Singer, songwriter and music producer Flavia K is about to release her new album, “Universo Suspenso”, on July 20th. With a notable musical maturation over the years, this work marks not only his artistic evolution, but also his incursion into the direction and production of the album itself. The album is a sonic journey that embraces influences from the 70s, alternative R&B and Neo-Soul, while maintaining its roots and a futuristic identity.
With a diversity of collaborations, the album includes guest appearances by renowned artists such as Filó Machado, Rashid, lll Camille and Robinho Tavares. “Suspended Universe” is not just a collection of songs, but an experience of positivity and empowerment. The lyrics reflect the singer’s journey of growth, with themes ranging from perseverance to achieve dreams to overcoming difficult days with hope for better days.
Flavia K, born in Alpinópolis, brings in her compositions a mix of musical influences ranging from RBD to soul and international pop icons. In addition to being known for her Rhodes piano timbre, she dives into complex vocal arrangements, inspired by artists like Beyoncé and Take 6. The album promises to captivate listeners with its sunny sound and messages of encouragement, living up to the musical and personal maturity that Flavia K has conquered over the years.
His new album, “Universo Suspenso”, brings a message of encouragement and empowerment. How did the idea of approaching this theme in your songs come about?
This idea came from the song “Dias Bons (Alright)”, which was the first one we made with that intention. I believe that in the pandemic I felt the need to sing these positive messages because of everything the world was going through, so these songs ended up coming naturally and then I realized the connection they all had and how it all made sense within the solar concept from disk.
Over the years, you’ve matured as an artist and taken on directing and producing your own record. How was this process of creative independence?
It’s great to be able to work with so many incredible producers, but I have to say that I loved the process of being able to produce my own music, stepping out of my comfort zone and pushing myself to do things I didn’t know about yet. I already felt the need to be able to start a production without having to call someone to do it for me, it was more like taking courage and going for it. I feel that all this made me develop a lot, both as an artist and as a music producer too, now I want to produce sounds from other artists (laughs).
The album features guest appearances by artists such as Filó Machado, Rashid, lll Camille and Robinho Tavares. How was the experience of collaborating with these artists on your songs?
It was a unique experience with each of the album’s participations. They are artists that I strongly admire so it is a great joy to have them in this work. And the most interesting thing is that each feat happened in different ways: with Ill Camille, I had the song without the lyrics and I gave her the theme to create the rhyme, from that we developed the rest of the lyrics of “Dias Bons (Alright) “; “Very Sou(L)” was a song that came practically ready from the hands of Rashid and Duda Raupp, and I added a few things, in addition to my verse that was written together with Aya and Julio Mossil; As for Novas Esquinas, I took the ready-made idea to Filó Machado, who loved it and recorded it beautifully; Robinho has already added most of the bass lines on the album, in the song “Bem Mais” he adds the most creatively; besides these,
You call the concept of the album “Positive Soul”. Could you tell us a little more about what that means to you and how that concept is reflected in your songs?
Positive Soul is about keeping your soul positive, and knowing that good days always come. I wanted to put that on the record both in terms of lyrics and sound. So I tried my best, in addition to the positive messages, to imprint this sunny and happy sound on the album. My goal is to be able to change someone’s day for the better when that person hears my music.
“Suspended Universe” was built calmly over three years. How was the process of creating and composing the songs? Did any of them have a special connection to the album?
It was a smooth process, the songs were made naturally and that gave life to the album. They all had their connection with the album as they were being produced, and that already made sense as a whole in my mind.
The disc explores different musical styles, such as alternative R&B and Neo-Soul, but also maintains Brazilian influences and a futuristic identity. How did you balance these influences when creating the album?
I didn’t consciously balance that, those are my artistic influences in life, so they just come naturally on the record. I feel that in terms of composition, my influences from Brazilian music appear more, both harmonically and melodically. And the neo soul and r&b influences appear more in the production itself, timbres, arrangements, etc.
The track “Tudo Sou(L)” features rapper Rashid and conveys a message of hope and positivity. How was the experience of working with him on this song?
It was a wonderful experience, Rashid is an incredible artist. This song was going to be his song with my feat but somehow it feels like it’s been waiting to be on my record. It was a sound where I had recorded the chorus in 2020 but it ended up not coming out. At the time, I had already really liked the song and identified with it, so when I was putting together repertoire for the album, I instantly thought of Além Sou(L) and Rashid jumped right in. We made a few changes to fit within my artistic identity and the sonic concept of the album.
In “Float Away”, you present an authorial track in English. What was the inspiration behind this song and what was it like to explore its versatility with the English language in songwriting?
This song was written by my partner Luke Kiernan, who is Australian. Since I’ve always been singing soul, jazz and r&b, it’s very natural for me to sing in English, despite not being fluent in the language I always know everything I’m singing (lol). When I wrote the melody for Float Away I thought it would sound better phonetically if the lyrics were in English, so I invited Luke, who wrote these insightful lyrics, which I loved.
The album also includes the song “Nítida”, an interlude that praises women. Could you share with us the meaning and message behind this track?
The track “Nítida” is an interlude that came out of the live EP with the same name that I recorded in 2021. In this project I talked a lot about records that influenced me musically, but it was mainly a project to honor women in Brazilian music, women musicians and band-leaders that I admire and inspire. I wanted to leave something from the Nítida project in the Suspense Universe, because this was a project that had a great impact on me and encouraged me to start producing my own music.
The album release show will take place at Blue Note São Paulo, on August 31st. What can fans expect from this performance and how does it feel to share your new musical universe live?
I’m preparing a show full of surprises and crazy arrangements (lol), it’s a show made to thrill and transport people to my Suspended Universe, it’s another part of the album that people will only be able to feel live, and I’ll be able to have it too this experience together with the public. All I can say is that it will be a very special night!
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