A conversation with Chelsy Kaze about “Kings & Queens”
Q: Hi! Can you share the story or inspiration behind your song “Kings & Queens”? What sparked the idea for this track?
A: I got the idea for Kings and Queens when I was watching a few films. I was so fascinated with the idea of a connection that lived on for many lifetimes. Then I couldn’t get my mind off this story between two people who felt an immediate spark, not knowing they have been together in different lives and that’s why they feel such a pull towards one another.
Q: What was your songwriting process like for “Kings & Queens”? Did the lyrics or the melody come to you first?
A: I was playing around with a few chords and I ended up resonating with this one progression. Before you know it, a melody popped into my head. I was humming along to it and the first lyric that came into my mind was the line, “how we built one city to an empire”. I ended up liking it so much and I wanted to revolve the whole story around that. That’s what inspired me to make the title “Kings & Queens” and the rest of the words came to me very easily shortly after.
Q: “Kings & Queens” carries a powerful title. Can you elaborate on the main themes and messages you wanted to convey through the lyrics?
A: I was just so inspired with this idea of two people that are always destined to be together and that they will find each other no matter what. So when I wrote “Kings & Queens”, I had the intention of telling the story of two people who don’t know each other in this life that well, but somehow, feel such an incredible pull towards one another. They already built empires together and they possessed this love most people would envy. However, in this reality, they’re still strangers. They are tied by this invisible string and they always find each other even in different timelines. It’s a classic story about two people who have mutual feelings towards each other, but neither one is taking action. I guess the message I want to convey is that we create our own reality and sometimes we just have to go with our intuition and follow our heart. If not, you could be walking away from the greatest love story of your life.
Q: Were there any specific musical influences or artists that inspired the sound or vibe of “Kings & Queens”?
A: I was actually listening to one of my all time favorite songs “Iris” by the Goo Goo Dolls before I wrote “Kings & Queens”. I was also inspired by a couple of Demi Lovato songs, “Dont Forget” and “Catch Me”. For a while now, I’ve always wanted to write a song where it’s steady and slow for the most part. Then towards the end, the music picks up and you have this intense instrumental part as the song is about to end. Before “Kings & Queens”, most of the songs I wrote didn’t really fit that vibe and when I was writing the bridge for this one, I remember thinking, “This is it. This is when I’ll finally get to use it!”
Q: What were some challenges you faced during the production of “Kings & Queens”? How did you overcome them?
A: I actually had a very bad cold on the day we recorded “Kings & Queens”. I thought I was going to get better in time but sadly it was still pretty bad. I took a lot of medicine. I brought hot water and cough syrup into the studio with me. My producer and musicians were all extremely patient and we had a laugh about it after. The process for our music video was probably one of the biggest challenges. The director, Nathan Dashwood and I were bouncing around ideas in terms of the vision we had for our music video. That was about a year of trial and error and we finally got in touch with one production team, RSI Productions. As expected, we had a lot of issues along the way. We had to push back filming dates for heavy snow, there were technical and transportation issues.. But honestly, our entire team was so flexible with any challenges that were thrown at us. We all worked together to come up with solutions and it was an overall team effort. I couldn’t have done it without them.
Q: Did you collaborate with any other artists, producers, or songwriters on “Kings & Queens”?
A: I worked with Kaylin Cushenan and Michael Nowak on my first 2 singles and album. They did such an amazing job the last time and they are an absolute pleasure to work with. I had to team up with both of them again. Michael introduced me to Peggy Lee who played the Cello for this song. There’s also this amazing guitar player and friend of mine, Wesley Graham who I’ve been dying to work with. Wes wrote and performed the electric guitar part and transformed “Kings & Queens” to the song that it is now.
Q: How has the audience reacted to “Kings & Queens” since its release? Was the response what you expected?
A: It’s great so far! I’m getting a lot of positive messages since the release. Overall, I’m just enjoying the moment and I’m excited to show everyone this project that my incredible team and I have worked so hard on. We are getting an overwhelming amount of support from everyone, it’s been awesome!
Q: What impact do you hope “Kings & Queens” will have on your listeners? How do you want this song to be remembered?
A: I want this song to be remembered by the story and for my listeners to resonate with it in their own way. The music video was different compared to what I originally wrote, but somehow it makes sense. I think lost love and yearning for a past connection is something most of us have experienced. In my song, I never actually wrote an ending, they‘re still waiting for each other. However, in our film we watched the main character’s growth and transformation as she chooses herself and lets go of the connection. That’s honestly what I really love about this song, it’s always open for interpretation.
