Songs about real stories of black love, by Kaia Laurielle | Exclusive Interview

“I wanted Fragments to reflect the feeling of uncertainty and vulnerability you get when you pursue a love interest who isn’t right for you but you persist to seek comfort from them. Although things may feel okay in moments we should listen to our gut and not ignore all the red flags. When dating, the dynamic can be difficult when you’re both not open and honest with one another. This can lead to confusion, obsessive actions and fragmented thoughts.  » – Kaia Laurielle, on her single Fragments.

South London singer, songwriter and artist Kaia Laurielle makes her highly anticipated return with her new single ‘Fragments.’, out now.

Hot off the back of a Southbank in partnership with BBC Introducing performance, Kaia Laurielle is an award-winning songstress and artist dedicated to pushing the boundaries of storytelling through music, heartfelt lyricism and visuals. As a champion for black love, her lyrics tell the stories of those forgotten or overshadowed. She showcases the importance of redefining love with themes such as nostalgia, intimacy and self -love and what it means in the black community.

Kaia co-produced the song with UK producer Buyeza together with the help from pianist Karim Kamar. Her music delves deep into personal experiences and emotions, captivating her audience with raw and authentic storytelling that resonates on a profound level, and ‘Fragments.’ is no different. Lyrically, ‘Fragments.’ explores the feeling of home, love and connection. 

A Songwriter in London: Kaia Laurielle’s Portrait by Anne-Sophie Benoit

Anne-Sophie Benoit, French photographer, specialised in fashion and passionate about music since ever, met up Ella Clayton for a special photoshoot, in the heart of London, at Regent’s Canal. Together they spent a beautiful afternoon, and now we get to know the human behind the music.

She’s been working for Sounds So Beautiful since the beginning, and got to meet the most outstanding performers and songwriters out there. From IAMDDB, to Adi Oasis, and Yendry, she’s now offering photoshoot for cover albums and headline shows at Sounds So Beautiful (more info for a photoshoot).

Photograph by Anne-Sophie Benoit for Sounds So Beautiful

Interview: Kaia Laurielle talks about Love Stories within our Black Community

Marcus Gon: First of all, thanks for your trust and time for this photoshoot with Anne-Sophie Benoit! Watching the pictures almost felt like meeting you in person. I’m also grateful as I remember you’ve already reached out, back in 2018, for your early projects, as Kaia, before Kaia Laurielle. So let’s talk to have the story behind your beautiful pictures and music!

Photograph by Anne-Sophie Benoit for Sounds So Beautiful

Marcus Gon: First of all, love your platform,  LoveStories., dedicated to sharing love stories of all kinds within the black community. What’s the drive for such a project?

Kaia Laurielle: This was a drive that I feel has always been inside of me but I wasn’t sure how to present it to the world at first. As a black woman I’m drawn to our culture, our past, present and our stories and I think it’s important to share our diversity. I’ve always done this through my music and songwriting, with me at the forefront as the story-teller. So with LoveStories. I want to hand the mic over and provide a platform where black people can see themselves in others experiences, celebrate their shared encounters and lean in to vulnerability and feel a sense of home.

Marcus Gon: Self-love is the very first romance (Akua Naru). However, you sing about toxic self love in Signs.
What is toxic self-love to you, and how do you fight it? 

Kaia Laurielle: Firstly I love that line of Self-love is the very first romance. I agree, as it can be gentle and it can be a whirlwind if you don’t learn to listen to yourself and your needs. With “Signs” my battle of toxic self-love has unravelled when I haven’t listened to my needs – my intuition. Where I’ve steered in a different direction and convinced myself that it is good for me and everything is fine at the time but I continue to ignore all the signs. It’s also about over-working and the pressure of feeling like time is running out and striving for “perfection” in all areas. That heavy feeling of trying to present yourself as an image that has it all figured out, when really no one has it all figured out and that’s okay. It’s okay to have difficult days, weeks or even years, that’s all part of the journey. So for me “Signs” is about identifying the right ways in which to love myself and not confuse that with how I think the world should perceive and love me.

Marcus Gon: “Black lives matter and so does black love” – Robert Glasper, about his song Better Than I Imagined. What does Black Love mean to you, and how does it progress in our day and age? 

Kaia Laurielle: Good question, Black Love for me means home and community. It’s so diverse so it’s not just romantic love, it’s platonic love for family and friends too and how we can appreciate and value one another for our differences and similarities. Home to me is not something tangible, it’s within my connections with people and our shared experiences, it’s also finding home and love within myself. If I can truly love myself and keep practicing my love for myself, I can love the people in my communities and support them in the best way. This means learning to love people in the way that meets their needs but also holding each other accountable. That’s healthy black love, when there is balance and sincerity. 

Marcus Gon: Talking about Fragments (love this song btw), what kind of challenge do you face when it comes to dating, as a black woman? 

Kaia Laurielle: Another good question, I was having this conversation with my friend recently and I think for me a previous challenge was when some men would categorise me and put me into a box. They’d have this preconception of how they thought I would be, act and my interests and be surprised when I said I liked certain things, we are not a monolith.

I’ve found that challenging in the past because we shouldn’t have to plead our case in dating, It should feel like we can be our authentic self and if we gel then perfect. Now however, I am with someone who loves my full self, I’m very blessed. That’s why I encourage (hopefully not preach lo) l for us to do the work with self-love. Because that, as well as my previous dating/relationships has really informed me on what kind of person I want to be with and how I want to feel within myself and grow with my partner too. 

Photograph by Anne-Sophie Benoit for Sounds So Beautiful

Marcus Gon: Finally, your photoshoot occurred around Bethnal green. What’s so good to know about this place in London? And, what’s your favourite place in London? 

Kaia Laurielle: Bethnal Green has changed over the years and has been incredibly gentrified. There are some nice spaces, however I’m not sure if it is affordable for the people who have been based there for decades. East London has pockets of creative communities and hubs, it’s been interesting to see how it’s morphed over time. I honestly don’t have one favourite place in London because the architecture and feeling is different around the city but if I had to choose I would say where I’m from which is Lewisham Borough, South East London.

I love it because of the people, there’s a lot of Black culture, as well as being home to where a lot of musicians and artists have derived from. There are so many parks and lakes, which is beautiful if you want to go for long walks and just breathe. The food in South, I heard, is the best in London too, but I may be biased.