‘I want to energise people’s spirits’

When multi-instrumentalist Kyle Drakard was planning his debut album, one song idea held special significance.

He asked his father to write lyrics in the form of a letter, opening up to him about how he had felt leaving his young son, just four years old at the time, when he separated from Drakard’s mother.

“I discovered years later that my dad used to write lyrics for my mum. So, I asked him to write that song to help him let go of some of those emotions – with the intention of him actually healing from that experience as well,” said Drakard.

On the recommendation of an album collaborator, he then turned to lyricist Alwyn Borg Myatt “to make the lyrics more of a story, like a movie, and it was one of the best decisions of my life... the way she writes is incredible”.

The album features an impressive line-up of international and local artists. Cover design: Julian Mallia

Drakard, also known by his artist name KYLO, was speaking to Times of Malta ahead of the launch of his debut album KYLO World, which will be performed in its entirety on November 7, at the MCAST theatre in Paola.

The album, which sees Drakard play guitar, drums, bass, keys, vocals and sitar, as well as being the sole composer, features an impressive line-up of international and local collaborators, including Grammy-nominated Indian singer and flautist Varijashree Venugopal.

“She’s an incredible artist; it’s quite a surreal feeling that she’s singing on the album,” said Drakard, noting Venugopa’s collaborators include jazz titan Herbie Hancock, precocious UK virtuoso Jacob Collier and Snarky Puppy bandleader Michael League.

Asked about Venugopal’s involvement, Drakard described his trepidation at approaching the prodigious singer after composing a Carnatic – Indian classical music – song for the album.

Drakard described his trepidation at asking Grammy-nominated Indian singer and flautist Varijashree Venugopal to perform on the album.

“While I’d always been inspired by Indian and Middle Eastern music and had been playing the sitar for around two years with [popular Maltese band] Tribali by the point I wrote this song, presenting it to her was a little scary,” he said. 

“It felt like a gimmick, presenting her own traditional music to her. But when I sent it to her, I was blown away by the fact she replied and accepted to sing on it – and agreed to come to Malta for the launch.”

Describing the album as a turning point in his composing, Drakard explained that while he had previously contributed pieces to other projects, they were usually developed further collaboratively (“which is what being in a band is all about”).

“But this time I had the freedom to actually write all the music myself,” he said, adding the album’s London-based brass section had composed a short introduction to one of the songs, Asaph, “as a surprise... it blew my mind and worked even better than expected”.

‘The most fun is enjoying music together’

Drakard characterises the album as an amalgamation of his musical experiences since the start of his professional career at the age of 15.

Describing the music as “fusion, but with elements of electronic music, funk, rock, world music and metal”, Drakard stressed that while disparate genres are represented on the album, they are connected by a common thread.

“The songs were all written by me, so the character in each song remains the same. And I’ve made sure that in each song there’s always an anchor to latch onto,” he said.

“The most fun for me is actually gathering people in a space and enjoying music together. So, I still wanted to write the music that I like [fusion], but I wanted it to be accessible – it’s about delivering an idea in the best way possible and taking the audience into consideration.”

Likening composing to debating, he emphasised: “You can be right in what you’re saying, but if it’s not delivered in the right way, you’re not going to be understood”.

And that desire to bring music often regarded as complex and inaccessible to a wider audience is something Drakard is passionate about.

Multi-instrumentalist Kyle Drakard will launch his debut album on Friday.

Citing American fusion multi-instrumentalist Louis Cole as a source of inspiration, whom he noted has opened concerts for mainstream artists like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Drakard said he wanted to do the same in Malta.

“I don’t want this music to remain underground anymore, because it should be accessible – and people actually look for it without realising,” he said. “Audiences always tell me: ‘We never listen to this kind of music but we had so much fun’. That says something.”

‘I was holding myself back’

As well as Cole’s music, Drakard emphasised that “where he really shines is how he’s put himself out there, how he’s branded himself – and he has millions of people who now listen to him”.

And this is an approach the multi-instrumentalist has emulated to promote Friday’s album launch, putting out daily social media videos and appearing on well-known radio shows and podcasts such as Bajd U Bejken.

“That feeling of not wanting this music to be underground anymore meant putting myself in places I never had before, including things from the ‘influencer’ world.”

Describing those efforts as “completely new and unknown to me”, he said it was “like going for a jam for the first time in London, with nobody knowing you... it’s about meeting new people and seeing how they approach things”.

“The experience showed me that it was me keeping my music underground; it was me holding myself back.”

But while building his online presence has helped him promote the upcoming launch, Drakard acknowledged it had taken its toll: “It is a lot of work, and it takes you away from your instrument at times,” he said.

“However, if you want something to work, there are sacrifices you have to make. That’s why it’s important that when you’re young, practise as much as you can, because when you get older, you’re not going to have that time”.

What does he hope people take away from Friday’s performance?

“I want them to walk out feeling inspired, driven and alive. I want to energise their spirits.”

Kyle Drakard’s debut album KYLO World will launch on November 7, at the MCAST theatre in Paola. To find out more, visit kyloworld.com.