Khamari - The New Face R&B with an Introspective Sound

R&B is one of the pillars of black music. The stories and the sounds have defined our own existence for decades and now Khamari may just be one of the finest new voices to take our sound forward.

How many times have you heard “this is the new voice in R&B”, too many times right? It’s always comparisons with said artist or hype around the idea that this artist will take R&B back to what it was. Khamari is different, yeah he’s a new face of R&B and for sure there are similarities to people like Frank and Daniel Caesar, but he first and foremost he is himself and his music is a testament to that.

Khamari is an artist that grew up in Dorchester in south downtown Boston but now resides in LA, he studied at Berklee school of music but dropped out after only a few semesters. Since then he has been a songwriter for various artists and working on his own artistry in the meantime. 

Songs like ‘Doctor, My Eyes’, ‘Drifting’ and his new one ‘Tell Me’ have been playlist finds for the keen listeners on various different music platforms but with an album expected to be released next year, I spoke to Khamari about London, his musical influences and what we can expect from the new album. 

How are you finding London?

It’s good, I find it good. After writing a bunch of songs about wanting a change of pace, it’s great to meet new people and do a bunch of new things. 

What’s the last song you listened to? 

N95 by Kendrick. 

What’s your favorite song off the album? 

Honestly, I like a lot of songs off the album, N95, United in Grief, We Cry Together, Father Time, it’s an incredible album and Kendrick is just an incredible artist.

So I guess one thing I wanted to ask you is how would you personally describe your music. I have read many different opinions on your sound but I would love to know how you personally describe it? 

I would like to describe it as an expression. I just try to be very honest about the things I go through in my life and try to create stories that people can connect to. I don’t necessarily think about it too much, I believe we all go through the same things everyday so I think as long as I am being authentic to myself, I believe someone will connect with my story. 

You seem revel in being introspective and vulnerable, is that where you are most comfortable?

I mean it’s interesting because I wouldn’t personally say that I find comfort in being so open but I would say it’s my natural disposition when it comes to music. For me, I resonate with likes of the Mac Miller’s, Kid Cudi’s, Frank Ocean’s, Sly and the Family Stone’s and Stevie Wonder’s. I can tell - once you put their albums on - that they were really going through the things that they talked about in their music and they had time to sit and think about how they want to tell that story. 

So from reading about your journey, you went to Berklee school of music but dropped out after not long, can you give us a story about that time in your life?

Well it was a really interesting time of my life because I felt like I already knew what I wanted to do, I was just trying to figure out how to do it at that time. I had been playing music all my life instrument wise, I had also been writing songs for a long time, I also hung around a studio but I just didn’t know how to connect the dots. I had already been studying Classical music, Jazz and Piano before Berklee but deep down I think I was just trying to make my parents happy.  Also at the last year of high school, everyone was discussing what college they were going to and I said to myself ‘if i’m going to go to college, then I am definitely going to go to Berklee and dedicate myself to it.’

I loved the course material and even some of the modules that we were studying but it wasn’t telling me how to be an artist and that’s why I didn’t stay long. I feel like being an artist is something you have to practice. Around that time I met my manager as well and everything started to grow from there, I started doing sessions, I started to be more conscious in my writing and in what type of stories I wanted to tell.

People have compared you to the likes of Mac, Frank and Daniel Caesar but who do you think you are most alike in your industry? Or are these comparisons more of a hindrance rather than a help? 

I mean it’s definitely wonderful to have your name in the same breath as people who have achieved amazing things in the industry, all these people I respect and admire. But you get to a point where I want to build my own identity and for me I am just trying to take pieces of influence but also truly make it my own and tell my own story. 

So let’s discuss the music, first talk to me about Drifting, how did that track come about, especially when it comes to the sample? 

Interestingly enough, the original version of the song didn’t have the sample on it and I think the sample was actually one of the last things I added as I was listening to a lot of early Kanye, College Dropout and Late Registration. 

For me what I wanted to do was elevate the meaning of the song because what Nina Simone was singing about in terms of that search for euphoria was in perfect contrast to what I was singing about as I was singing about a lack of that. I won’t lie, it was kind of nerve racking because you want to make sure the sample fits the track and also you want to make sure you do the sample justice because it’s Nina Simone. But even before that, shoutout to my friend Brett (White Noise) who helped me produce the song and one of my friends Josef Lamercier who helped me to write it, it was a beautiful process. 

I really respected the fact you used that sample, it’s usually something you see from an artist later on in their career. I thought it was a statement to say ‘this is where I want to go and this is who i’m inspired by’ and I loved the boldness of it. 

The way I also see it is that the best music artists give indications to who their references are, for example you as a music fan may listen to that sample and know who it is but someone who may listen to this song will have no idea what the sample is and then go on their own journey with it. That’s the beautiful thing about the music I love, it’s like you can go and create something that continually pays homage to the people that inspired you. 

Wow, yeah I completely understand and it’s going to be on your upcoming album I guess?

Yeah… (laughs).

What about your new song, Tell Me, can you explain that one further? 

Tell Me is about that feeling of insecurity you get in a relationship while watching it deteriorate from the inside. Dealing with the vacuum of doubt and confusion that bad communication leaves, but not acting on it because you’re hopeful it’ll work itself out.

Can you explain anything more about what we can expect from the upcoming album? 

Topically, it’s more of the same in terms of headspace I have been and continuing to paint that picture but yeah, you’ll see.

I hear you man, we’ve got to wait - no problem! I wanted to ask you - what was it like transitioning from song writing to working on your own music? Do you access the same areas or do you find a way to keep it separate? 

It’s interesting because I have learned a lot about my own process through trying to write songs for other people. For me personally, even when I am writing songs for somebody else you still have to be in that vulnerable headspace that you have to be in for yourself. So for me that was super interesting because I was just continually working that muscle and practicing the skill. 

Who are you listening to at the moment? 

Well in the process of making the album I was listening to a lot of new music and also uncovered things from some of my favourites that I hadn’t known before. I was listening to a lot of J. Cole, I was listening to a lot of Frank, I was also listening to a lot of Pink floyd which was completely new for me, also Nirvana and Incubus which inspired “Doctor, My Eyes.” Again, like I said before, I was inspired by Sly and the Family Stone. I was just inspired by people who had a crazy way of melding together great musicianship, great storytelling and great artistry.

How much of this album have you produced? 

Quite a lot of it actually, I do have a few co-producers that I work with and that tweak things but for example Doctor, My Eyes first began as an idea in my bedroom

How do you know when the song or album is done? 

It’s never done. I’ve learned I am that type of artist that even after something is finished I will always hear something in the mix that I think I could have done better. I’m super meticulous and I care so much about what I put so so I am always going to be like, ‘I could have done this, I could have done that’

What is your opinion on where R&B is right now? 

I think R&B right now is in a really good place, I think there is a lot of good music you just have to go and look for it. I think it’s easy to fall into a trap nowadays of being caught up in the noise of what is in-front of you, but you really just have to go searching. For example, listen to the music your parents listened to when they were cleaning or what’s on obscure radio stations and playlists. I think you really have to continue doing all the things that got you inspired to do music in the first place, go and continue to find that inspiration. 

Please see Kharmari’s new single “Tell Me” below.