Having imported her steamy brand of DIY pop direct from Italy to the shores of the Thames, Kuntessa is releasing her debut EP ‘Pussy Pitstop’. Kuntessa’s music struts along the lines separating punk, R&B, and bubblegum pop; her performances are known just as much for their erotic themes and unforgettable melodies as for her camp, tongue-in-cheek humour, turning heads on East London’s queer scene as well as its post-punk/indie circuit.
The combination of pop brilliance and her genuine playfulness shines through in Kuntessa’s music; the themes of laziness, body hair, and dirty fantasies of being your bike seat create a visceral image of the artist – one listeners tend to attach themselves to immediately in a fan-girl furore.
In this interview, we dive deep into the inspirations behind Kuntessa’s EP, explore how she channels her frustrations with the world into her music, and discuss her aspirations and goals as an artist.
KALTBLUT: As an artist who travelled from Italy to London, how has this cultural shift influenced your music and creative style? What made you decide to relocate?
Kuntessa: I was born and raised in Florence and at the age of 23 I was singing in my first band Celluloid Jam, and was lucky enough to play loads of shows all over Italy. I was definitely ambitious already but also a bit too comfortable and that was getting in my own way. We were kinda spoiled and writing like 2 songs per year!!! When we played a few shows in London I felt so inspired just being out and about on the streets, the way people dress and act and come together is so unique, the diversity of the people so enriching. I remember the feeling of walking on Ridley Road Market in Dalston for the first time, I thought it was the coolest place on earth! Little did I know it would become such an important place in my life. London is a crazy ass fast-paced metropolis and it wasn’t easy to settle down, but my curiosity and need for inspiration was always stronger. The friends I made and the artists that make part of its community and mentored me, shaped me so much and inspired me to become the artist I am today, and gave me the confidence to start my solo project. Thanks to people who believed in me I started gogo dancing in queer parties, djing and making music on my own, organizing and promoting my own nights, collaborating. This city is so special for that, and no Tory government can divide us and stop us from doing what we do, looking after each other, marching on the streets for what we stand for.
KALTBLUT: Could you tell us more about the inspiration behind your debut EP ‘Pussy Pitstop’? What themes play a role in shaping the album?
Kuntessa: I wish I could say there was a great “design” behind this EP, but to be honest these are literally the first 6 songs I wrote!!! I guess all themes are pretty personal and satirical.
KALTBLUT: Your solo project, Kuntessa, began to take shape during lockdown. How did this period of isolation influence your songwriting and creative process?
Kuntessa: After being in bands for a while, I always daydreamed of having a solo project, but I was a bit scared to start and I didn’t feel very confident as a songwriter as at the time I’d only written with others. So I guess I was distracting myself big time with other things, working and partying and being hungover and finding any excuse not to sit down and start working. Being in lockdown forced me to face those feelings of anxiety and paralyzing fear while realizing my ambition and desire to be back on stage were stronger driving forces. So I started playing around with my toy pianos and making demos on the garage band on my iPad as I didn’t have a laptop at the time. I love toy instruments because they make me feel less serious and anxious about what I’m doing and the best music just comes when you are fooling around like a child! Lockdown gave me so much time all of a sudden to just play and see what happens. I was also blessed to be freshly in love with my partner at the time, which helped so much with my mental health and a feeling of stability at a time when I couldn’t be with my family and friends. I’m so grateful and extremely lucky for that as I know that lockdown has been a shitty and grieving and traumatic time for many people.
KALTBLUT: Your songs often cover personal topics by incorporating satire and humour. How do you balance these comedic elements with the messages you want to convey through your music? Can you share the stories and inspirations behind these songs?
Kuntessa: I’m a very emotional, passionate, silly person so I think I’m bound to make songs about my life and my friends, random ass encounters and things I care for. I don’t ever sit down and think, I wanna make a song about this and that. The song kinda writes itself in my brain after I was struck or amused by what happened or what bothered me. There’s no effort to balance anything, to be honest!! I can also confidently say that the craziness of London life is the inspiration behind all of it.
I wrote Lazy Bitch when I was too lazy and/or anxious to start writing my songs, so I made an anthem out of it! And how I love cancelling plans to stay home to smoke and masturbate. I was inspired by Fellini when he made that movie about him not being able to find inspiration to write a new movie because that’s what was exactly happening!! Kiki is about throwing a last-minute house party with the girls and the gays and feeling lit. Bartender Rant is a whole satire about nightlife work and how draining customers are, especially drunk ones!! I’ve worked for years as a bartender in East London and can confidently say that I’ve seen it all. This song is probably my favourite to perform as I unleash all my rage on stage.
Hair Everywhere is a song about body hair and the love/hate relationship I have towards them as an extremely hairy Italian girl. Bike Seat was inspired by a catcall I got from a man on the street, it was annoying but quite funny and original, so I decided to turn it into a scenario where it was my fantasy instead. The first song is a silly ass intro that I wrote that should give you an idea of what’s coming!!
KALTBLUT: The collaboration with producers Poppy Hankin from Girl Ray and Bart Williams played an important role in shaping the sound of your EP. How did their contributions enhance your vision, and what was it like working with them?
Kuntessa: Bart is my partner in life so he’s involved deeply in my shenanigans! He’s the first person I show my song ideas to and encourages me and pushes me. He gave me a lot of confidence when I showed him the first song I had just written, Hair Everywhere, and he offered to produce it as I only had a version with my toy piano. I thought maybe it was a dumb song but he actually vibed with it and did a great job with the production, he’s a perfectionist and slightly obsessive so the song turned out amazing even though it was a long process. He plays in a post-punk band called Body Horror and likes punky diy stuff like me so he understands when I wanna keep my sound a bit rough. There was a devastating time when we lost the project and we had to start again but it turned out even better so I’m glad!! Poppy was introduced to me by our mutual friend Raissa and she’s ended up producing most of the EP. She’s an angel sent from above, so patient and talented and literally goes for every random idea I bring to the table and adds her touch with such class. We share a love for everything pop, camp and queer and she understands straight away the references I’m bringing to the studio.
KALTBLUT: You have expressed a strong belief in breaking free from musical genre labels. Can you elaborate on this perspective and how it informs your creative process?
Kuntessa: It’s been pretty obvious to me since a young age that I was into so many different kinds of music and art forms. Every song that I write has a very specific style that was inspired by something completely different, which makes it quite hard for me to label my style in any way. And why should I? The concept of music genre is so outdated and limiting for the variety of music that is out there today. I also can’t stand the snobbery of some alternative or intellectual music scenes that dismiss more pop and commercial sounds. The only concept that I fully embrace is DIY, as I love doing stuff myself with every aspect of my project: songs, stage outfits, videos and merch. And also cuz I’m making little money and have no choice!! For those who are having a hard time figuring my “genre” out, I will say: come to my show and everything will make sense, if you don’t vibe with it just shut up and let me do my thing!!
KALTBLUT: Your music is often described as empowering and cathartic. How do you want your listeners to feel when they hear your songs, and how do you channel your frustrations with the world into your music?
Kuntessa: I want the people to have fun and dance more than anything. If they can relate to anything I say, that makes me happy! And I love to make people laugh! Punk is great for expressing rage and frustration so I would say that’s the attitude, plus the dancing, jumping and shaking makes my body feel great. I’m also the master of TMI and will always make sure the audience knows if I’m cramping from my period or if anything is going on with me. I like being honest with them and sharing stuff because I know it helps me when other people do the same.
KALTBLUT: Your performances are known for their erotic themes and campy humour. How do these elements contribute to the overall experience you want to create for your fans?
Kuntessa: I’m not actively trying to create an experience for them, but rather showing myself how I am. Laughing, dancing, vibing, fighting, shagging are all important things to me in life. When I was younger I felt the need to present a watered-down version of myself, I was scared and maybe ashamed of the intensity of my emotions and imagination, and my queer sexuality. It didn’t help growing up in a conservative and religious environment, even though I love my family very much, I still sometimes feel the fear of being judged by them I guess. My best friends back home helped me so much to embrace my weirdness in my teenage years, and my even crazier London gang from all over the world helped me unleash it! Performing gives me so much joy and life and it’s simply my goal to keep doing this till I can. Fame and success don’t have much fascination to me but the spotlight does, I can totally imagine myself doing cabaret with drag artists and other misfits in some skanky bar in my eighties!
KALTBLUT: Looking ahead, what are some of your aspirations and goals as an artist? Are there any new directions or collaborations you hope to explore in the future?
Kuntessa: I can only hope that I’ll keep being inspired to make more music and grow as an artist. Even writing one new song feels like a miracle to me, every time I get in a circle of self-doubt and fear, I wanna learn to embrace and navigate better. I realized now that terror is part of the process, at least in my experience. I also wanna use my voice and my platform more to be vocal about things I care about, and speak out about the disgrace of our governments in Europe, which keep pushing all kinds of disgusting racist, transphobic and misogynist policies, disregarding immigrants and the working class, killing our planet and funding genocides across the globe, destroying our rights before our eyes. There are definitely some pretty angry songs in the works!! I’m also thinking about ways to bring a new show on stage, with some dancers and one day hopefully a band. I would like to feel more confident about producing music myself, I’m such a boomer and any program on a screen makes my head spin and laptop crash but that shouldn’t stop me.
At the moment I self-release all my music and I kinda live for that, but I wouldn’t mind having a booker or something like that. I would love to play more festivals this summer and get disgusting in the mud!
If I could imagine the collaboration of my dreams it would be with Isabella Lovestory, CHAI, Debbie Harry and my favourites Stereo Total.
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Photos by @aannacastaldi
Pussy Pistop is out now: https://linktr.ee/kuntessa
