Pop singer Kanisha K is trying something new in the stage performances for her upcoming tour run with Ryan Aderrey: she’s going acoustic.
“I think it’ll be good. I think there are some people who want to hear me kind of just unplugged, so it’ll be good for that,” Kanisha K said. “And I have done some of my songs acoustically on the radio and stuff. I think it’ll be a little nerve-wracking because I won’t have my band with me but I think think it’ll be good.”
The Michigan native’s tour with Aderrey kicks off next Tuesday, May 26, in Boston at the Hard Rock Cafe and pulls into Washington, D.C. next Friday, May 29, for a show at Tree House Lounge. The tour might prove to be the latest in a series of momentum builders for Kanisha K, who’s been finding success with her single “Oh Damn Yeah” this year.
The song, which was written and produced by Joe Vulpis, debuted at 38 on the BDS Billboard Top 40 Indicator Chart and reached the top slot on the Mediabase Top 40 Independent Artist Rankings/Most Active New Chart Releases. Kanisha K said that Vulpis is “amazing.”
“It was a different experience for me. He definitely pulled something out of me that I didn’t know I had,” Kanisha K said. “He helped me find my niche a little bit. He was very easy to work with but he definitely pushed me really hard, so that’s why we got such great music from it.”
She said that Vulpis, who also recorded her song “Never Stopped Loving You” at this Nashville studio, would encourage her when she was trying something that she was uncomfortable with and that she thinks they’ll be working together a lot in the future. “He’s such a great producer and he’s a really great guy,” she said.
On the track, Kanisha K gives a bit country-tinged vocal performance over a lush electronic beat that melds the singer’s diverse musical influences and gives a chance to shine vocally. “I think because I started professionally singing at 17, I was trying to figure out what I was best at, so I think that’s why my music has so many different elements of different genres,” she said. “‘Oh Damn Yeah’ for me was a chance for me to sing out.”
Last year, Kanisha K found success with her single “Bring Me Home,” which spent over 40 weeks on the charts and peaked on the Billboard AC Indicator Chart at 22. She also won the “Best Pop” award at the 2014 Hollywood Music in Media Awards in November for her song “(I Gotta) Stupid Boyfriend.”
“It was crazy. I know a lot of people say I’m not expecting to win, but I really wasn’t because that was the first time I was ever up for anything and I had two songs in the category and I was just so honored to be there but I really didn’t think of what would happen if I won because really didn’t think I would,” Kanisha K said. “So I was just sitting there paying attention but not super duper paying attention and I was just completely shocked and my mom was there and she screamed and it was crazy. I mean it was a great experience, to receive an award so early in my career.”
She said the song was inspired by a recent breakup. “My producer at the time started thinking of things because I had just gotten out of a relationship and asked what I thought of writing a song about a dumb boyfriend,” Kanisha K said. “I said I think that’s amazing and I think we should do it, so he kind of gathered some of the things I like, like shoes and stuff, and kind of put a spin on a bad breakup and made it positive.
“I guess it was like yeah, I understand why girls go through hard things and I want to cheer them up, so they can laugh a little bit.”
• For more information about Kanisha K, visit kanishakmusic.com.
