Q&A: Asi Kemera’s “honey bb” Showcases An Obverse Dynamic

☆ By Jamie Imperial ☆

 
Photo By Emily Molander

Photo By Emily Molander

 
 

FROM THE COMFORT OF HER OWN BEDROOM — R&B artist Asi Kemera answers our call with a smile and a stage mic in her hand. Which makes sense since she’s written, produced, and recorded nearly all of her music and videos from that same room. She’s even performed live from home (virtually, of course). She’s the essence of a bedroom pop artist, with a DIY vibe that gives her a unique sound that’s both charming and authentic. 

Kemera credits Stevie Wonder as one of her influences, as there are elements of R&B, ’70s, Bollywood, and Ethiopian sounds woven into her songs. She adds her own flavor to the mix that makes listening to her feel both intoxicating and comfy, as if your new, ethereally beautiful best friend is telling you all of her secrets. 

The 20-year-old started producing music in 2019, falling in love with chord progressions and releasing her first single “In Ur Dreams” from her home in Atlanta. In 2020, she released another single “I’ll Be Fine” and her first EP Daydream, all of which she wrote, recorded, and produced from her bedroom. Her DIY vibe shines through in her music video for “In Ur Dreams,” which she filmed in her PJs from home. 

Kemera’s newest single “honey bb” features Oakland-based artist Seiji Oda, as the track explores her sensual side as well as the idea of alternating between being submissive and dominant in different areas of life.

With retro-modern aesthetics and visuals that will keep you hooked from the very first second, the music video for “honey bb” showcases its boundary-pushing and yet still down-to-earth sound that will take you on a fun journey you’ll want to repeat again and again. Read below to learn more about this promising young artist and her new single.

LUNA: Tell us a little bit about your background. What first got you into music?

KEMERA: I started making music when I was a kid actually. I went to school, but I never really liked it that much. I wasn't bad at it! But I just was like, “I'd rather be doing something creative at home.” I grew up singing and I started playing guitar when I was 12.

When I released my first single in 2019, at that point I actually wasn’t sure that I wanted to do music and pursue it as a career. But when the song started doing really well, I realized that this was something I loved doing and I wanted to keep pursuing it. I didn’t like school very much, so I thought that I might as well take a break from that and make something that I felt like people would appreciate.

LUNA: What’s the story behind your new single, “honey bb”?

KEMERA: I was really feeling myself when I made that song! I was in a sensual mood. And really it’s about being submissive in the bedroom, even though I’m usually more of a dominant person in other areas of my life. It's fun to, you know, lose control sometimes. 

Photo By Salim Garcia

Photo By Salim Garcia

LUNA: “honey bb” has been said to highlight the Gemini rising in your chart, with you alternating between being dominant and submissive. Does astrology factor hugely into your sound?

KEMERA: Absolutely, yeah! I’m really into zodiacs right now. I've been getting into the Venus planet and what it means. [For example], my Venus is in Aries. So that means I'm a very passionate person, and when I first meet somebody, I like to make the first move typically. 

There’s Gemini in me, but I’m a Taurus [sun] and an Aquarius moon. I would say most of my songs really feel Aquarius-y to me. Aquarius is an air sign, so it's kind of like going with the flow. And that's how my music feels when I create it. I feel like I just tap into my moon sign I'm creating; I don't know about Taurus much [in my music]. 

LUNA: Your music videos have a cool DIY aesthetic that pairs perfectly with your vocals. What’s your inspiration behind them and how do you film them?

KEMERA: I really like the DIY vibe because it’s the closest to me, and so doing DIY types of videos feels like the most authentic to how I work. 

The video for my song “Take My Number” was shot by my friend, so that one was kind of like free, you know. And then the video for “In Ur Dreams” was something I shot on my laptop.

So everything was done by myself for the most part, until I met Hassan [the videographer for “honey bb”]. The video was the first one I shot with a videographer who was established. I shot it in a studio and I was like, “Wow, this feels great!” The green screen and the edits — I just loved filming it and everything that Hassan did.

LUNA: What’s your creative process like when you create music?

KEMERA: Chords mean everything to me. And I like to make a chord progression that makes me feel like I'm floating. That's where I start. Sometimes it's on the keys, sometimes it's a guitar, and then words are one of the last things I work on on a production. I produce everything first; I'll even come up with melodies. And then, the words will come lay there [at the end].

Photo By Salim Garcia

Photo By Salim Garcia

LUNA: Who or what do you listen to that are your biggest influences when it comes to your music? What other places do you find inspiration from?

KEMERA: I listen to so many different things, I couldn't give you a specific artist besides maybe Stevie Wonder. Whenever I'm feeling like I'm in a rut or something, I listen to his stuff, because his chord progressions are, like, incredible and luscious. And I really like old school-feeling music. Everything else is a mixture. I just listen to so many different things.

My inspirations sometimes come from my personal experiences, and other times it'll be a story that I just made up. It could be from a show or movie, or even my friends’ experiences. I’ll get their permission and then I’ll write a song about their situation because it's entertaining to me. Some of them are, like, really about me, but no one ever knows which ones are.

LUNA: What advice do you have for young creatives?

KEMERA: Just believe in yourself and don't let other people influence your decisions, because it's your life at the end of the day — even if people feel like they know what's best for you — you know what's best for you truly. So just always go with your gut and trust your intuition.

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