We recently connected with Koi Sway and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Koi, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?

Music has always been something that was foundational for me. I’ve been in a studio since I was in my moms stomach. I remember always watching my dad and my uncles create the most insane songs. I didn’t realize it in those moments but I was actually learning that this was my passion. I feel like the energy of a creative space has always felt like home. I have been singing since I could talk and of course I would sing the songs that my family played most. My mom loved to blast her oldies on Saturday mornings, I will admit to seeing them as the “Wake up and clean this house!” siren back then, but those songs definitely helped my sound become what it is today. They felt like culture and I wanted to be apart of creating emotion like I heard from the Isley Brothers and learning to writing my story like I heard in Outkast records. When I was 12 I wrote my first song. It was pretty bad, if I’m being honest, I couldn’t play guitar but I was sure strumming on about some 12 year old stuff, nontheless. It was a crazy feeling to have made something of my own that I could sing around and force my brother and sister to watch me perform. lol I’ve now been writing for about 12 years now as insane as that sounds.

What helped my writing most, I would say, was studying hip hop and alternative styles of music. Lyricism and atmosphere are really my base; when I write a song I”m always aiming for bars and and a good atmosphere in my backgrounds. Isaiah Rashad, Lil Wayne, Cold Play and Frank Ocean are definitely the artist that I studied most throughout the years. I appreciate my journey to the space that in in now, but I feel that if I had started recording sooner and experimenting with my range, I could’ve been so much farther along now. I was afraid of how people would receive the texture of my voice and the songs more than I was focused on just releasing things that I felt represented me in that moment. So building my confidence as well as just having fun with the process was essential for me. Once I overcame the fears, I realized that they were just holding me back and I started creating freely. No one really mentions how different it is singing in the booth as opposed to singing live! I started recording about 2 years ago so that’s been something Im learning more and more about each session. All in all, I’ve just been enjoying the journey of creating my sound and challenging myself creatively.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers?

My name is Koi Sway; I’m a 24 year old singer/songwriter from Orlando, Florida. I’ve been heavily influenced by music my whole life but my personal passion for creating started when I was 12. I got a little pink starter guitar, that I never learned to play, for Christmas and I thought I was India Arie. Having the guitar really made it feel official for me, I started out writing one a song a day and it eventually turned into more until I figured out my method of writing quality songs. I remember the turning point for me was a song called “Cleanse” that I wrote when I was 16. I just had certainty that it was only going to get better from there and it has. I used to record memos on my phone just to remember what the song was supposed to sound like until I started visiting Atlanta more. My first real studio session was in Atlanta and being here has really pushed me creatively. There is so much talent and open creative spaces all around. Being from the South, I find that I draw most from southern culture and you can hear that in my beat selection. Vocally I would say that I’m most inspired by Neo Soul/Alternative styles of singing. I incorporate a lot of ambiance . I would describe my sound as Alternative R&B with Soft Rock and Indies influence. What you will hear in my music is earthy tones and a more unorthodox use of vocals. I always seek to create a vibe that is cool and relaxing but that expresses whatever I’m feeling at that moment. I feel that people who have a passion for detail and just feel good music in general will gravitate towards my sound. I speak about my experiences and use this platform as more of a way to express myself, what sets me apart is that I’m just being myself.

Im experiencing life in my 20’s; with that comes: self realization, love, heartbreak, and growth in general Im all about just being alive and accepting all that come with being human so that can be heard in my music. I think people will relate to me and the brand that Ive created is all about self expression and being real with yourself about who you are. Songs that I’ve released like “Moshpits”, “Believe In Me”, and “Ethereal” are all examples of situtations that I decided to make beautiful by turning them into my art. Im proud to announce that I actually have a project that I’ll be releasing in the next few months that I’m extremely proud of as well. With that being said, I also love performing and being able to have in person connections. Performing really provides the opportunity to see first hand how similar we all are. The way that people react to the music is always a reminder that we are all going through the same/similars things in different ways.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I really just love creating music in general, of course I’d say the final product is the reward but when I hear a song I hear the memories of it. I’m extremely nostalgic and just being able to make something go from a beat to a full song with backgrounds and a whole atmosphere in itself, is magic to me. I always look forward to the process. The opportunity to share a space with like-minded individuals to create something meaningful is one of my favorite parts as well. I had been just recording around Atlanta with friends or different producers/engineers until my most recent project that is to be released on October 14th. I had the chance to lock in with a dope engineer in Tennessee, Coleman Sutton, so a lot of my life has been spent in a car going back and forth between Atlanta and Nashville but it’s all been worth it and super fun.
This is actually my first solo project and Im so excited! The EP turned out exactly how I imaged it, I started writing it actually a few months after moving to Georgia and it kind of just became what it is today. It’s so rare to have an idea and for what you image to be the exact product you receive. I decided to name this Project “Melancholy Muse” because I felt that what I was exemplifying the beauty of living in the moment and being open to something new while also embracing the growth and self-realization that heartbreak bring. It’s something about finding yourself healed and with new life experience that ushers in the reminder that you really “that girl” as the youth say. I feel like sometimes it’s easy to get wrapped up in the idea of what you want and not the reality of what you have. In so many ways I also feel that self discovery is a huge theme of the project. Sonically I went for a Alternative R&B type vibe, a lot of southern influence in the beat selection and a lyrical style of writing that was a bit of a challenge for me in the best way. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone vocally, trying out different melodies and harmonies that I typically shy away from. I’m so excited to be able to share it in the next few months.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

I think what’s most important to me is of course being able to live my life in fullness and make my passion my job. Being able to provide for my family doing something that I love is the goal. I think we can all agree, we are most motivate by those that we love, obtaining happiness and financial freedom. Being on stage and in a studio are my happy places. I want to show my nieces and nephew that there’s other options and make reaching your goals fathomable to them.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/koisway/?hl=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkdjXqovpRHY1Ws5Cfy15ew