When COVID hit, a lot of artists struggled to keep the momentum going with their careers as all events were put on hold. However, Kai Wachi was able to do the opposite and grow his following as new fans discovered his music during quarantine. His most popular track, “Run,” currently has over 10M plays on Spotify. His success wasn’t overnight, but rather over a long course of handwork and dedication. We had a quick chat with Kai before his show with Excision at the Brooklyn Mirage.
How Idaho and the Pacific Northwest Influence Kai Wachi
RMR: Growing up in Idaho, the environment obviously impacted your music career and creative process. What are some of the pros and cons?
Kai Wachi: I’ll start with the cons first. The con is that there is very little scene. At the time, dubstep wasn’t even big. We’re talking around 2010, before the big dubstep boom took place. When you’re in a small town like that, the rave events had maybe 100 kids with no LED walls and just small smoke machines along with ghetto speakers.
The pros of the town were that the community was very close. So as soon as I started getting decent with my craft, the support I had from the locals was insane. I actually attribute a lot of my success today because of Boise. They built such a strong foundation for me to build off of. They made me believe in myself so much and I just kept going. It’s part of the reason why I still live there.
RMR: You put out the Skins EP recently. Overall, it has a very cohesive sound, and it seems like you were trying to tell a story. Could you expand more on the creative process of the work, and the thought process behind the theme and meaning.
KW: I came up with the name Skins because I wanted it to represent what I was going through and still am currently. How unresolved trauma in your life, if they go unresolved long enough – it’s like you’re wearing that trauma as a skin. You’ll always fall short of your full potential because you’re ignoring trauma instead of taking the time to process and go through them. I honestly didn’t know I had a lot of childhood trauma until I started diving into my childhood this year, there were a lot of great moments, but there was also a lot of not-so-good moments.
I feel like a lot of people say they’re not built for relationships. My perspective now is that it’s not that they’re not built for relationships, but there’s something internal going on that is manifesting in the relationship and they’re not taking care of it. Every time they go into a new relationship, it’s the same trauma that is causing turmoil.
Skins represents the people who are going through things like that. I can’t really speak for all the songs lyrically because all the artists I work with, I told them “I want you to be as natural as you want.” Sometimes I gave them a little theme about what I wanted it to be about. But I always try to add an element of darkness to it, that makes it feel familiar in a melodic sense but unique through my own production.
Social Media’s Effect on Music Consumption
RMR: You mentioned that you chose to leave “Better Off Alone” on the EP because it’s a great song, but music gets processed and old very fast. It obviously deserves its place on the EP, but do you think there’s a way to slow down new music from getting old and rebuild our attention span when it comes to consuming music?
Kai Wachi: In my opinion, the reason why there’s such a short attention span is because we have such a huge surplus of up-and-coming artists and they’re amazing. There are kids with 1000 followers, and I hear their music and I’m like, “Who is this, this kid is amazing!” It’s beautiful in one sense, but it comes with its issues.
Bigger than that, I don’t even think it’s the music’s fault. I’m going to sound like an old man but social media has a huge impact on humanity’s attention span and what they can hold focus onto. People pour their hearts into these songs, and then they only promote them for two weeks. I was like, “why am I spending months stressing out about a song then only push it for a week?”
“Better Off Alone” is only 6 months old. In the rap industry, 6 months is new. You have to give your art time to grow. I think everyone wants to release a song that becomes a hit record after a week. Sometimes big songs take a long time to gain attention. My song, “Run,” is my biggest song of all time but I still have so many people saying, “I just heard “Run” for the first time, and now I’m a fan of your music.” And it’s over two years old. So, it’s telling me that songs need room to grow. If the song doesn’t get 1M plays in the first week, doesn’t mean it’s a failure.
RMR: With social media, you never know when a song will blow up. There are old songs that are just now blowing up.
KW: Yep, definitely. There are positive aspects of social media too. As for what artists can do, I don’t want to say release less music, but maybe release larger bodies of music and push it more versus smaller bodies of music and pushing it less. But I really don’t have the answers for these things. I just released Skins, and I’m already planning my next release. I do it because I love giving fans new music and new stuff to vibe and relate to.
Staying Healthy on Tour
RMR: With the EP release, you announced tour dates recently and tickets were just made available. What’s your routine like on tour when it comes to health and fitness? It’s clear you’re into fitness and staying in shape but touring is hard. You are eating terribly on the road, not getting enough sleep, and there’s probably little motivation to hit the gym consistently. How do you keep yourself in check mentally and physically on tour?
Kai Wachi: To be honest, this tour is going to be different. I’m really strapping down on prioritizing certain things. Last tour, it was eating at McDonald’s four times a week. Because after the show, there’s nothing available on DoorDash at 3AM besides fast food. But honestly, what I do is, I’ll be working out less during the tour because I go so hard on stage. I can’t go so hard on stage, not get enough sleep, and also expect to lift heavy weights every day. So, I reassessed, like “When I’m on tour, what’s the priority? Shows, putting on a good show. Not body building and me wanting my vanity.”
So, this year I’m pushing that aside. I’m still going to work out a few times a week, but my focus will be on making every show the best show it can be. What I used to think is, “How can I stay in shape as much as possible AND put on the best shows.” What it led to was my mental health flatlining, especially with the lack of sleep. If I was getting enough sleep, then I could do both, but I wasn’t.
Kai Wachi on Performing, Festivals, and What’s Next
RMR: You have some festival shows scheduled, which are always fun. Recently, you mentioned a Paradiso (festival) story of eating chicken strips off the ground. What are some of your wildest moments?
Kai Wachi: Probably that Paradiso. I didn’t really get to experience many festivals as a raver before it became a career. I was babysitting four of my friends while they were frying their balls off at Paradiso. This was 2018, that was crazy. I feel like I got contact high from them. I don’t do drugs and I’m 8 years sober, but that was definitely crackhead. And I ate those chicken strips that I found on the ground. It was three in the morning, and I didn’t really care. Looking back, that could’ve gone wrong, and it’s so gross. But like someone ate one of them, and there were three fresh ones and some fries. It wasn’t half eaten so I could kind of justify it, I guess.
RMR: You’ve toured a lot of places, and there’s a big debate on which is the best outdoor venue in the US – the Gorge or Red Rocks? Or do you have another top contender?
KW: I think The Gorge is better, because it offers that huge view, and you truly feel disconnected from the city. With Red Rocks, I don’t get the same exact feeling. Red Rocks is an amazing venue and I hope to headline it one day. But if I had to choose one, in my opinion, The Gorge is the coolest outdoor venue in the world.
RMR: Quick congrats on playing Basspod Stage at EDC LV 2022. I know it’s been a lifelong dream of yours.
KW: Yea it was one of my first major goals back then.
RMR: Now that you’ve crossed that off the list. What’s next?
KW: A big goal would be to sell out Red Rocks and get a headlining slot at a festival, even if it’s at a smaller second stage. Things like that are just showing more progression. And maybe headline Hollywood Palladium in LA, things like that. Those goals aren’t that far away. I just have to keep staying consistent and focusing on it day by day.
