Following the release of her latest single and ahead of her highly anticipated album debut, North Shore Living sat down with Killara local Kota Banks (aka Jessica Porfiri) to chat about inspiration, self-empowerment, and the novel world of NFTs.
Growing up on the North Shore and attending Roseville College and Barker College, was music always a big part of your life?
It’s funny because both of my parents are not into music. They were not ever really showing me records or they weren’t playing me music, in that sense. But at school and just somehow of my own accord, I got into music.
I had singing lessons since I was 10; I was in all the musicals; I was very much a theatre kid. When I was 16, I won this competition to go to Los Angeles with a bunch of young people to record this little project and write songs, and it just spiralled from there.
You’re proudly Italian, having lived there for three years as a teenager and even releasing a few songs in the language. Could you explain how your background shaped you and your art?
I think just being in an environment that had so much history and culture really influenced me. The language is mellifluous – they just speak with a melody. They’re also very theatrical just by nature, so I guess that’s how it maybe comes out in my music.
I’ve read that after high school, you locked yourself in your bedroom for two years listening to pop songs on repeat to work out the formula of a hit. Where did that drive come from?
I wish I could say it was drive. I don’t think it was drive, I actually think it was my safe space.
I went through this really disillusioned period where I had no confidence. I didn’t even want to become an artist. I genuinely just wanted to write music for other people, because I wasn’t brave enough to really represent myself. I didn’t think that I really deserved a voice – it was that deep at that point.
So, it wasn’t drive. It was just a genuine obsession with music. Pop music pulled me through so many hard times. It was my escape. So, I wanted to be able to crystallise the essence of a pop song.
During that time, when did ‘Kota’ come about? And who is Kota, separate from Jess?
Kota wasn’t born until maybe four years after that period. She was born when I started writing a novel and the protagonist’s name was ‘Kota Banks’. I’d been trying to think of a pseudonym for my own artist project for years.
Kota with her producer and collaborator, Ninajirachi.
Kota is different to Jess in the sense that I channel all of my sass and my aggressive energy and my strength and concentrate it in Kota. When I get on stage or when I’m writing my music, I love to channel that part of me, because it doesn’t naturally come out in my personal life.
It’s been an incredible rise since that point, with singles like ‘Empty Streets’, ‘I’m It’ and ‘Zoom’ attracting millions of listens on Spotify. What have been some standout moments for you?
I definitely think the project that I did with Ninajirachi (Australian producer) was a standout for me. Just being able to collaborate with another woman and, between the two of us, fund that project, create it, and release it.
Besides that, it’s always these little consistent moments. Hearing my song when it comes on the radio, or being able to play a festival, or when I played my hometown [Sydney] show and having everyone sing the lyrics back to me.
Along with infectious melodies, a hallmark of your music seems to be a witty lyricism that both celebrates and empowers women. Is this a deliberate focus of yours?
Yes! I would hear all these songs on the radio, and I didn’t just want to make another pop song that was like, ‘You can do it!’
I wanted to make something more representative of the humour that comes along with it. We have so many beautiful songs that make you cry, but I wanted to make you cry of laughter. I just want to empower, and I want it to be fun, and I want it to be clever and sharp and witty and creative. That’s what I hope for the music.
Your new song ‘Dreamhigh’ seems more laidback than your previous releases. Can you explain how this song came about?
Yeah. It’s one of my favourite songs that I’ve put out. I love RnB music so much, and I love pop music. I think I finally found a way to intertwine them that represents me as an artist. It’s mellow, but it’s flirtatious. I think it’s probably the most accurate representation of Jess. It’s less Kota, more Jess.
At the start of the year, you actually released a song via NFT. What made you want to delve into that world?
I have a project and I’m dropping song by song at the moment. So, they’re still coming out by via Serenade, which is this UK-based marketplace that I’m working with.
What made me want to get into the space is that I love the idea of an artist earning the majority of the revenue from a piece of music that they want to give to the world. I also love the idea of giving fans something exclusive. It’s something for your fans to invest in and they feel like they own a part of your business too.
What’s next for Kota this year?
I’m working on my debut album at the moment!
I’m currently deciding on whether it’s going to be an album or a mix tape, but it’s definitely going to be a big project that I’m really excited about. So, I’m just recording, getting re-inspired, starting to think about visuals. That’s my world at the moment. So, stay tuned!