Kattimoni I Do What I Want Interview

I DO WHAT I WANT!

'100' Judge from Channel 7's 'All Together Now' and powerhouse Melbourne Soul Artist, Kattimoni, celebrates International Women's Day with the launch of her fiercely feminine and bold music video for her empowering new single, 'I Do What I Want'.

Leading a diverse 9 piece band from around the globe, establishing themselves in the Melbourne scene and beyond, Kattimoni's sound evokes the raw passion of old-school soul with contemporary neo-soul influences, deep funk grooves and luscious powerhouse vocals. The band use their music as a vehicle for sharing a conscious message of empowerment, transformation and hope for a brighter future.

The video is set in the lavish decadence of a modern-day Queendom, the clip captures an unapologetic representation of embodied feminine power, a celebration of sisterhood and a radiant expression of female sovereignty in response to generations of systemic domination over women's voices, bodies and choices. Kattimoni's unequivocal lyrics echo the sentiments of women's movement's worldwide including the recent #metoo and #timesup campaign.

'There is an enormous shift occurring on the planet in this time as the voices of the feminine are beginning to rise in the collective. Women all around the world are no longer willing to remain silent, we are speaking up, taking leadership and reclaiming our sense of autonomy and personal agency' -Kattimoni

Whilst the women's rights movement has come an incredibly long way, women are still highly under-represented in positions of leadership, women are still paid less, sexual harassment in the workplace is still rife, 1 in 3 women have experienced sexual violence and one woman in Australia is murdered every week by her partner. We still have a long way to go. The music video is rich with iconic feminist and goddess symbology including a commanding scene where women paint their bodies with the word 'MINE'. The artist's message for women is clear,

'We don't have to listen to all the noise that tell us what to do, how to look and who to be. Take ownership of yourself, trust your own inner authority and do what you want. Be the Boss Queen of your own life' - Kattimoni

A passionate advocate for women's empowerment, Kattimoni is also the creator of 'Empress', an academy dedicated to feminine leadership, arts and wellness. The song is available for streaming and download across iTunes and Spotify.

I Do What I Want' Kattimoni Music Video Launch
Saturday, 30 March 2019 from 20:30-23:00
The Penny Black: 420 Sydney Rd, Brunswick VIC

Interview with Kattimoni

Question: How would you describe your music?

Kattimoni: There's a lot of raw passion and soul that goes into our music, it's empowering, affirmative, its high energy. I grew up listening to a lot of old school soul, jazz, reggae and blues but I'm also inspired by a lot of contemporary neo-soul, conscious hip-hop and spoken word artists. My producer (Bisho Brown) and my band really bring the deep funk groove to the mix too, so naturally our music is a fusion of it all.


Question: What inspired the track, I Do What I Want?

Kattimoni: 'I Do What I Want' is the philosophy to which I live my life. I've always been a bit of a rebel in a sense, always followed my own path and gone against the grain of society in a lot of ways. As women, I feel like we are constantly bombarded with messaging about what to do, how to look and who to be, it can feel so exhausting and overwhelming at times. This song is about stripping back all those layers of conditioning that have accumulated from generations of systemic domination over women's voices, bodies and choices, it's about tuning into your own inner voice, trusting that inner guidance and honouring that inner authority within us.


Question: What message do you hope to spread with I Do What I Want?

Kattimoni: 'I Do What I Want' is a reflection of the enormous shift that is occurring on the planet in this time as the voices of the feminine are beginning to rise in the collective. Women all around the world are no longer willing to remain silent, we are speaking up, taking leadership and reclaiming our sense of autonomy and personal agency.

I hope this song inspires others to reclaim this part of themself. To know that we don't have to subscribe to all the noise out there that dictates to us what we should do, how we should look and who we have to be. We can take ownership of our own life, trust our own inner authority and do what we want. We are the Boss Queens of our own destinies.


Question: Can you tell us about the filming of the I Do What I Want music video?

Kattimoni: My vision was to create a modern day Queendom and capture a completely unapologetic representation of embodied feminine sovereignty, power and a celebration of sisterhood. I called together 7 of the most powerful, baddass women in my community, sisters who I deeply respect for embodying these qualities in their lives.

I worked closely with my production team (Nate Holt, Cherie SG & Madi Smith) to develop the concept and explore how we could symbolically bring this vision to life and expand it to also reflect whats happening around the world at the moment too. I made the costumes myself by hand and the temple decor is basically the contents of my house, except the throne, that actually used to belong to Beyonce.


Question: If you could have anyone, in the world, attend a show, who would it be?

Kattimoni: My Grandmother. My creativity comes through her lineage but she's never seen me perform before. She lives far away and she's not allowed to travel so it would super special.


Question: What motivates you most when writing music?
Kattimoni: Writing has always been really therapeutic for me, it's been my way of transmuting adversity or working through difficult experiences and being able to find the wisdom and empowerment to rise above whatever the situation is. I don't really think too much when I'm in the writing process, I try to get my thoughts out of the way and make space for the creative spirit to flow. People often come and tell me how healing and empowering our music is for them, which is really motivates me to keep doing what we do.


Question: Which music/artists are you currently listening to?

Kattimoni: I'm always listening out for new music and new artists. I'm currently really loving a lot of the cross-cultural collaborations Joss Stone is sharing from her Total World Tour at the moment, I'm digging a lot of French funk and soul from Ben L'oncle Soul and also tuning into a lot of neo-soul vibes from Lion Babe, Janelle Monae & Erykah Badu and some more acoustic stuff from Ayo and India Arie.


Question: What or who was your inspiration to go into the music industry?

Kattimoni: So many beautiful people have inspired me along the way, it really is a strong fabric to pull apart! But I do remember seeing Michael Franti perform at a festival in Quebec when I was a teenager and feeling so inspired by the way he was able to use music to bring awareness to important social issues and at the same time transmit so much positive energy and spirit into the space. I remember the resonance inside of like, 'I wanna do that!'


Question: If you could collaborate with another artist, who would it be?

Kattimoni: I would love to vibe with Michael Franti for sure!


Question: What has been your favourite part of becoming a music artist?

Kattimoni: I don't feel like I 'became' an artist as such, more so that I came as an artist and the process has been one of remembering and believing in that path. The best part of being an artist is connection. Music is the language of the soul, it bypasses the surface layer of mental chatter and goes straight to the heart. It's such a gift to be able to travel around and connect with people on that really deep authentic level through music.

Question: Can you share your socials?

Kattimoni: www.facebook.com/kattimoni
@kattimonimusic

Interview by Brooke Hunter