Kyla La Grange is the latest in a line of intense songstresses whose songs shoot straight for the listener’s heart with theatrical abandon.
The wounded defiance of Kate Bush and PJ Harvey; the lyrical and tonal mysticism of Florence Welch and Bat For Lashes; the bucolic intimacy of Joni Mitchell and Cat Power; all can be felt pouring forth in droves on Kyla’s debut album, ‘Ashes,’ released by ioki/Sony Music in July 2012.
It’s an enchanting mix that landed the London-born singer/songwriter the headlining spot at The Guardian’s New Band Of The Day concert this past June, only fifteen months after her first official release, the 7” ‘Walk Through Walls.’
With a father hailing from South Africa and a philosophy degree from Cambridge neatly in tow, Kyla’s songs can’t help but revolve around the ontological misery that can pervade life. Yet, within this exploration of darkness – reinforced aurally through her use of thundering, martial drums, keenly layered guitars, and soaring, aerated vocals – exude feelings of hope and empowerment. It is this unfettered catharsis that drives her music, that makes her so entrancing as a songwriter and performer, and that will only embolden her legacy as Britain’s next great troubadour.
