The Musician Spotlight Series shines a light on up-and-coming bands and solo acts creating heartfelt and original work across genres, giving them an opportunity to talk about their music, their collaborators, and why they do what they do.
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“Kashmir Winter is a collaboration between South-East Asia’s finest exports, junï and Edwin Raphael. Hailing from Manchester and Dubai respectively, the two Montreal-based artists have crafted a pantheon of guitar-driven songs that flutter delicately between the duo’s own unique sounds. Intertwining junï’s upbeat, infectious indie pop melodies with Edwin Raphael’s introspective soulful ballads, Kashmir Winter finds harmony in their differences and effectively curates a one- of-a-kind audio experience. Their eponymous debut EP is slated to be released by the end of 2019 with a tour anticipated shortly after”.
When did you know you wanted to be a musician?
Honestly I think I knew from a young age, but due to parental and cultural pressure I didn’t think of it as a real option for me until more recently. Let’s say around 21.
Are you trained? How did you develop your skills?
As I mentioned, music wasn’t looked upon particularly fondly in my house growing up, so I never really had any musical education or training until recently.
I started my first band, adhoc, back in 2016 but I only started taking vocal lessons a couple of weeks ago. They’re already paying dividends. I also started teaching myself guitar last November and that’s been really amazing for my creative process too. For any aspiring musician that doesn’t know how to play an instrument, my advice to you is to learn ASAP. Knowing the basics of theory alone will take you to the next level.
Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
Kanye West, Arctic Monkeys, Lily Allen, Chance The Rapper…the list goes on
How would you describe your sound?
Guitar-driven with a brit-rock meets punk/indie inspo.
Lyrically and vocally, I’d say melancholic and introspective bars packaged in upbeat fun melodies.
What’s your favourite tune in your repertoire and why?
I have a ton of cool tunes in the vault at the moment…if we’re going on current releases I’d say that “love is a playground :(“ might be my favourite release so far just because it’s conceptually so close to my heart. As Kashmir Winter we have a track coming out called “Wild Horses” that I’m also really proud of. But honestly, I love all my song babies equally
What can audiences expect from one of your live shows?
At a junï show I get the crowd really into it and you can basically expect a mosh pit or two to break out. They’re high energy, and a ton of fun.
Kashmir Winter shows are a whole other experience. Edwin and I really curate the vibe together, both sonically and sensually, and bring the audience into our own little world. They’re a little more comfy, cozy and welcoming
Where can we find your music?
You can find my music at the following links: Spotify, Apple, Soundcloud.