The Next Big Thing in Dark Pop: Interview with K RHEN

By Kelly Carciente

Friday morning, release day for up-and-coming dark-pop singer-songwriter K RHEN met with me to discuss her third single, “Now or Never.” Following her sophomore single released in February, this new single tackles the turmoil that stems from a one-sided relationship where K RHEN proposes an ultimatum to reconcile her dissatisfaction. Through deep bass and a pulsating beat accompanying her alto voice, the London-based singer sets the stage for an empowering track.

Through sonic inspirations like FLETCHER and lyricism reminiscent of Julia Michaels, K RHEN hopes others can relate to her personal writing and find empowerment in her sound. Her sound fills a void in current music blending genres while delivering euphonic vocals. With only three singles out and more to come, the British songwriter emphasizes she is not going anywhere and will work hard in hopes of spreading her creative outlet with the world.

In this interview, K RHEN delves into the creation of “Now or Never,” her knack for songwriting, her ambition as an industry professional, her musical background, imposter syndrome, and what’s to come.

IS IT NOW OR NEVER?

Congrats on your release! It’s a really cool song and I really love the sound that you’re going for. So, I was wondering, how have you been feeling finally releasing this song and starting this new chapter?

I am so excited, honestly. Even today, after the release, it’s been such great reception. I have been waiting to release this song for the longest time, so it’s somewhat relieving. I wrote that song early last year … I have been so obsessed with that song ever since I wrote it and I was like, ‘if I still love it after so much time, it’s a good song.’ It feels really good to have it out. It’s really exciting. I’m excited for it to keep spreading.

What initially drew you to creating such a darker atmosphere in your music, and going for a production style similar to that?

It’s been something that I’ve always loved listening to, and I think as a songwriter, I just wanted to go that direction that I felt, as an artist, was my sort of style. I love artists like FLETCHER who have a darker pop, like really good production on their songs, so I guess I want to try something similar and make it my own. I think I also wanted the production to feel kind of powerful and empowering because that’s partly what this song is about. It is about not dealing with anymore, like, if someone is not treating you right or not committing to you fully … not waiting around for anyone. It’s relieving, giving them this ultimatum of now or never. So, I wanted the production to have this ‘good feeling’ about it as well. I wanted to relate to the feeling of what this song is about. That’s, I guess, why I went for this sort of approach.

What kind of story are you trying to create with this song, through your songwriting? How do you use this story to create such a song?

Well, I wanted it to be quite universal and not limit it to any specific, exact story of what this song is about, because I feel like… I had a personal experience with why this song came about, but as a songwriter, you want everyone to listen to it and somewhat relate to it. So, I think my main goal was to make sure that the lyrics were easy to understand, easy to follow. They were almost conversational, which, I love conversational lyrics. FLETCHER is really good at it, Julia Michaels, who I also look up to, is so good at that. I kind of wanted to try that out myself. And I think I wanted everyone to relate to it as little or as much as possible.

So in that vein, how do you think you approach that? If you want to be more global, how do you feel you draw the line with being too specific or being a little more vague in the things you’re saying?

I think that’s the beauty of songwriting. You can just play around with details. I think details differ around with being too specific. I think mentioning little details of something someone did. Little details… they differ to maybe what the song could be about. This song for me is about someone who wasn’t committing to you in a relationship and you’ve exhausted all the options of trying to save the relationship. That’s why I really try to emphasize that in the bridge. But I think, for everyone else, it could be a relationship, it could be friendship-wise, it could be about anyone you’ve met or any situation you’re in which is an unfair situation where you are done wasting time. I guess it’s a bit more personal… When it comes to songwriting, I think my main goal is to be able to relate to everyone. It can be tricky sometimes, but I think you know when it is a good lyric or good song. You kind of know, ‘maybe people might like this line,’ or something. I guess it is kind of trial-and-error to see what works and what doesn’t.

What is your general songwriting process?

I don’t have one set writing process. I started writing during Covid in 2020 where collaboration went online. So, I started meeting with people over a screen and just trying to form connections virtually, which can be tricky, and then it was only later, after Covid restrictions eased down, I went to in-person cowrites, and I found that completely different. I think, it depends whether you’re writing virtually or in person, I guess that differs. I wrote this particular songs in person. It was actually one of the quickest songs I’ve ever written. We were in-and-out of the studio in like three hours because we were on such a wave, me and my cowriter and producer and friend. With this particular song, we were talking about life updates and I was also discussing what songs I like that were already existing, what song I like productions of, or maybe the kind of feeling this song evokes, and I listen to some tracks or artists for references, and then sometimes I go that direction of, ‘I’m in this sound space and I want to expand on that.’ Sometimes, another way of writing for me is, I'll come into a session and I come with notes on my phone of title ideas or concepts or any ideas… So I guess it kind of depends. I would say maybe, start off by listening to songs or getting a sound vibe or come with lyrics, or concept ideas. It also depends if it’s in person or over the laptop.

I find it funny that you mention Covid because it was the birth of creativity for a lot of people. I saw your first single was released in 2021, and I guess Covid brought that out. But, what initially drew you to want to create music and putting music out there?

Well, I have been singing for as long as I can remember. I think I started writing songs in my bedroom, secretly, at like thirteen. I think I showed my first song, or songwriting things, when I was fourteen. I had very encouraging parents and my parents are music lovers and they have always encouraged me to pursue any creativity that I had. I think, when I was sixteen-seventeen, I realized, ‘songwriting, and artists… that’s a career choice.’ I was like, ‘I really love the idea of that because I just want to write music and make music and release it into the world for other people to enjoy.’ That’s honestly all I want to do and wanted to do back then. And then, it was quite tricky when I was still in high school because you have long days, you don’t have much time to explore your creativity, and Covid came at a good time… I am actually Class of 2020 so I never got to graduate, I never got to finish school. But, I took a year out, I was like, ‘I’m gonna use this year to network as hard as possible, learn as much as I could about the industry, understand how it works. I’m still learning, I feel like it’s a constantly ever-changing industry. But, I think I get the basics down, like how it all works. After that whole year, I released my debut single after collaborating and networking with people. So, it came after a lot of hard work and full commitment to the art.

You mention your parents gave you such encouragement throughout your childhood to pursue music, so how do you think that instilled a sense of confidence or trust into going for it?

I grew up very musical. I played the cello, I played piano, I sang, I was in choirs, I was in orchestras, I was doing a lot of musical performing. It was only later that I realized that singing and songwriting was what I wanted to do. When I started suggesting that and talking about it more, my parents were obviously on board, but I think, somewhat, I had to prove myself to a lot of people because it is a very competitive industry. For some people, they give it a go and then leave, but I still am fully dedicated. I don’t have a Plan B. This is my only Plan A, I want to do this. I think I’ve been very fortunate with my support system. I have a very supportive family, I have a very supportive circle of friends, and also lucky enough to be with people who… I have my friends within the industry, like other songwriters or producers and artists… I am very lucky to have them, being supportive and uplifting rather than feeling like there’s a sense of competition. I think the older you get, the more mature you get, you realize that it’s not all about competition, you have to just wait and see when your time comes. I actually felt major imposter syndrome. So, I live in London right now, and when I moved three years ago, it was after I released my debut single. I came to study at university. I was like, ‘great, London is the perfect place to be. I’ll do my degree… outside of uni, I will network and make friends…’ But, for a while I did feel major imposter syndrome. I felt the pressure, I felt like I had to conform or fit into a box and have to have a certain sound or certain style. I think that overwhelmed me a little bit and that’s why I hadn’t released music for a while since my debut, because I was going through this creative block and didn’t know what to do. And I think last year, the start of 2023, or maybe even end of 2022, I started writing more songs and eventually, at the end of the summer, I was like, ‘I really need to get back. I have so many good songs stored up that I just need to release them.’ So now I’m finishing uni, and like I said, this is my only plan and I want to do this full-time and give this everything I’ve got. So I was like, ‘I better start releasing.’ A lot of the songs I’m releasing, I wrote them a while ago, so it’s almost like a backlog right now. But, I’m also writing music. I didn’t stop writing, I’m just releasing. It’s taking a while, but, I’m so excited to finally be back because it’s already opening up so many more opportunities that I’ve never imagined happening. Like, I met my manager, I’m releasing music, I’m reaching out to loads of people and people are reaching out to me, I’m getting more performance opportunities… There are so many benefits to releasing it.

It’s honestly so sweet to hear. A lot of the times we are pressured to do things or set our goals or dreams aside to pursue other things, like university. But, I think having that headspace that you want to pursue it and want to go fully in is not only inspiring but motivating as well. If you put yourself in that environment and put yourself out there, you’re most likely to succeed.

I think the most important thing is just have love for your craft and, if you’re not loving what you’re doing then you’re not going to get anywhere. I think I focus so much on learning to love what I do and testing different things out, like writing different styles and, you know, eventually you find your thing and if you’ve got enough love and passion for it, it’s way more motivating than feeling like you’re not getting anywhere.

To your previous point, you said you are going to be performing a lot more. Is your goal also to be able to perform and possibly tour? Is that something you look forward to?

Yes absolutely. I love performing. I haven’t had many chances to perform my own music yet, but hopefully the more I am releasing now the more I have material to perform. So, hopefully I will be performing more very soon. Yes absolutely. I want to do festivals, I want to do a tour, I want to maybe go international and go across the continent. That is the ultimate goal, to also perform because I love performing just as much as I love creating the music.

Going back to your new single, what have you learned about yourself when you were creating this new song and has it also changed from previous songs or in working with other producers or writers?

Like I said, it’s the fastest song I’ve ever written, or one of the fastest songs I’ve ever written. I think because of that, I kind of learned about myself that it’s so much about experience and being on a flow or wave of creativity and just writing what you’re thinking, and just trusting yourself. If you do a little word splurge of whatever, you can pick out the best things out of what you said, and find a concept. I’d say this was the first song I wrote with my cowriter Jordan [Round]. We’ve written before: We met at a writing camp, and we wrote briefly but never for me as an artist. So, every cowrite I go into is a learning experience because it’s always gonna be something different. The experience and the whole thing is going to be different to your previous cowrite. But, I’d say what I learned about myself is like, trusting your instincts if you like a sound or you like a lyric.. just go for it, give it a go, don’t be too shy or worried that you’re copying too much from someone else or it sounds too cringe or cheesy. Especially nowadays, music has such a space in the commercial world, it might be perfectly suited for sync opportunities or other artists, even. So many different places have a place for music. I’m like, ‘I could literally write anything.’ To really just trust yourself and be patient. Patience is another thing I’m learning every time I write. I feel like every song I write is better than the previous one, which I guess is very normal, but that’s definitely something I felt with this cowrite.

Going off of one detail that you mentioned, if you were to take this song and put it through any medium, whether that be a commercial, genre of movie, or a festival, where do you see this song shining the most?

I’m seeing it more in a reality TV show at the minute, like Love Island, happening when someone in one of the couples isn’t fully committing or something, or something is going wrong, and you’re like, ‘it’s now or never, you can pick me or her or whoever.’ I can totally imagine it in one of those scenarios. It’s like a dream to have a Love Island placement, hopefully one day, or any other shows really. In terms of particular films, wherever the context matters really, if it’s after an argument or someone’s so passionate about a relationship they’re in, or you’re giving someone an ultimatum. I think wherever it’s appropriate, really. It can be in film or in an ad, or in reality TV, or anywhere, or even like a car commercial, who knows!

What do you hope others take away from this, what is the message you hope others take away from this new single, or this new chapter in your life?

From this song, I want people to feel empowered, I want people to feel like they’re in control of their decisions, to trust their gut, to know their self-worth, and to not give up on your gut instinct. I guess that’s kind of the main point of this: It’s sort of this relieving but also empowering and frustrating feeling. I think that with any outcome of my music or this new wave of K RHEN releasing music, I don’t really know where it’s going to take me, I’m just really excited for the journey, but expect more pop anthems like this. Expect more songs where you can really feel emotion, like things you can blast out and you can scream along in the car to or in the gym to workout to. I want music to feel empowering to my listeners and for them to feel really good about everything.

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