Kwun: A Deep Dive into ‘Ancient, Ageless & True

Your previous single release was ‘Ancient, Ageless and True’. What was the inspiration behind that track?

Well, it was a girl! You see, the lyrics were written years prior to the music. I was doing a personal retreat with a shaman up in the Andes, in Peru. It was just me and him and I had a lot of time to write. So, I had all these poems and writings that sat on my hard drive for years. Then one day, fast forward a few years, I’m writing a country song, needed some lyrics and decided to dig out the poems and see what I had. I turned the poem, which was very specific, into something universal which I think a lot of people can find relatable. But yeah, to answer your question, it was a girl and maybe the mountain air.

Where is your hometown and can you describe it in five words?

Well I split my time between the UK and Tulum in Mexico. And since I am in Mexico right now, I’d describe Tulum as intense, nourishing, fluid, exhilarating, beautiful.

The track is mixed by Sam Wheat who has previously worked with the likes of The Rolling Stones and Pharrell Williams. How did that collaboration come about?

I’ve worked with Sam to mix all the album and live tracks I’ve been working on so far. Actually we’re literally doing some stuff remotely today.

So I came across Sam originally on the SoundBetter platform, which is a great place to find creatives in music to work with. I approached him via his website, sent him a rough mix of my album, we met online and took it from there. He’s a great mix engineer, as well as a producer and songwriter in his own right. Really musical, experienced and very articulate musically. Was previously the Chief Engineer at the prestigious Metropolis Studios in London, but he does a lot remotely now, which works well as far as our working relationship is concerned. Since I’m in Mexico a lot of the time.

Your debut track is called ‘Supernatural’ and you also released an accompanying music video. What was your thought process/creative vision behind the video?

That’s a nice question. Well I wanted to create something that celebrated nature, you know, the nature around me in Mexico. On Tulum Beach, and in Punta Laguna. The video is intended as a meditation. I didn’t want too much of a narrative. If you look at the video closely, I’m basically walking in one direction for most of the song, and then I turn and walk the other direction. That’s the whole narrative haha. But it’s about celebrating nature. I appeared in the video enough for it to qualify as a music video, otherwise it’s turtles, iguanas, the jungle and the sea. Also I was very particular not to make any cultural references, because it’s about nature. And the cinematographer, co-director and co-editor happens to be a nature documentary filmmaker called Alex Beldi.

Your forthcoming single release entitled ‘Happiness Part 2’ is your next offering from your forthcoming album. How did this song come about?

This song was written and recorded after a series of meditations. I felt a heightened sense of clarity which connected me to this natural state of happiness and joy, and from that came a deep recognition that this state is in fact present in us at all times. The song is a direct expression of that experience.

When recording your music, do you have any specific techniques, equipment, frequencies or tones that you use? If so, what is the reasoning for that?

Well techniques, not specifically. Equipment, just your standard DAW – I use Logic Pro, and some keyboards, plug-ins, some guitars. Frequency/tone-wise, I tune all my instruments to 432Hz. The 432Hz is actually the pitch of the middle A note on a piano. Your standard tuning is 440Hz, meaning 432 is lower in pitch. All the musicians I work with tune to 432 for me. It’s the frequency that matches how things occur vibrationally in nature. There’s a scientific basis behind it. The idea is the tuning falls more comfortably on your body, since you are also in a state of vibration, so the tuning is coherent and a vibrational match to your own physical vibration.

Which of your songs hears you at your most a) reflective b) happiest c) angriest?

Gosh, ok. Reflective, ‘Supernatural’. Happiest, ‘Happiness, Part 2’. Angriest, ‘The Beautiful Ones’.

Are there plans to release a full-length album and can you tell us any details about what the listener could expect?

Yes, full length album also called ‘Ancient Ageless & True’, to be released later this year. Just mixing and putting finishing touches now. It will take you on a musical odyssey through ecstatic dance, to pop, to soul, to jazz, to folk-rock, to country, to singer-songwriter, to afro-beat, to funk, to hard rock, ending on a bit of ambient. It will be the most exhilarating thing you’ve ever heard!

How do you look after your voice?

Erm, I don’t really haha! Well I mean I don’t not look after it, but I don’t have any special techniques.

I read that you began splitting your time between the UK and Tulum, Mexico. What is it specifically about that place that you are drawn to?

Well I love travelling and always have done. Specifically, because Tulum is a high energy vortex. That means there are many places in the world where the energy of the land is naturally of a higher frequency. They’re also known as power spots. I use to live in one in the UK. Glastonbury. The town, not the festival. But for years I’ve been gravitating to these places around the world, so yeah that would be what drew me here.

Are there any plans to tour the album in the UK or other countries?

I’d love to do that. No immediate plans but once my album is released, something to look into and plan.

What makes Kwun happy and what makes you unhappy?

What makes Kwun happy? Good conversation. Meaningful, healthy connection. Good food. Great music. Driving. Time alone connecting in with myself. Travel. Exploring new lands. What makes Kwun unhappy? Inconsiderate people.

Kwun’s latest single ‘Happiness Part 2’ is released on Friday 16^th June 2023. His previous single releases ‘Ancient, Ageless and True’ and ‘Supernatural’ are already out now with the album Ancient, Ageless and True’ scheduled for release later this year. For more information visit: www.kwunmusic.com