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Spinning and winning producer, musician & advocate Kiimi has carved a path that really feels hard to keep up with. With punchy beats and balanced rhythms that leave you with no answers other than dancing, this London-based creative keeps you out of breath with their multidisciplinary skills on Pixie. It's an EP that melds tempo, melody, and energy with precise percussion, begging us to dive more into its author. We happily caught Kiimi on a sweltering London day where they gave us the inside scoop on their project:

OnesToWatch: Where am I finding you this afternoon? 

Kiimi: I'm in East Southeast London.

I keep hearing how hot it is. 


It's so hot. I'm sure you know nowhere in the UK has AC, so it's bloody boiling. I've got one really sad little fan behind me and it's doing its best. 

Coming from LA, I empathize. Well, let’s kick things off. Why are you an artist? 

I mean, it's difficult not to be. It's just kind of always what I've done. I've had very different iterations of artist projects and stuff, which I never really discussed, But I've just always done it. I love making music. I feel very passionate about it. 

What's different about this artist project compared to previous iterations – not just in sound, but in approach, too?

This is the first iteration of my artist project that's been based on electronic music. 
I found my affinity with electronic music over lockdown – it felt like a rebirth at that time, which I’m sure rings true for a lot of people. I've finally found my lane. 


How long have you been writing music? 

I've been producing since I was 16. I’ve done various things since then, too, I’ve worked in the music industry, I've composed a lot for visual media, made music for like short films, adverts and stuff. 
I used to work with Vogue. 

That's amazing. I’m always curious when the assignment is creating sounds for a visual, versus creating visuals for a sound. Do you have a preference of which way you like to work? Is it inspiring to have a visual to work off of? 

I find it a really interesting outlet because I'm a classically trained musician. Since I was young, I’ve played saxophone – which is my main instrument – as well as piano, guitar. Composing for film is interesting because it requires different genres and really allows me to explore the musicality of creating in a way that isn’t limited to the genre I release music in. So, I love it. Also, being inspired by visuals, themes, or concepts is a great way to get creative. 

Do you ever compose with saxophone? 

I don’t play my saxophone enough. I’m reminded of that caricature of dance music, with the saxophone, and I try to avoid replicating that. But I want to play it more, I’ve only ever used it texturally. It’s in a couple of songs, but I’ve never really done a saxophone solo apart from at my live show. 

Let’s dive into your project, Kiimi. Do you have a process? Do you normally start with beats or a rhythm? Is it an idea? Is it a feeling, a color? 
How do you normally kind of start a song or compose? 

It kind of changes every time, but my go-to, if I'm working alone, is to start with the drums. I just love making percussion. Sometimes I can spend so long on a drum loop and then realize I've got no melodic ideas. Like, great, I've lost a whole day to just making this four bar loop. But I normally start there and go to the melody later. Sometimes sampling, but often it’ll be drums first, then melodies, and vocalizing. 

I find there's this theme of like classical musicians who end up being electronic artists, or very rhythm based people. Why do you think that is? Is it because you weren’t allowed to venture that far in classical music? 

Yeah, I think that's exactly it. I always wanted to learn drums and my mum was not having it. Which I completely understand now, because I absolutely would not want my kids having a drum kit in the house. She was probably just thinking how much of a racket that would be, but I picked up saxophone instead. All of the instruments I learned were melodic, and I always wanted to learn percussion, so now I guess I have the tools to do so through production. 

I’m a recovering drummer, so my mother did not get to escape the cacophony of sounds I created. I want to ask about a trope involving women in production and electronic music. There is definitely a barrier for entry and a theme of exclusion in the industry, and it’s amazing that now, female producers are multiplying by the dozens. What are your thoughts on that? 

Within production, I feel like women and non-binary people are at such a minority and that definitely is reflected in my own experience. Nobody has been overtly problematic toward me in a way that’s tainted my experience, but trying to move forward in your career while coping with a lack of companionship and representation, it does have an effect. Especially, coming out of lockdown, there was quite a focus around diversity within the gender spectrum at that time because there were statistics floating around at the time that less than 5% of music producers are women – and there's not even a statistic around non-binary or trans producers. When there is a shift towards inclusion, it's amazing. But a lot of the time that focus isn't there. And so, it can be a bit like wading through mud at times. 

That sounds like a perfect time to pivot to Honey Sounds. So why don’t you tell us about the genesis of it, it’s purpose. 

I started Honey Sounds kind of for selfish reasons. I didn't have a community of people that were doing what I was doing. Most of my producer friends were men, and they just dind’t share the same experiences as me. So, it started as an Instagram page, and then the first in-person event was a social event at Dawson Superstore in London, which is a really great queer bar. I didn't realise how much interest it would invoke and how needed those community spaces are. It just went from there. We did a couple club nights, and then a series of workshops back in 2023. We had a producer called Julia Test to do one on music production, and then we had Jess Izat and Jaguar, who were both from BBC Radio in the UK. It was so amazing seeing the tangible effect that building in-person communities like that can have, you know? 

And what are your ambitions for it? 


We’ve been on a bit of hiatus as I’ve been focusing on my artist career, but we do have plans to relaunch in the next few months. Now it feels like more than ever, we need to come back together. Like I said, after lockdown, there was more of a focus on inclusion and diversity, and it feels a little bit sometimes like it's shifted back or like people have kind of stopped caring. There’s also been quite a shift in dance music, where some people are getting paid a lot of money, and there’s more grassroots stuff, but everything in the middle has been tough. Bookings have been hard because clubs are closing and festivals aren’t doing great. All of that change means that the focus has shifted away from diversity. Ultimately, it means that the community is more called for than ever. 

Just adding some color to you as a person, what inspires you outside of music? 

I love the gym. I'm a very sporty person. Music is honestly like 100% my life, but if that wasn't there, I would be a person trainer. I love working out and fitness and health. That is definitely another outlet for me. It feels like my antidepressant. 


When you're touring, how do you stay fit? 

I love running. That travels no matter where you are. I don't run loads at home, but I love running when I'm traveling because it gives you an opportunity to explore the area. 

If a whole bunch of your friends end up at your place late at night, hungry, can you whip up a meal for them and what would it be? 

It's salmon. I eat salmon literally every day. For the last ten years, I've been getting salmon every day. So I will probably make grilled salmon and a salad. 
It's the one thing that I know how to make really well. I love it. 

If you could go back in time to perform anywhere with anyone, who is your dream lineup and venue? 


In terms of DJing, I would have loved to have been a part of the kind of '90s rave movement and been able to see and play and be in those spaces. 

Last couple of questions. If you are still wanting to continue artistry in 5, 10 years, what would make you happy at that point? What would success feel like to you? 

I think just being able to afford to live comfortably from the thing that I love doing, in a way that isn’t financially stressful, and also to be able to have my friends around me. That would feel like success to me. I'd love a living wage. I'm not aiming that high. 

Amazing. At OnesToWatch, we love when artists put us on to other artists that deserve more recognition, so could you give us some recommendations? 

My friend Lou Ray is amazing. I love her music so much. She's an incredible producer. She marries really light vocals with really fat bass. My friend Jaguar just started releasing music and she's amazing. She's a Radio One presenta, but she just started releasing music, and she is such a champion for the underground, and her music is really fun. Meg Ward as well. She's great. 

Awesome. Thank you so much for chatting with us! 

Thank you for having me.