique guys – so finding one voice for us all can be challening.

How do you feel about the current state of social media and its impact on music marketing?

It’s crazy! It’s like social media really replaced TV PR.
You can blow up just within a few days on tiktok. Of course almost everybody is trying it and only a few artists really blow up. You still have to be creative and unique. So many artists shape their image on social media and really kind of define who they are. In our opinion it’s almost impossible to build a fanbase without social media. So it’s a really powerful tool – still we try not to spend hours and hours on social media, it’s not really a source of inspiration or creativity.

What was the best music video experience you ever had?

The two most fun and challenging music videos were “take it easy” – it’s a one shot and was so hard to time and choreograph. The second is “Alright” – we decided to do a dance choreography video – only we can’t dance. So we had to learn it from some friends of ours. Was really challenging but so fun!

When you start a new track – what are the first steps?

It’s always different! Sometimes it’s a lyric, sometimes it’s just a cool name for a song, a chord progression, a drum beat, a guitar or bass line. So we dont really have a recipe for songwriting. You can’t force it, without sounding too esoteric – it has to come to you.

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What makes a live show special to you?

It’s all about the energy between the artist and the audience. If you can make that connection then it will be special. We like it when songs are a little different than on the record. We also play our songs kind of rougher and less clean, so you won’t have the feeling you’re just listening to the record.

What’s next for KYTES?

We’re about to release our new song “bumblin” – out September 24th.
Another song coming just before Christmas! Hopefully we will be on Tour from late November until the Christmas holidays.
New album in 2022!