Review Fix Exclusive: Kira May Talks ‘Muscle Memory’ And More

Review Fix chats with singer/songwriter Kira May, who discusses her new EP, “Health,” and single, “Muscle Memory.” Detailing her creative process, May lets us know what makes her brand of experimental pop unique.

Review Fix: How did you get involved in music?

Kira May: I’ve been writing songs in my bedroom since I was 13 years old, and due to extreme performance anxiety that is where they stayed. I took to vocal looping in 2011 and played my first show around that time, after completing a group therapy program focused on Social Anxiety Disorder.

Review Fix: What are your influences?

May: Musically, I’ve been greatly influenced by Björk, wild and hectic sound-makers like Animal Collective and Dan Deacon, Minimalist composers like Steve Reich, Philip Glass, as well as contemporary composers like Nico Muhly. Conceptually I’m interested in exploring experiences from my own life. My newest body of work is influenced by my relationship to pleasure, over-saturation, panic and depression.

Review Fix: Is there a story behind “Muscle Memory?

May: “Muscle Memory” explores the ways in which painful experiences of the past linger in our bodies, creating reflexes that can be harmful in adult life when the original trauma is no longer a threat. The song looks at interactions with other people in childhood, and again in adulthood, and we learn that the things that hurt us as children have left us hardened as adults.

Review Fix: How has your sound evolved from when you first started singing?

May: I have been an untrained singer for most of my life. I started studying voice two or so years ago with an amazing teacher named Ali Garrison in Toronto, and she has helped me open up my voice in so many ways! I am a much better singer now. I used to write songs on an acoustic guitar that I was not great at playing and found it really limiting. Discovering looping and learning that I could compose and perform songs entirely with my voice was a huge evolution. Now I’m at a stage where I’m finding looping limiting and am transforming how I write and perform my songs yet again. I’m playing with more musicians now, which gives the music a much more expansive sound with way more energy.

Review Fix: What makes your brand of music special?

May: The music that I love to listen to feeds my heart with its sincerity and authenticity while feeding my brain by giving it something exciting that I’ve never heard before in just that way. My goal is to create the kind of music that I want to hear, and to keep myself stimulated and growing. I hope that in this way I can give to others as so many musicians have given to me.

Review Fix: Why do you think people should enjoy it?

May: I don’t know if they should, I just hope that it touches them in some way.

Review Fix: How do you want your music to affect people?

May: I would be honoured if it affected them on an emotional–and dare I say spiritual–level. This is how my favourite music makes me feel–it touches me on the deepest, dreamiest level. I would love to pay that forward! I would love to access the deepest parts of people, the part that’s made up of pure love.

Review Fix: What are your goals for 2018?

May: I am releasing my debut full-length LP Sense this spring, and so I will be focused on promoting and playing the album. Possibly another video will come out around that time.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13819 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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