Lowkita performed during Sled Island on Wednesday, 7:30pm at Commonwealth (Downstairs –
Common/Undrgrnd) & Friday, 8pm at BLOX Arts Centre.
TRANSCRIPT:
Kaamil (CJSW)
My name is Kaamil, and I’m here interviewing Lowkita down at Sled Village for 2025 Sled Island. Lowkita, thank you so much for joining me today.
Lowkita
No problem. I’m excited.
Kaamil (CJSW)
So first question, you’re from Calgary, but you’re now living out in Vancouver right?
Lowkita
Yes. So I moved to Vancouver 2011 for music, I went to the arts. What was it art? I can’t remember it’s called, but the school closed down. But I went to a recording school out there, dropped out, and then I just decided to stay there, because I didn’t want to come back here.
Kaamil (CJSW)
Fell in love with the West Coast, right?
Lowkita
I did, and it was like a different challenge for me. I was like, what? 21 and just, yeah, full of dreams.
Kaamil (CJSW)
How does it feel to be back in Calgary now?
Lowkita
Well, this is like my third Sled so I skipped, I think, two years. But I love every time I come back here, just seeing family and friends and it’s a good catch up, yeah? And it’s just fun. So I love Calgary, yeah.
Kaamil (CJSW)
As an artist who has played Sled before, how has your approach kind of changed for performing from your first time doing it to this one coming up?
Lowkita
Yeah, I feel like, well, I’ve grown so much. I think the first time I did it, I was literally, I don’t want to say I was thrown into the fire, but I was just coming off of, like a whole bunch of other stuff that I did the previous summer. So I was excited. I was nervous at the same time. You can definitely tell, looking back on all those performances, I was super shy, not that they were my first performances, but it was just a different crowd for me, because the last time I performed in Calgary was 10 at 10, so that’s like a completely different crowd sometimes. So I think now, I’m going into it, and I’m like, ‘Okay, I know my friend’s are gonna be there, my family’s gonna be there, but also I get to meet all these other cool people’, which I do every time. It’s a whole… every time I see someone different, or some people even return. So I’m just excited and yeah, just pumped.
Kaamil (CJSW)
When it comes to meeting those new artists, does it become the kind of thing like, ‘Oh, I really like your artwork’, is it a kind of thing where you want to be like, ‘Hey, do you maybe want to collab?’ Does that ever come up?
Lowkita
Yeah. I mean, a lot of—some of the artists that have reached out to collab, but I’m more excited to see my other friends perform like Mauvey, Tea Fannie, Riz, or sorry, Bawah, his name’s Bawah now, name change, but yeah, I’m just excited to see my friends, really, and then see who else there is discover. Because, I mean, last time I think I performed and I met Maky, and Maky’s super dope rapper from Montreal, so we’ve we did a collab together, and, building those connections is super important to me. So, yeah, just build on that and see where it goes.
Kaamil (CJSW)
As a hip-hop fan I love that part of it as well. So what about this festival specifically—and you kind of touched on some of them—but what about Sled Island keeps bringing you back?
Lowkita
I think Sled for me, not only is it like home, I think Sled, the people are just so nice, and I love festivals that are so nice, and they’re not, not that I’m like a diva or something, but I feel like everybody here is kind of, now, we’re all on the same level, level field or whatever. Yaya Bey is obviously up here, but I’m, you know, I feel like Sled Island makes it feel so homey, and everyone is so down to earth, especially the artists, and everyone’s very approachable. So that’s what really keeps me coming back. And it’s home, I love home.
Kaamil (CJSW)
You get to see what’s changed around town?
Lowkita
Yeah, exactly. There’s so much, there was a French restaurant on 17th Ave that’s not there anymore, I’m like, ‘What happened?’. Not that it was good. No offense, to whoever owned that, but, yeah, I love that. And the new dumplings—Brooklyn Dumpling on 17th. 17th is my hangout. But yeah, so it’s cool to see the change even down there.
Kaamil (CJSW)
Constant turnover, yeah. So you touched a little bit about the artists and how they’re all super kind. How does it feel opening up for Oddisee tonight, and then Kimmortal on Friday?
Lowkita
I think this is my second time doing something with Kim, and because we’re both in Van. It’s so hard for us to meet up in Vancouver, which is so crazy, because you think you like we’re out there, like we’re but we’re so busy when we’re there. So I’m just excited to like for her to be in my hometown, and for her to experience that. But yeah, opening up for Oddisee and stuff is just like, I can’t believe it. Like, this year I’ve opened up for like mad artists, like Lady Leshur, and I got to meet like, some drum and bass artists as well, like Pav from Foreign Beggars and Strategy. So it’s just, it’s so cool to me, how we’re all so connected just by music, and everyone’s just so nice. So I’m excited, super excited.
Kaamil (CJSW)
Very fair. You touched on how busy life can be as a musician. What kind of practices do you employ to ensure you’re like you know, you’re able to consistently put out work?
Lowkita
I’m bad. I’m bad at putting out work. I’m gonna be completely honest, my Spotify is not the cutest. It is not. People, if you go to it, you’ll be like, ‘How is this girl getting shows?’ But I think what makes me stand out from a lot of other artists is I do a lot of lives, live streaming, and I also produce now, so I’m constantly dropping instrumentals and beats and I will show up at people’s shows. I think just keeping your face out there, even if you’re not consistently dropping music, it helps, because I think an average person will look at my stuff and be like, ‘I don’t know this Lowkita person, she doesn’t have that many followers’ or whatever, but at the end of the day, you know when you book me I’m gonna have a show, I’m gonna have a performance, I’m gonna kill those 40 minutes or 30 minutes, however long I have. So I think that, to me, is the most important thing, just always being in front of people’s minds. That’s the key.
Kaamil (CJSW)
I kind of wanted to touch on that a little bit, because that kind of debate of quality versus quantity for the artist. Is it putting out as much as possible so that something sticks? Or is it putting out what you feel really motivated about?
Lowkita
I think for me it’s about putting out what I feel, because I definitely… I think coming to the festivals, and leading up to festivals, you should definitely put out a project. I put out a small EP. I didn’t put it on streaming because I want people to actually support me, or actually just get the music for music for free and not, you know, be paying two cents for a stream, because a lot of people complain about streaming. So I think it’s super important that for me as an artist, that I love the music first. And I could be creating for a month straight and not love any of that. So I think the last—when the last time I released on Spotify, it was maybe a year ago, and that was something I really loved. So I think for me now, it is about quality and what I want to perform every night, because some stuff that’s even there, I don’t want to perform that, but people are asking for it, and I’m like, ‘Okay, fine.’ Putting out things that you love, and, yeah, has been basically, over everything. Love your music, and then put it out. Don’t rush it. But I think, though, sometimes it does work for artists to constantly, like, Russ. Russ is perfect example. He consistently dropped, and then he finally got traction. And it’s true that that can happen. And, I mean, it’s good and it works for some people, but for me, I just like to drop when I love, love what I’m doing. And also takes money, guys, so there’s that part.
Kaamil (CJSW)
You’re super connected with your community by frequently live streaming, like you said, getting your face out there a lot. What does community mean to you as an artist?
Lowkita
I think it’s super important. Actually, just I have a blog, a Tumblr page. It’s ‘thisislowkita.blog’. Check it out. And I think my last post was about community and how important it is. And I think you can’t get far without a community. The reason I went to Vancouver is because I had such a strong community here. I built such a following out here, or just a friend group out here, that I’m like, ‘okay, I can go take on another city.’ And then when I’m out there and I like, I’m growing my fan base, or even just like my friend group, it’s it’s super important, because those are the people that are going to support you at the end of this day. They’re going to be the ones that are motivating you. They’re going to be the ones that say, Hey, this sucks, or I don’t like it, but maybe somebody else will like, those are your people. Community is super important. And that’s another thing. Like, Sled really has a community like, and you can grow like that. Last time I was here, like, I meet one artist at a show, and then we’re all rolling to the next shows together. Like, what are you doing at the next show? How long are you here for? And like, and that’s what I love. So community is super important.
Kaamil (CJSW)
Do you have a kind of memorable fan experience that you kind of want to that sticks to your mind? Either Sled related or even just another event?
Lowkita
There’s two that really stick out. One is my first Sled experience with a fan, and she’s like, I came here just for you. And I was like, I don’t know you. So this is awesome. And she, like, took a Polaroid with me, and, like, she was so cute. I can’t remember her name, but if you were there tonight, I will, I’ll say hi. But yeah, people like that. And I think a girl actually came from Vancouver to see me here, and then I threw a party in Vancouver, and she, like, she saw my brother, and she’s like, oh my god, yeah, that didn’t like, they have a little conversation. So it’s cool to, like, see those repeat fans. Another one would be at Kitsilano Fest in Vancouver. Some girl got me to sign her arm, which was like, so random, because I was like, what? And like, my friends are all, like, photographers and filmers, so like, everybody was filming it, they’re like, oh my god, she has a fan. Like, it was so funny. So those are my two most memorable moments.
Kaamil (CJSW)
Do you think she was gonna get it tattooed?
Lowkita
I don’t know
Kaamil (CJSW)
I’ve heard people do that. They get, like, their body part then get it tattooed.
Lowkita
I mean, it was kind of an ugly signature. So I hope she did not. I hope she just kind of, like took a picture of it for memory.
Kaamil (CJSW)
But who knows, maybe somebody’s walking around there with a Lowkita tattoo
Lowkita
That, if honest, if you are that person, show me because that would be crazy, free shows for life.
Kaamil (CJSW)
For sure, for sure. So I do want to kind of dive a little bit more into, you know, creating music, like the actual process of creating that music, because I’m always curious to find out who an artist is inspired by, you know, and I think the first question I’ll ask is, growing up and kind of getting your sound. Was there any artist that kind of stood out, and you’re like, ‘This is somebody who, you know, is very instrumental into how I kind of create my music.’
Lowkita
Growing up, definitely, like, as a Canadian kid, it was definitely like Cardinal, I think because, especially being West Indian, that was, like our representation of what you can be as a rapper. And then me, for me as a female, was Michie Mee. So like, I remember I was, I think I was pretty young when her video first came out. I wasn’t around. I don’t think because, I think was like ’92, so I was two, so I wasn’t paying attention. But I remember they used to, like, do the reruns on Much Music. And I remember specifically filming or rerecording over VHS her video and, like, watching it back and like that. And I even got to open for her for a bunch of times. So it’s like, such full circle moment. So she’s her, and Cardi are probably, like, the first people that I’m like, ‘okay, like, I want to do this.’ And then when I got into like my teens, I would say I got more into, like, UK music, like Miss Dynamite and like, I love American music, don’t get me wrong. Obviously, I grew up TLC, Missy Elliott, but like, watching UK artists was because they sounded like me. You know what I mean? Like, they sounded Caribbean, they sounded they were taking influences from my culture. And so that’s really, and I always try and put culture into my music. So that’s really, yeah, Miss dynamite. Cardi, Mishie. That’s it.
Kaamil (CJSW)
Nice for sure. Dream collaborator, or even dream open, somebody you want to open for you know?
Lowkita
Lately I’ve been wanting to open up for this group. They’re, they’re like these two guys. They kind of like the new I would say they call them like the new era Beastie Boys. I think they call like JVB. What is it? I don’t know. JVB is their Instagram, but they are Joey Valentine and something else—
Kaamil (CJSW)
Joey Valance and Bray.
Lowkita
Yes, oh my gosh. My brother played me them the other day, and my brother is the one that, like, literally, like, I have a song actually coming out, and it’s about my brother introducing me to rap, but he played me their music the other day. And I like, I want to go on tour with them. Like, we don’t make the same kind of music, but I want to go to them. They’re so cool. Like, so cool. So them, I would say Lady Leshur, but I just, literally just opened for her, like a couple months ago. So that was crazy. But to like collab with, wow, that’s tough. Rico Nasty is really dope. I think that’d be fun. Green Tea Peng, I really love her. And just a bunch of, like, grime artists like Kano, Chip, like people that, like, right now I think are, like, I will never—not that I doubt myself—but they’re so far removed from like, my circle that I don’t know if I’ll ever even meet them. But like, gets in Kano and Chip, those are, like, my top three MCs. So, yeah, and Nas, Nas would be cool.
Kaamil (CJSW)
Yeah nice, very nice. So Sled Island performance is coming up, yeah. What’s the plan for after Sled?
Lowkita
So after Sled, like, currently I’m working on an EP, I just dropped one called 55 and it was basically I dropped two, so it was part one and part two. Part one was instrumentals. So the instrument I go by Lokisha when I’m doing production. So I dropped the instrumental tape, and then I dropped the, like, the vocals over top, just last week. And so that’s like, what I’m kind of promoting right now, but the songs I’ll be playing tonight, or like throughout this week are songs off in EP that I’ve been working on called White Tee, and it’s just about, like starting fresh, or like going back to hip hop, because I tend to, like shift over into like kind of dance music sometimes, and like ballet funk. And so this time, I’m like, ‘Okay, I want to come and do like, real hip hop, really spit, really rap, and just about me and like how I grew up.’ So that is the plan. I want to say it’s coming on July, but I keep pushing it back because I really want visuals for it. So hopefully there will at least be a single in July. I’ll say that.
Kaamil (CJSW)
We’ll keep an eye out for it.
Lowkita
Yes, I will send it your way.
Kaamil (CJSW)
And, you know, touching on that kind of going back to the roots of hip hop, you mentioned just briefly that your brother introduced you to hip hop. What were you listening to before and like, and what was the kind of hip hop he introduced you to?
Lowkita
He introduced me to Tony Touch and Criss Cross. So Criss Cross, Tony Touch, Will Smith were like, my intros into hip hop. And I think, like, my dad had like, a bunch of records, but I was really young, because my dad passed away when I was really young, but he had a bunch of records, like The Message, like, Grandmaster Flash and stuff. But Criss cross and Tony Touch were my two standouts. Those were my intro to hip hop, especially Criss Cross, like I can probably sing every word to all their albums, back and forward. I I wish I would have saw them that time that JD did their little reunion, but yeah, that was, that was my intro to them, into the scene of hip hop.
Kaamil (CJSW)
Maybe a little bit of Sled karaoke Criss Cross going?
Lowkita
That would be fun. I’m ready for that. I think me and TeaFa did Nicki Minaj one year, actually, that was, that was hilarious. But, yeah, that was my intro and then, but I think at the time, like I was growing up, like I’m talking like I was born in 1990 so what was popular at the time was Britney Spears, Nsync and like, I don’t even S Club 7. I love S Club 7. Still love S Club 7. So mad I didn’t see them this year. But, yeah, that was, was popular so but TLC, like stood out to me. Missy Elliott, but yeah, Tony, Criss, yeah, those are my people.
Kaamil (CJSW)
Is there anything else that you know, fans of Lowkita need to hear in this moment? Is there anything else you wanted to let them know? Awesome. Thank you so much. Lowkita, thank you. This is so much a pleasure chatting with you. And yeah, I guess best of luck with the show tonight.
Lowkita
I think you guys just need to go download 55 on my Bandcamp lokita.bandcamp.com it’s free. Or you can pay. Shout out to Mike. There’s one guy that paid. His name is Mike. Shout out to you. That’s all. That’s all I want right now is people to just, like, get that music and like, really enjoy it and, yeah, just create and watch my lives. I’m live a DJ sometimes too. So I’m live on Twitter or x, as I say, it’s still Twitter to me, sometimes I’m live on IG, making beats. So yeah, I’m everywhere you will catch me. Catch me if you can, I should say. Yeah, thank you.