Get to know KISSEY, the Swedish singer making danceable trip hop

But, while music has long defined her life, only for the last year and a half has the 34-year-old been able to write what she’s always wanted to. “There have been times where I’ve not been really true to myself – moments where I’ve gone too far with adjusting who I am according to other people,” says Kissey. Now, she’s staying true to herself with her first EP on A-Trak’s Fool’s Gold label. Aiming to meld electronica with hip hop and rock, on ‘Unplug The Delusional Monkey’, the Swedish singer has teamed up with Puff Daddy-affiliated producers Sean C & LV. Coming across like a more soulful Portishead or a one-woman Gorillaz, her dark, moving and energetic trip-hop stylings delicately balance a variety of sounds.

Whether it was her teacher sneaking her into clubs underage to see her idols play or discovering Stockholm’s sole hip hop radio station, Kissey’s school years have defined the artist she’s now become. “As soon as I noticed a genre that I liked I soaked it up like a sponge,” she says. “I just grabbed the opportunity wherever and however I could.” These days spent soaking up house, hip hop, jazz and anything else she came across have at last come full circle.

‘Unplug The Delusional Monkey’ by Kissey is out soon on Fool’s Gold