New York, NY (Top40 Charts) With the heart of your favorite nineties alt songstress, the guts of a tried-and-true punk, and a whole lot of sass all her own, Kaya Stewart is ready to formally introduce herself on her forthcoming sophomore LP, If Things Go South. The 10-song album, which chronicles Kaya's self-actualization as an artist along with the turbulence of growing up, doubt, heartbreak and mental health, is set for release on Friday,
September 30 via Bay Street Records.
After launching her career in 2015 with a string of releases on Warner Records, Kaya now at the age of 22, arrives in full form with a scorching signature style. The album is tied together with her powerful, unique vocals utilizing pop-punk attitude, intimate Americana-tinged storytelling, and infectious danceable grooves.
If Things Go South (co-written and co-produced with her father, Dave Stewart) is Kaya at her most authentic, expressive self. The album is set to arrive along with a candid performance film - self-narrated - detailing her most personal thoughts.
"This record is one-hundred percent who I am now," Kaya declares. "This is the Kaya I was working towards all along."
In the midst of the global pandemic, she was diagnosed with obsessive compulsive disorder which was the catalyst to write the collection of songs that make up If Things Go South.
"It was the weirdest time of my life, because I had this life-changing diagnosis that explained so much for me," she admits. "I wasn't planning on making an album; I was actually thinking of taking a break for a little while. I called my dad, and he said, 'Why don't you just come to Nashville and record a couple of songs?' By the time I left, we had If Things Go South. I was able to be myself in the studio. The album is the most honest thing I've ever done."
Under the influence of
Alanis Morissette and Debbie Harry, she uncorked a hypnotic and hard-hitting sound of her own with full creative control and complete independence. The first single "
Honey" - due out Friday,
September 9 - hinges on a snappy guitar riff as her smoky and sultry intonation simmer on the chantable chorus, "Just like Colorado, you're colder than I thought and I wish that I could give you, give you all I got." Adding a cherry on top to close it out, she simply coos, "Honey."
Following her self-titled album, Kaya Stewart (2016), that acquired millions of streams, she then went independent and headed to Nashville to cut the Miss Kaya EP (2020) with producer
Jamie Lidell behind-the-board. Earning critical acclaim for this partnership from NPR and more, The FADER hailed the single "
California" as "an airy song about the left-coast with Kaya's powerful voice and a lot of wobbles courtesy of Jamie."
