Project Description

  • Knotfest
  • gum ball
  • Festival x

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Coolio

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Interview with
KATIJA

(11th November 2022)

Interview with Dave Bruce

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KATIJA.

Have you always wanted to be a musician? When did you get the song writing bug?  
I actually started my performance life as a hip-hop dancer. After watching Justin Timberlake’s Senorita when I was a young girl, that’s when I first caught the music bug. Moving my body to Hip-Hop and RnB music just felt so natural and I knew I had a gift and a very strong passion for it. This passion led me to study performing arts, moving into drama and musical theatre (singing). It was at this point I had the realisation I wasn’t gifted with the voice of Beyonce and it was going to take me some kind of a miracle to become a singer, so I started to fall in love with rapping. My love for poetry from a young age and obsession with rapping all day long to artists such as Eminem quickly developed into writing my own music from about 16 years old. It was the way I could express my emotions with words and capture my life’s journey. A couple years into studying dancing full-time in Melbourne I realised how I could combine all of my passions and arrived at my dream and purpose which is to dance to my own rap songs on stage #living!

How would you describe your sound? Why do you think people resonate with your music?
This is a question I have been asked a lot lately. Being a new artist is about finding your feet, discovering your sound and who you are as an artist. Personally I don’t want to put myself in a box and say I have one particular style quite yet because I think as I grow and develop as an artist especially in the next couple of years so will my sound. Currently I would describe my sound and style as a bit similar to Iggy Azalea – you could say it’s pop-rap. Some of my songs are harder hitting with high energy, some are filled with more emotion and meaning and recently I even started an old funky disco house/hip-hop track I am just full of surprises! Whilst my verses are rapping I create melodic, very catchy hooks and choruses which gives the songs some real light and shade. People will resonate with my music because it is fun, high energy and I think being a blonde Aussie rapper and dancer reminds other girls out there like me or anyone that feels different to the social norm that you can be anyone you want to be. Don’t let anyone tell you you can’t, it’s your life and you choose how you live it. 

Which artist’s music and/or performance, past or present, inspires you today? 
You will always hear me talk about Eminem so let’s start there! I developed the nickname Feminem because I would always rap Emineme’s songs. His music was such an influence because the talent it takes to put words, syllables and sounds together the way he does is just mind blowing all whilst telling a story and using various styles of voices, characters, energy and speeds means no two songs sound alike. I feel like today’s music especially in rap and hip hop is all starting to sound very similar. We need more originality to shine through and for artists to take more risks. Eminem also represents to me that it’s ok to just be you even if you don’t fit the mould because if he didn’t stay true to who he was the world would never have had the gift of Emimem. 

Your new single Do You Want It has just been released! Describe its origin and evolution. 
I am very excited to have released Do You Want it! But it is bittersweet without having the man who started it all here with us, Coolio. One of the magical things about music is that it captures a mood, a feeling and a moment in time. This song has captured one of the last ever times we will get to hear Coolio’s iconic voice on a song and this makes the track even more special. Recently on his last trip to Aus for the Made In the 90’s Tour our paths aligned. Coolio had been introduced to the studio I am working out of Cosmic Bounce Records and he was there on the night of my video clip shoot for my first single Lullaby. We instantly connected and it was a space where Coolio really started to feel inspired and got the itch to start writing music again. Coolio was really drawn to the beat behind Do You Want It produced by kb808 because it really spoke to his old school funk music influence and he said it was a different sound to any other beat he had heard in the studios he had visited in Aus. Coolio started writing to the beat and then realised that it was missing the finishing element, a female feature. We had already developed a relationship and having already heard my sound we just felt it was the right fit and I helped him to finish writing the track. I was able to match his energy, cheekiness and vibe which was something he was not able to do with many other feature artists he tried to work with. It was set to be released on the 28th of October prior to his sudden passing and we felt it was important to honour that even though the circumstances have changed and give everyone the gift of hearing his iconic voice and lyrics one more time. 

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Is there an EP or Album on the drawing board?
Absolutely there is an EP on the cards! But first I have a few more singles ready to release over the next few months. As I am a new artist I feel as though it’s important to keep current and keep releasing new music to the world so people can first get an idea of who I am and hopefully it will resonate with people and I will start to attract and connect with my audience. Each song I like to treat as its own entire project and I get fulfillment out of creating the video clip, concept and performance elements together before moving onto the next. I want to use this time to develop my sound, try new things and discover my capabilities. I want to showcase my variety as an artist before finding my flow on the elements you need to create an EP. 

Any tours or events coming up soon? What are you looking forward to, and what can the fans expect?
I am definitely excited for 2023 I have a few local gigs lined up in and around Melbourne from March next year once I have dropped my next 3 singles. As I mentioned I am hugely passionate about dancing so you can expect to see me combining my performances with dancing and high energy. Follow my socials for updates and dates, I cannot wait to perform for you all!

How has COVID affected you to date? What have you introduced to balance the losses from missed events?
What an interesting time for us to live through. I think Melbourne in particular really felt the after effects of the closing of the live music industry. It has taken a long time for people to be ready to get out there and perform and also support our local artists again. I think like many artists I used this time to reflect on who I am and what I want from this life and if anything it made me realise how much more I want to continue doing music and the fire burned brighter. I run my own commercial cleaning business and had mouths to feed during COVID I had to learn how to work with adversity and how to adapt quickly. So if anything, I learnt a lot of lessons and there was a lot gained, nothing lost. 

If you could perform with any music artist, Alive or Dead, who would you choose? And why? 
It has to be Coolio. I would give anything to have him here with us today and to have the gift to be able to perform our single together, because I truly believe our energy and performance would have been magical and something everyone would have enjoyed. 

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Coolio

Coolio and Katija – Photo credit Rose Media

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Do you have any long-term aspirations as a music artist? 
Long term I would love to be able to create some real artistic projects and concepts that nobody has seen before. Create a new experience, sound and emotion and show the world the uniqueness of who Katija is. I want to be my own biggest inspiration and prove to myself that anything is possible if you want it badly enough and believe in yourself enough. I cannot wait for the days when I am performing to sold out arenas and putting on the performance and show of a lifetime! It doesn’t stop there, I want to harness that energy and unstoppable force and use it to make positive change in the world around us through inspiring other young women in arts and business and being able to fund ventures that will make the world a better place for the next generations to come. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for me as an artist, entrepreneur and a human being and I am so excited to see who I will connect with along the way.

What is the best thing about performing to a live audience? What’s been the career highlight so far?
The absolute high that you get from performing to an audience is incredible. You cannot beat the feeling of doing what you love! Feeling the energy of the room and seeing the smile on their faces and making people feel something through your music whether it’s emotion or movement is so powerful. Honestly so far the highlight has been to work with and be mentored by Coolio who I absolutely idolised as a child. The whole experience has been surreal and I feel so blessed for the time I got to spend with him. I will never forget being up on stage with him in Sydney performing to all his fans at the Made In the 90’s tour that was a massive adrenaline rush, and singing out Gangsta’s Paradise to the audience for one of the last ever times is so hauntingly special. 

Finally, a few questions for some quick answers –
FAVOURITE:
Album – Encore 
Artist – Eminem 
Movie – Any Marvel Movie 
Place to visit – Croatia (I am half Croatian)
Venue to play – The Vineyard 
Food – my Dad’s spaghetti bolognese 
Drink – coffee
Tattoo – I don’t have any tattoos, however I always used to draw this colourful nike shoe where the laces crossed at the top and spelt the word dance. I would get it on my ankle… maybe one day!

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Coolio

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Follow KATIJA
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Press Release 28th October 2022 (below) – Check it out HERE

Coolio

COOLIO
releases posthumous single 
DO YOU WANT IT 
featuring Aussie artist
KATIJA

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