Q. Hi! I love the concept of “Unlucky Girl Syndrome.” We live in this social media era and have shown different lifestyles some people are blessed to have, and it’s easy not to be satisfied or content with your life. Did you write “Unlucky Girl Syndrome” from a personal perspective or in general?
KANYA: Hi, Taylor. When I wrote Unlucky Girl Syndrome, I was going through a rough time. We were starting to go back to our normal lives after the pandemic. I had so many projects and things I wanted to do, but nothing ever worked… No matter how long or how hard I tried. And at the same time, I saw everyone around me and on social media live a life that I idealized and it was really hard for me to accept that it wasn’t my reality. That’s what I had on my mind when I wrote the song.
It’s not always the case, but I write a lot of my songs from a personal perspective, as writing is kind of therapeutic for me. And what’s so amazing when you release your art is that you realize that you are not alone and that so many people around the world feel the same way you do.
Q: I love how funky and upbeat it is, and makes me wonder who your influences are.
KANYA: I have a lot of influences in so many different genres. But this particular track is heavily influenced by artists like Dua Lipa and Mark Ronson. I love how they bring back elements from the funk scene in the late 70s. I also love artists like Aretha Franklin and Gloria Gaynor.
Q: Walk me through the songwriting process. How did you know these lyrics were the right ones?
KANYA: One thing about writing is that you never really know if a choice is the right one. Something might feel right to me but feel totally wrong to someone else. I am lucky in the sense that I have full creative freedom. So when I make my choices, I choose whatever feels right to me, whatever sounds right to my ears and that I am sure I will not regret.
Writing Unlucky Girl Syndrome was fairly easy; it took me about two hours from start to finish, and the song you can listen to today is almost exactly the same song I had when I first wrote it.
Q: What kinds of reactions have you received since releasing “Unlucky Girl Syndrome”?
KANYA: It’s funny because I didn’t tell many people that I was about to release a song, and not many people knew how interested in music I was. So it was a big surprise for everyone, and it was so funny to me to see how shocked they were! But people have been incredibly supportive! My family and my friends have been streaming the song constantly and sharing it on their platforms with their friends or even their colleagues. I always knew I had great people around me, but it feels nice to be reminded of the support system that I have. And I’m very grateful.
Also, the song is slowly starting to get noticed outside of my circle, so I’m excited to see the development of my music career in the next few months.
Q: “Unlucky Girl Syndrome” is your first release ever, so congratulations on that. How does that feel?
KANYA: Thank you so much! It feels incredible! You know the feeling when you have a huge secret, and you’re scared of being exposed because you think people won’t understand or will make fun of you, but instead, they think it’s the coolest thing in the world? That’s how it feels. It’s very relieving.
Q: What are some things that you’re learning as you start your music journey?
KANYA: When you make music alone in your room, it’s easy to listen back to it and just think that it’s not good, that it’s stupid, that you’re not talented enough… But with the feedback I got from this first release, I am learning to trust myself, to trust my instincts and to trust that I have what it takes to make music that people enjoy.
Q: Well, you have your first single out, but do you have more songs in the vault waiting to be released?
KANYA: Absolutely! I plan to take this music thing as far as I can, so you can expect a lot of new music! My second single, Speed Up, will be released around late July/early August. And you can already expect another song a few weeks after that!
