PRIDE
Music Interview
CRISP&CLASSY
AKA Kat Knix & Plushy
Boom Bay
Debut Music Video Premieres 19th November 2021
linktr.ee/crisp.classy
LGBTQ+ History Month is always an amazing opportunity to explore the rich diversity of the LGBTQ+ Community. This month also gives us the chance to meet new legends making their own mark such as CRISP&CLASSY who are producer Kat Knix & singer-songwriter Plushy who recently launched their debut album XTRA CRISPY.
Hey guys, thanks for talking to The New Current, how have you been keeping during these pretty weird times?
Thank you for doing us the honour of speaking to us. We are very grateful for being given a chance to spread some love!
Plushy: ‘I have learnt to appreciate my friends more and gave more chances to the newcomers in my life, I’ve learned to let my walls down more during the pandemic and that has helped me a lot during and in between lockdowns’
Kat: ‘The arrival of the pandemic certainly was an unexpected punch in the face for all of us. I am personally very grateful that Plushy and I decided to use this time to finish our album. This has given me the ability to keep sane, I’ve felt like I’ve had a purpose and something to work towards and look forward to.’
Have you been able to use the lockdowns to take up any long-dormant hobbies?
Plushy: I took up nude sunbathing. Kat: I became a true yogi during the lockdown, and the pandemic has made me realise I can’t live without gong baths!
Congratulations on successfully crowdfunding your debut music video, did you imagine you would get such a great response?
We were encouraged to start a crowdfunding page for the music video by the incredible director Leo Lebeau and the astonishing producer James Bell. We were quite reluctant towards this idea at the beginning, but we soon learned that people were so supportive and excited to donate, and therefore be a part of this project more than we were expecting. The love we received was absolutely unbelievable and we are forever grateful. This was the first time we felt that we actually had managed to build a fan base, and again we could not be more grateful for all of the donations that our CRISP&CLASSY family have made.
Can you tell me a little bit about how Crisp&Classy came about?
Mixing Plushy’s songwriting and Kat’s production gave birth to CRISP&CLASSY! C&C was a conscious decision we made after officially spending creative time in the studio together since becoming friends in 2013. C&C was born out of the idea of us uniting our skills and forces to create something that we both enjoyed working towards. We wanted C&C to be a project that would empower us by speaking about things we felt had to be addressed and tackling topics that would resonate with our listeners and therefore create a CRISP&CLASSY community where every preconception disappears.
What are the secrets to creating such a unique working collaboration like Crisp&Classy?
Putting two big egos that highly values integrity in the same room might sound intense. And it is! However, in this intensity, we have managed to create this amazing creative space together, where ideas such as heavy bass lines, synth riffs and nasty lyrics are bouncing off the walls!
We have learned a lot from each other and have realised that communication, respect and honesty are key. And lots, lots, lots of patience!
Now that Xtra Crispy has been launched how does it feel to have your music out there in the world?
It was very exciting for us to release a whole album, as we’ve only put out singles so far. Releasing music independently is a very intense process, and honestly, we haven’t taken a moment to grasp the release yet, as there is still so much to do.
However, the response has been overwhelmingly positive so far, and that makes it all worth it! Eventually, it felt amazing to let all of these songs out into the world and have people relate to what we went through on a personal level while writing and producing them.
You’re premiering your debut music video Boom Bay on November 19th, are there any nerves ahead of the premiere?
We can't say we’re really nervous, but we are definitely throbbing with excitement. Shooting our first music video was such a sublime, yet crazy experience. We think that you can see how much fun we had shooting it, and we can only hope that people are going to feel that watching it.
What was the experience for your both working on this music video and with your director Leo LeBeau and producer James Bell?
We originally met Leo face to face back in 2019 and were discussing doing a music video with Kougar Media (Leo LeBeau and James Bell) at that time before the pandemic happened. Of course, everything then had to be postponed to a time when being together was possible again. The creative process was really fun, with preparations for the music video all happening over Zoom, as C&C was split between Sweden and Romania while Leo and James were in the UK. They put together an incredible team, including cinematographer Arushi Chugh, and it was a beautiful experience.
Shooting our first music video made us feel like stars even more.
Looking back do you think there is anything you would do differently?
Having such a big team working towards a music video means so much to us and was quite overwhelming. But at the same time there was no other place we would’ve rather been; surrounded by friends and loved ones while taking a big step in C&C history! Note to self though is that preparations always take longer than you think, and you can never have too much KFC!
"Mixing our music backgrounds, CRISP&CLASSY is a marriage between electronic synths, pop hooks, and dance and Reggaeton beats."
How important is it for you to push boundaries with the music you are creating?
Pushing boundaries was the main reason we started CRISP&CLASSY. We wanted to create a safe space where you can unapologetically be yourself, love yourself and live out your sexual fantasies! Musically we are always trying to reference the iconic music of the 80s and 90s and bring it back into a club futuristic context of 2020’. The flavour of the 90s has a particular nostalgia that keeps us young and childish and we want to carry that youthfulness throughout our careers.
LGBTQIA+ rights and female rights have always been at the top of our agenda, along with sexual liberation and body positivity. When you get a place in the spotlight, use it well! And this is our way of inviting people to the C&C world, everyone is welcome and loved!
Where did your passion for music come from?
Kat Knix was a proper indie rock kid getting inspired by the legendary rock chicks in her teenage years back in Stockholm, while Plushy worshipped the pop divas and joined R'n'B dance classes in Transylvania. Mixing our music backgrounds, CRISP&CLASSY is a marriage between electronic synths, pop hooks, and dance and reggaeton beats.
Both of us being 90's kids, CRISP&CLASSY naturally carries a twisted 90's sound, inspired by 90's queens such as Janet Jackson and Madonna.
What three words best describe Boom Bay?
Timeless, Saucy & Empowering!
And finally, what do you want your audiences to take away from your music and your debut music video?
You can always trust C&C to give you empowering lyrics, an overdose of sexual liberation and a tall glass of sassiness.
CRISP&CLASSY is a spoiled and ignorant child; always in your face, screaming their lungs out to be heard. Because every day is riot day! The ‘Boom Bay’ music video is an entry ticket to ‘Boom Bay’, a utopian luxury resort where everyone is welcome. Here you can be whoever you want to be; express yourself in any way you desire.
‘Boom Bay’ is an anthem for ALL Bad Bitches, a celebration of our minds, our bodies and of each other. This song is designed to instigate joy and is an anthem for everyone who is ready to reclaim their pre-pandemic positivity.