The first time we saw K.Flay, she was opening for Theophilus London at Fortune Sound Club. We heard someone rapping, turned around, and there she was. She stole the show. We’d cross paths several more times over the years: three interviews, videos, and an unforgettable evening alongside Icona Pop. Fortune is where it started.
Fourteen years later, she is one of the first artists on this project. We chased her down for an interview back then. We have kept following her since.
Blood Cells, released on October 23 after Ants, brings the story into the present. K.Flay connects the song to discovering her queerness and being with a woman for the first time. Her account includes joy and relief alongside pain and friction. She does not describe the discovery as an uncomplicated happy ending, which gives the song a more specific subject than a general statement about being yourself.
Dylan Coughran assembled its video from 23 audience perspectives at her Barfly show in Camden. Fan footage replaces the single viewpoint of a conventional performance shoot. The resulting record of the night belongs to several people who were there, each filming from their own position in the room.
The Fortune story is ours. Camden’s belongs to another crowd. Fourteen years on, there are 23 more views of a K.Flay show to add to the one we still remember.
This piece first appeared on SIGNAL, my new site for discovering music, art, places and events worth knowing about.
