We were lucky to catch up with Sir Kay recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sir, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

That would undoubtedly be my latest album, titled “Providence,” which is slated for release on all major platforms on September 1st, 2024, under the name Sir Kay. It marks a significant departure in my musical journey. Classified broadly as acoustic singer-songwriter, Providence stands out because it revolves around lyrics, unlike my previous work, which focused heavily on intricate instrumentation and complex rhythms. This album embraces restraint, opting for music that serves as a backdrop to emotions conveyed in the lyrics.

Initially, I was reluctant to focus on lyrics because I feared the songs might turn out “sad.” But I realized that a story can be told in many ways, including, for instance, with reverence. I am interested in being useful rather than sulking. That is to say, to gain nothing from a tragedy is the true loss. There are very few things we as humans can control, but we can choose how we tell our stories. My stories tend to be conflicted yet closure-oriented. While it’s not all happy endings, I do take creative liberties with tragic events. For instance, how one might wish things could have been, rather than how they ended up. Hopeful, despite.  

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

In the context of creativity, there are two distinct sides to my work; if it’s not dark and complex, then it’s sincere and gentle. All of my projects before moving to New York were metal bands, so I took the move as an opportunity to go in a new, softer direction. When I arrived in New York in 2011, I started touring with the technical metal band Car Bomb as a drum-tech. For me, this was huge because they were one of my all-time favorite bands. I had been listening to them since 2008, so to pick the brain of one of the greatest drummers on earth was a dream. In 2015, I graduated from The Institute of Audio Research and began producing/mixing music for other artists, while at the same time working in fashion and live events around the city.

In 2018, I took a job as a field engineer for a top 100 AV integrator in Manhattan. Through the use of computer programming, I sort of cracked open a part of my brain I was unaware that I possessed. Later, I would take this knowledge and build my own set of proprietary instruments in Max/MSP. Most notably, my generative metal series. This series stemmed from a joke idea I had while on tour: “I wonder if I could build a program that generates metal songs.” The first iterations of the program took place on Twitch and Instagram during the pandemic, but it hit a whole new level when I realized I could generate fully fleshed-out metal songs in real-time, using only my drum set (see Instagram, the red* posts). I have greater plans for this project, but for now, it has taken a backseat to more traditional forms of songwriting.

In 2020, I took a role as a stage manager/sound designer for a show titled SEI, which was written and produced by Kaki King and Tamir Eisenman. “In SEI (which means “six” in Italian), guitarists become dancers, coordinating their whole bodies to perform the rigors of both choreography and composition. Multiple guitars on stands are spaced out strategically, in a design allowing for music and movement to be created between them. In SEI, the relationship between the players is revealed musically and physically, a progression of distance and space.” One of my favorite parts to work on was building what we lovingly refer to as “The Susan.” The Susan is basically a tri-guitar stand strapped to a lazy Susan with three guitars on it. During the show, they spin it (fast) while playing the guitars. It’s a fun segment, but part of my job is to watch and make sure they don’t knock it over! Another favorite was designing a program in Max/MSP that generates a simulation of Kaki and Tamar’s guitar performances in real-time. This simulation is then played back during their performance with accompanying backing tracks for the finale of the show.

When I’m not writing/recording/producing my own songs, I am working with other singers and musicians. I am dedicated to realizing the potential of musical artists at any level of experience. I provide comprehensive mixing and production services, and I am happy to offer a free consultation to any artists seeking guidance in their creative journeys.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I suppose it’s more of a lesson I had to learn, but being “special” or “talented” is meaningless without work. As someone who has been routinely classified as talented, I can tell you that the “untalented” person putting in work will always surpass the “talented” one who is not. Talent is merely a brief advantage early on, and more importantly, it is not a prerequisite for creativity.

Furthermore, there is no such thing as a non-creative person. “Non-creative” is nothing more than a title to pacify the choice of inaction. Being creative is not magic; it is practice. If you do not, then you are not. It is that simple. A common problem is “compare and despair.” It’s easy to look at an artist and say, “I’ll never be that.” True, you will never be Georgia O’Keeffe or Steve Vai, but without action, you will also never be the artist you could have been.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

There are a few, but in my humble opinion, anything worth its salt has drawn from the greatest of all time: Marcus Aurelius, Meditations.

I was an adult by the time I first read it, which I find amusing because I later found out that it is part of the high school curriculum. At its core, the message is simple: What can I control? In life, as it turns out, very little. This presents a paradox for someone who is routinely engaged in a creative practice that enables ultimate control—songwriting. Yet for me, works like Meditations have served as a guide to distinguish between control in a vacuum (art) and control in the real world (life).

It is a text that has moved me to tears on more than one occasion. I wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://sirismyfirstname.wixsite.com/creative
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sirismyfirstname