Kahn Morbee gets personal
JOBURG - "Some turn to deity, others to drugs, and others to psychology," said Parlotones frontman Kahn Morbee.
“Writing songs… That’s my cathartic release.”
Recognising that his work with South Africa’s most popular pop-rock act has a universal approach and appeal, Morbee turned to his solo project, Milk, to take a more introspective, personal approach to his craft.
“Sonically, [the EP] is more sombre than what I’ve been doing – does it come from a place of maturity? Yes and no,” he said.
“I always strive for that perceived maturity, to reach new levels, otherwise I get bored. This keeps things interesting.”
Morbee said he had no illusions about the pros and cons of working on a solo project.
“I had to stop caring about things I used to care about – lyrical content, the length of the songs, the relevance of the sound… It’s easy to become afraid of success and the need to maintain expectations,” he said.
“It can take time for people to become familiar with a new sound. Audiences’ tastes are usually vast, but they – and radio stations and the media – don’t always want you as an artist to be vast.”
Morbee said he didn’t conceive the project and then start writing songs, rather some of the songs had been “floating around” for at least five years.
“A lot of the songs were written when we spent two years, on and off, in the United States,” he said.
“I didn’t get into music for the hedonistic lifestyle, but life in rock lends itself to being irresponsible. The more influence you have in your position, the more you can take advantage of that lifestyle, which makes it more important to exercise willpower.”
This balancing acts extends to the totality of the experience, and Morbee said one constantly needed to try find balance.
“As a musician, I never want to say ‘no’, and I never want to let people down. It takes a lot of energy – sometimes it feels like I never switch off. I still struggle to say ‘no’,” he said.
“I got into music because it promised freedom, and I didn’t want to be part of the corporate lifestyle. I’ve realised that you can only do what you can do in a given period of time… If I can stay true to myself and still enter radio space, that’s cool.”
Details: www.muchlovekahn.com
WATCH: Kahn – The Candle:
4
