AHEAD of TENEMENT TV’s section at Stream4Scotland in support of Nordoff Robbins on Saturday 30th May, we caught up with kitti to find out about her cover choice, her favourite Scottish artists and more.
Can you tell us a bit about the cover you have chosen and why?
“I’ve chosen to cover the iconic song that is Dougie MacLean’s ‘Caledonia’. This song means the world to me, as I am very proud to be Scottish, now more than ever! My whole life I’ve been aware of the song, and I’ve loved it’s melody since my first listen, but it wasn’t until I started recording my own version, that I really paid attention to the lyrical content. The song sums up how I feel about Scotland in all her glory!”
How does it feel to record such a big song with so many people in isolation?
“I feel so honoured to have been able to co-arrange my own version of the song with the incredibly talented bunch at Cairn String Quartet. It’s been a life long dream of mine to play with a string orchestra, as they just do something to my soul! Strings always make me cry when I hear them! They’re so emotive and really make me feel something within my heart. Getting a group of this size to send in videos is easy, but we all appreciate Jamie at TTV who spent HOURS syncing our parts together!”
What’s the best music to come out of Scotland in your opinion?
“Oooh this is an almost impossible question! The music we Scots have been creating over the years is so varied and the amount of talent is beyond belief! To name a few of my personal favourites is extremely difficult, but up there is definitely Paolo Nutini, Average White Band, Calvin Harris, Annie Lennox, Eddi Reader … there’s just too many!”
What can fans expect from your live set on Saturday?
“We’re having a party! I’ll be playing some of my better known songs, a verrrrry cool cover, and a newbie that you can expect to hear on my upcoming EP next month!”
Anyone else your excited to see perform during the TTV stream?
“I’m sooo excited to hear each and every one of the acts that are taking part on Saturday! There’s such a wide variation of music genres so it’ll be nice to have everyone coming together for these amazing causes.”
Lockdown has been tough for the music industry – anything special you’re doing to keep yourself motivated during this time?
“Lockdown has been super weird and I’m really hopeful that the music industry is able to spring back with ebullience after all of this! Personally, I think the local musical community has became a lot closer during these times! I’ve been a busy bee! I bought a guitar and have started learning to write new songs, learning how to work GarageBand, as well as listening to lots and lots of albums and podcasts. Every Thursday morning, a few of the girls in the local music scene and I have been getting together for a coffee morning and I’ve made new everlasting friendships! I’ve also been working very hard on my info pack – “THE IMPORTANT STUFF” kitti’s guide for basic music business” that is now available on my Bandcamp!”
What’s the first thing you’re going to do when the live music / recording studios re-open?
“Being in lockdown has definitely made me appreciate live music more than I already did. I can’t wait to get into the rehearsal studio again with my band and get working on perfecting our live shows and recording new material! I’m going to be out at gigs all the time! I don’t want to miss anything ever again!”
kitti will perform at home live on Gigs in Scotland Facebook page and the Stream4Scotland website alongside TTV’s other artists, which includes Lucia + The Best Boys, Baby Strange, Neon Waltz and more in support of Nordoff Robbins. Find out everything you need to know about Stream4Scotland here.
Photo by Peter Doyle.
