INTERVIEW: KiKi Holli Discusses Her New Single ‘WIN U OVER’

Los Angeles-based, multi-faceted pop singer-songwriter KiKi Holli recently released her new single, “WIN U OVER,” a contagious Nu Disco track produced by Grammy-nominated Ethan Allen. “WIN U OVER” follows on the heels of Holli’s dance anthem “Pretty Boys,” which transcended genres and became an LGBTQ+ anthem of self-expression, allure, and empowerment.

Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Holli grew up playing guitar, saxophone, and viola and appearing in theatrical productions, film, and television. She starred in the indie film Isle of Lesbos and appeared on stage in Of Mice and Men, Three Sisters, and Twelfth Night.

Holli co-wrote and starred in Forever Dusty: The Dusty Springfield Musical, a stage musical based on the life of British pop star Dusty Springfield. The production opened off-Broadway in 2012 at New World Stages in New York. From there, the play went on to run in Los Angeles and London, as well as other cities in the U.S. and U.K.

In this interview, KiKi Holli discusses her artistic journey with XS Noize, highlighting the release of “WIN U OVER” and her creative process.

What three things can’t you live without?

Music. My Car. My Hubby.

Can you share the inspiration behind “WIN U OVER” and the creative process of bringing it to life?

We wanted to create something that allows you to move your body, too. I am a club kid at heart and love dancing. Ethan Allen (twice Grammy-nominated producer/co-writer) and I discussed doing another dance song after my last release. I love Donna Summer and listened to her a lot during the creation of this song. Her work and that of producer Giorgio Moroder were truly inspiring and brilliant.

When Ethan and I start writing or get an idea, we often look at source material or watch old YouTube videos, and Donna Summer has some of the best. Then Ethan came up with that super cool zooming riff that goes back and forth, oh man I love it! We have a fantastic writing collaboration process together. We have written in different ways for different songs, but for ‘WIN U OVER,’ we put down a beat, came up with a melody, and then wrote the lyrics on top of that. We had a lot of fun creating this one! I hope you have a lot of fun listening to it!

Did your sound evolve naturally, or did you deliberately push it in a particular direction?

In my heart, I am a songwriter, and the songs come through me. If you don’t write the idea down when it comes or get it on the voice recorder, then it will usually go on to the next person. Often, this happens to me right before I fall asleep when I’m diving into my subconscious. I’ll have to get out of bed and start singing the idea, or it flies right out of my head.

It’s a tricky process to pull songs out of the ether and do your best to guide them into something that works or a cohesive idea. Ethan is a magician at this. I can bring in an idea, and he does a brilliant job of guiding it to becoming a real song. Or we can just work on something from scratch, which can be even more exciting.

I feel like my sound is always evolving. In the singles-driven market that we find ourselves in, there is a lot of freedom to experiment with different sounds. At this moment, I am taking full advantage of that. I hope that I don’t give people whiplash, but at the same time, I am really focused on putting out good work and making a difference with my music. I want to touch as many hearts as possible.

These days, people in the industry are talking a lot about micro-genres or micro-niches. I guess I am still looking for mine. In many ways, I feel like what I am writing right now has universal themes that most people can relate to—or at least that’s the hope.

What do you want people to take away from “WIN U OVER?”

I want people to have a good time, dance, and forget about their problems for a while. Lift them out of the darkness for a bit. I hope we achieve that!

How did you get started in music? What’s the backstory there?

I would like to say that I came out of the womb singing. I grew up in a musical family with an Irish grandmother on my dad’s side who played the piano and sang all the time and an Italian mother who played the accordion and was always singing. My father and his brother had a little group where they sang Elvis together. My dad resembled Elvis with his jet-black hair and light green eyes.

My mom started me in voice lessons when I was eight years old. I also started playing viola, which only lasted a couple of years. Then, I played the saxophone for five years. I was always in singing lessons, recitals, and competitions. In high school, I was in show choir, regular choir, and acting. I got a full ride to college for acting and singing, and I graduated with a BFA in Music and Theatre. I was in a few bands in college, where I started playing guitar and writing songs. One was called Crackhouse Mistress, LOL, and I still have the demos to prove it!

Then, I moved to LA after working production on a major feature film that brought me here. I acted in film/TV and theatre in Los Angeles and NYC. They did some music for a couple of indie films and starred in a movie musical that Howard Stern would play a song from all the time—I lived in Japan, where I worked with a big band and played live at the military base, just me and my guitar. Then, I wrote and starred in a musical on Dusty Springfield that ran Off-Broadway in London and LA.

When the musical ended and I moved back to LA from NYC, I decided to focus solely on writing and recording original music, and that is where we are right now. I worked with a couple of amazing producers. Then I found Ethan Allen, and we have been releasing stuff together for a few years.

What can you share about your writing process?

There are a few ways that music comes to me. Sometimes, you get lucky; a song will pop into your head, and you can’t get it down fast enough. Sometimes, you get snippets, like a chorus or a melody. Then I spend time on the idea, and if I think it’s valid enough, I will bring it in for Ethan or whoever I am working with at the time.

What is your definition of tone, and has your tone changed over time?

Regarding artistic tone? I think an artist is always free to explore their attitude or approach in their work, which conveys a style, lyrical choice, humour, optimism, or love…or maybe you’re just venting. That’s what’s great about expressing your emotions through art or creativity. We can explore all the different sides or emotions of being a human and convey our perspectives to other humans. That’s why art and expression are critical to developing and sustaining a functioning society.

Yes. My tone has changed over time. I think that is part of growing as a human being and developing as an artist. As we age, we explore more, we get our hearts broken, we lose loved ones, and we experience immense joy and immense sadness. All these experiences filter into our creative lives, so I think that an artist’s tone is constantly evolving.

What’s been the highlight of your career so far? Maybe touring or who you’ve played with, something that’s really stood out.

Throughout my career so far, many beautiful memories and friendships have been formed. Honestly, this moment is a highlight. To get to work with someone like Ethan Allen, a twice Grammy-nominated producer, is such a gift. I truly cherish every moment.

Another major highlight was when I put a band together to play my EP release party at Hotel Café in the Main Room, and that band was amazing! Drummer Keith Larsen has been an incredible collaborator and sounding board for me. He has played live drums on most of my songs and is just a monster musician. Then, this amazing guitar player came down from the heavens, Hunter Perrin. It was such a gift to have him play his Gretsch. Hunter has a band with his wife, Minnow, called Bandito Royale, and they bailed me out by opening for us that night since the person who was going to get Covid. Hunter has played with phenomenal musicians: Little Richard, John Fogerty, Ke$ha and many others. Lisa Crawley was playing keys that night and doing backup vocals. She has also played with many heavyweights, like Neil Finn, and is a phenomenal singer/songwriter from New Zealand! And also, Gabbi Coen played bass, who goes by Rvby My Dear, and she kicked ass.

I wish I were touring more! I would tour with that band in a heartbeat if they would have me. I am starting to do these private living room parties to raise money for my record. So, if you need someone to do a next-level set at your pad, hit me up!

Which do you enjoy the most: writing, recording, practising, or playing live?

I love being in the studio. It’s so chill and creative. It’s my church. It’s meditative and makes me fulfilled and happy. Ethan’s studio is in Silverlake, CA, a neighbourhood in LA, a little city.

Writing is fun, too, but that is part of what is included in the studio time. It helps me focus on being in the studio and away from everything else, which helps the writing process. It makes a big difference in your creativity.

Practising…not so much, ha-ha! I don’t mind rehearsals; those can be productive and fun, but sitting down and doing scales (which I do every morning for my voice) can be tedious. It makes you better, though. There is no replacement for sharpening your chops and staying on top of your craft.

Playing live is where I feel most at home. I love being in front of an audience and singing. On stage, I feel like that is where I come alive. Having that connection with a live audience is a very special feeling. I can be really introverted and a little shy in front of new people, but when I am on stage, all of that goes away. I am a trained actor and have spent years studying and performing. It is truly my passion to play and perform for a live audience.

Knowing what you know now, what would you do differently if you could go back and start your music career all over?

Start way earlier writing and recording music. Releasing music. In a way, I did those things and worked with many interesting people. I had some great stuff happen with management, label interest and meetings. For some reason, it hasn’t gelled for me until now.

I find that hard to accept sometimes because it would have been great to have supportive parents in the entertainment business who could guide my career from when I was young, like Taylor, Billy, or Beyonce. Unfortunately, I didn’t have that, so I have been taking hits from the school of hard knocks and learning lots of life lessons. Just to add, I have nothing against my parents. They did the best they knew how to do, and I love them dearly.

Ultimately, I still believe that everything happens for a reason. I am spiritual and strongly believe that if it is meant to be, it will be. Now, I own my journey and focus on making the best of the time I have left on this planet. I make as much music and art as possible that hopefully will touch someone’s heart, make their day a little brighter, or just get them to move their body. That is why we are here: to help each other through the journey.

If you could change anything about the music industry, what would it be?

I could write a chapter just on this – ha-ha! I love music. The music industry is the business of making music, and that is an entirely different muscle to flex. It is not easy out there for any indie artists these days. You have to work hard, be incredibly focused and diligent and have some good luck. I feel for any musician these days. The whole game has changed. Like in that viral meme online where you see a split screen of a musician in the ‘80s who is in leather, big hair with their bottle of Jack beside them passed out – which is next to a picture of a musician in 2024, where they are in front of their computer screen sipping their tea. It’s a different place. I’m not condoning leather, big hair or Jack Daniels…just for the record. Well, maybe leather and big hair.

The gatekeepers are different in the music industry. They are still there, but they are different. It’s difficult to break through the thousands and thousands of songs being uploaded every week. At the same time, I think the majors struggle to understand how to break new artists because the old ways aren’t working. The new currency is attention. You can throw money at an artist and still not be able to break them. Back in the day, that wasn’t the case as much. If you had a talented artist you believed in, there was more of a formula to break them. In the current market, you can have someone go viral on TikTok, and the majors are coming after them.

It’s a wacky world. These days, my focus has been on publishing and licensing. I’m looking for music managers and others who can be part of a real team that believes in me and will work to help develop a loyal fan base.

What’s next for you?

My album release is next. We have some fantastic songs in the hopper and are actively looking for publishing labels and music management. It is exciting! I can’t wait to put all this work together into a real album and press some vinyl. It’s going to be a wild ride!

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