Photo Credit: Ava Wild
Approaching R&B with an alternative angle, K O D A E has carved a path out for themselves and are continuing to do so by combining forces with Calgary’s own, TAYLR. Together, “Daydreamer” came to be and we were lucky enough to have K O D A E’s Eric Osborne and TAYLR sit down to discuss not only the collab but also what’s to come from this match made in harmony as well as Sade, mysticism, and more!
Kendra: Were you on a creative path before 2021’s “Let Me Warm Your Bed,” or was working alongside
K O D A E your musical debut?
TAYLR: I’ve been writing music since I was a little pre-teen and releasing it since 2016 as a solo singer-songwriter. “Awake with Crystal Eyes” was my debut in this new genre though and was really nerve-wracking! I grew up loving Soul and R&B but didn’t have it in my plans to write genre-adjacent tunes.
Kendra: Your style is classified as alternative R&B, and I very much get that. I also feel like it’s chill music for grown folks very much Sade-like, if you will. How was this style sort of landed upon given K O D A E is composed of multiple personalities and talented individuals?
TAYLR: Firstly, I love Sade, what a juicy compliment. Landed upon feels like the right description for how we found this sound. Maybe stumbled or danced into it as well. K O D A E is full of so much talent and we all have wildly different backgrounds musically and also in our personalities. Our bass player is the grooviest gospel player I’ve ever met, our drummer is the baby of the group and has been a prodigy since he was like 15 who loved Meshuggah when we met him, our keys player speaks classical and jazz fluently and rips through modes like no one I’ve ever seen, our guitar player is jazz trained but got his start in the hardcore scene and I came from writing sweet simple folk songs with my soft, shy voice. Our mutual love for R&B and jazz became initial anchors but over time, I feel like we’ve found our own special blend of textures and sounds that morph into whatever a song calls for.
Kendra: Let’s talk about your latest, “Daydreamer.” Are you one who allows themselves to drift into their thoughts often? Also, how did this song come to be?
TAYLR: Eric and I are big dreamers, I think that was one of the first things that connected us although I would say I lean towards the more delusional side of the dreamer scale for sure! One of the first conversations we had after we’d decided to begin working together was during a late-night post-jam walk in downtown Calgary. We both had a tallboy to sip on and we meandered through city parks and side streets discussing our musical paths and hopes for the future. I distinctly remember saying “I would just be so happy to pay for my life with music… actually you know what, I want to sing in big stadiums and on big stages for big crowds.” I think this was the first time I dropped the humility mask a bit and let someone into the real dream. Daydreaming is one of my favorite activities whether it’s living in musical fantasies of the future, pondering about the universe, or falling into fictional love; I adore poking my head up into the clouds for a little while. I was always called a daydreamer and space cadet while I was growing up so this song feels like the permission I have needed to wear that label proudly.
Kendra: And I’d ask how you all came together on this, but this is your third collaboration. When you initially met, what was sort of the first instinct that it was a good fit?
TAYLR: It’s so funny – when we were finally able to tackle the album that “Daydreamer” is part of, life had brought a lot of change to our band and I had been honing in on my solo project. As I became less involved with the band, we chose to give K O D A E an opportunity to be its own entity and wanted to treat the works we made as collaborations with the hope of giving these tunes their best shot at being heard. The beginning of K O D A E started with Eric and myself and it grew from there. We had hit it off at a jam and I was hosting a house show the following weekend that I invited Eric to. I was really drawn into how soft and intentional his playing was. Eric sings with his guitar and while at my house show, some time past 2am, we improvised the beginning of our first song and were so inspired that we finished writing it the next day.
Kendra: K O D A E revolves a lot around mysticism. Can you elaborate on that and how that influences your music and approach to artistry?
Eric Osborne: TAYLR and I are mystically inclined. In both our personal and artistic lives, we seek to pull back the curtains and uncover. I think our music reflects that inclination both emotionally and aesthetically. Being fans of groove-based music, we try to combine that existential depth with fitting backbeats. Time marches on, and change swirls around us, but it is rhythm that allows us to navigate and embrace that change, so why not dance?
Kendra: Time for a side note – With it being summer, I’d love to know – and for you to share – your favorite road trip song. Like, what’s the one song that has to be on your mix when you hit the road?
Eric: Oh man. So many. I don’t know if I could pinpoint one song, but it would definitely be by the 80s glam rock band Styx. My Dad was a huge fan. Driving out to Vancouver Island every year, we’d listen to their greatest hits on repeat and sing along at the top of our lungs. When I take my family out on road trips these days, I force them to listen to at least a couple of songs. If this year, they only let me play one, I’ll choose “Crystal Ball.” It’s a Stairway to Heaven-esque rock ballad that ends in a deadly rock riff guitar solo outro, which of course is my approach to guitar summarized in one tune.
Kendra: Lastly, with “Daydreamer” out now, what are your plans as we start to roll into the fall?
Eric: We’ve got another single release lined up leading to the full album release. The song is called “Good Life” and it’s a house-inspired epic about striving for a decent life. Hopefully, our fellow millennials will relate. Personally, it’s the tune I’m most proud of on the EP. Stay posted.
