She could be the biggest thing out of Canada since Avril Lavigne – sorry, I mean Justin Bieber. Her name is KAY – which she makes verrry clear on a track she produced with Ryan Tedder (titled ‘My Name is Kay’). As Interscope’s best-kept secret, what does she think about the Spice Bus… or Justin Timberlake’s frost tips?

ALEX KAZEMI: You kind of came out of nowhere… it was basically like, “Oh, hey! (Label) Interscope has a new girl; she’s going to blow your mind!” Basically, you’re Interscope’s best kept secret - how did that come about?!

KAY: I would like to think of myself as Interscope’s best keep secret, or a long lost cousin that shows up one Christmas with lots of tattoos and a mind-blowing talent for playing the harmonica… however, I am neither. I’m just a regular kid who’d been working their butt off for a long time, and one day a few key people took interest and a huge risk on me (and I am ridiculously thankful)! I would have given my left kidney to sign with Interscope, but they weren’t interested in that. 

ALEX KAZEMI: Your track ‘My Name is KAY’ talks about a boy who called you Sarah by accident. Has that ever actually happened?

KAY: It’s funny you should ask, I really want to set the record straight. My name is Kay - it’s not Sarah, or Courtney, or Jonathan Taylor Thomas. My whole life, I have had complete strangers walking up to me telling me that I look like their cousin, friend or ex girlfriend. Ack! It’s pretty nuts. So yes, that has happened many times. 

ALEX KAZEMI: So, you’re currently working on your debut album, and have already worked with electro names like Tiesto, Rusko and Steve Aoki, but also pop/hip-hop writing/producing names like Evan Bogart and Ryan Tedder. Are all those genres going to come together in the record?

KAY: I have been extremely blessed to work with my musical heroes this past year; I have learned so much from them. The album is going to be a mix of everything - no boundaries. 

ALEX KAZEMI: Do you think the producers working on your album are having a hard time reconciling the Missy Elliot/TLC swag with the Britney bubblegum-pop aspects in your voice? 

KAY: I’ll answer that question with another question… does a chef have a hard time combining Canadian bacon and a maple syrup donut? The answer is no - it’s easy peasy!

ALEX KAZEMI: At what age did you first realize you could rap? Were you rapping before you were singing?

KAY:  I started battle rapping when I was two. Okay, that’s a lie… the truth is, I used to do super lame songs at school events, like Jewel. It wasn’t until I started MC’ing at club nights that I put my rapping to use.

ALEX KAZEMI: Tons of mainstream airheads are going to compare you to acts like Uffie and Ke$ha, because you’re white and you can rap. Do you find it sad that people are so close-minded that they think ‘white girl rap’ is basically a style of music, rather than a genre?

KAY: That’s so odd – I’ve never been compared to either of them before, but just yesterday someone referred to me as the Donald Trump of rap. That someone was me.

ALEX KAZEMI: Music-wise, what decade do you think has left the most impact on music today?

KAY: I can’t speak for other people, but I’m moved by early ‘90s hip-hop like The Pharcyde, TLC, early Outkast, and Leaders of the New School, as well as one-hit wonders like The Proclaimers and Right Said Fred.

KAZEMI: I miss Aqua & N*SYNC every day of my life… 

KAY: I don’t - but I do miss Justin Timberlake’s sweet frosted tips, and JC Chavez’s soul patch.

ALEX KAZEMI: With your sound, it feels like you might be a fan of Aaliyah… are you?

KAY: Sometimes I sing ‘Try Again’ out loud at the gym, when I’m pumping iron. People love it - I think.

ALEX KAZEMI: What’s the first thing you’re going to do when you come to London? 

KAY: First things first! I would like to go to the The Cock Tavern pub in Smithfield and challenge (champion beer drinker) Peter Dowdeswell to a speed beer-drinking contest. 

ALEX KAZEMI: Any idea when a single is dropping in the UK?

KAY: Summer time!!!

^{Originally featured in SuperSuper #24}