Khaii hoping to gain recognition with ‘Underrated’

Rising artiste Khai 'Khaii' Wilson demonstrates diversity and versatility on her upcoming debut album, Underrated, of which the first part was released on September 6.

"I've written about things that I've never written about before. As an artiste, I don't want to be put in a box at all. I don't want to be known for doing the same thing every time or always talking about the same topics. I have songs that resonate with different situations, so no matter who you are, where you're from or what you're going through, I want everyone to be able to relate to at least one of these songs. My target audience is everyone. I want to make music for the world so I have to be able to think beyond myself, my life and experiences," Khaii told THE STAR.

Khaii has always been involved in music. By working with artistes such as Lincoln 3Dot and Devin Di Dakta, she is establishing herself in the music business. Every line of each song on Underrated is infused with her life's events, lessons learnt, and personal growth.

"The message is about being consistent and disciplined. Motivation comes and goes but discipline will push you on days when you don't want to get up out of bed. For me, that means that despite being underrated, despite the hurdles, obstacles, lack of support and recognition, I want to do my best at trying to get up every day and doing it anyway, simply because I love it," she shared.

Khaii describes music as being her medicine. Writing songs gave Khaii the solace she was unable to receive from those around her following the tragic murder of her grandparents when she was just 14 years old. She began getting into music during the majority of her alone time, which she spent grieving and praying.

"I started off just writing down any and everything I was feeling in a book, [and] the words eventually turned into song lyrics," Khaii said. She fell in love with the freedom of expression she found in music, which gave her the therapy she needed.

"I've learned so much from merely using [music] as a means of expression, like knowing how to properly use my words, express myself and not keep anything bottled in. Music holds so much power. I have an opportunity to inspire and motivate people and it's such a blessing [to be] getting feedback on the positive impact my songs have," she added.

Having spent years pursuing her talents, she credits music for keeping her inspired.

"I've been doing it for a decade now and I'm always surprised at how much I've grown and gotten better at my craft. I really am passionate about it and that's why I do it. It's the love that I have that drives me on the days when I'm immensely demotivated," said Khaii.

Khaii described the process of making her debut album as beautiful. She is thrilled to share Underrated with the world since it was an incredibly emotional process for her to write.

Part B of Underrated will be released on September 13.