This is: Sun Kiss

What do you they call you?
Sun Kiss

Favorite color at the moment?
Seafoam Green

Describe your happy place.
When I'm not making music, I love the ocean. Surfing and swimming with my friends on a warm day at an uncrowded beach.

What is your art?
I'm a singer/songwriter and producer. I've got an EP and a few singles out, but I'm currently working on two different EP's with slightly different styles. One more rock and roll/retro soul influence, another more modern, electronic, dancy. But to me genre has always been loose, something I find fascinating but am never married to. Like clothes you wear. I can wear a leather jacket or a tuxedo, but it's still me underneath.

Is there an overall feeling, message or theme that your art is meant to evoke?
I'm very interested in duality, juxtaposition, and brevity. I love sad songs with pleasant chords and melodies. I love haiku because it says so much in a three line form. I'm a person that has never felt tied to one thing, I find joy in experimenting with differences. So musically, I try to explore lots of different things. Which I have been criticized for by labels, managers etc, like "this song sounds like some blue-eyed soul, this is indie rock, this one has a guest rapper, this one is bossa nova, etc" and I'm like "ya, that’s the idea.”
I think the connecting thread is the song writing. As far as lyrically I write about love, loss, desire, regret, fighting my own inner demons; same shit as everyone else: life.

Listen to “Dreaming by the Morning Light”

Where do you create?
This project started as an experiment in trying to produce work without a band. I grew up playing in lots of bands, I worked as a studio bassist and hired gun for tours for many years. Playing in bands was my comfort zone, and whenever you get too comfortable you stop growing. So, I wanted to try to make something without being able to jam it out and argue with the band.
So for this music I write and produce it all from home usually playing all of the instruments. My partner Raven sings the female vocals, and my friend Bryan mixes and masters it. Occasionally I'll have other people come in for a instrumental feature—Bryan played the piano solo on a recent single "Dreaming by the Morning Light,” I can play keys for accompaniment but he's a wizard. But it's mostly me, alone, with too many patch cables plugged in, programing beats, and playing synthesizers and guitars 'till 2 am.

Who or what have you been inspired by recently?
Man, that's a tough one cause it changes a lot. I can't sit still on one thing. I'm a huge fan of RnB and soul; SZA, Leanne LaHavas, of course D'angelo is the greatest. I've also been really into this guy Paul Calasanti that goes by Hether. But I'm also always going back to the classics. I studied Jazz and worked as a jazz upright bassist for many years. So that music will always be with me. But Jazz is bottomless, it's American Classical Music. I've been listening to the same Ahmad Jamal records for fifteen years, and I still hear something new every time.

What are you working towards now?
The big goal is to write good songs. That’s the goal I'll be trying to reach till I die. Lately I've been getting into producing a lot more. After I got comfortable producing my own stuff, I thought I should do this with other people. I produced a song for a friend Chloe Fuller a few months back that she released and I'm really happy with how it turned out. Been also working on a record with another friend Priscilla Perry. She's a phenomenal talent. Can sing circles around me and writes really great tunes. I'm very stoked for that project to be shared.

Why do you do what you do?
I don't really know how to answer this question. I've been a musician my whole life. It's the form of communication with which I'm most comfortable. Why do I want to eat? Well, it's enjoyable, I get to share it with my friends, and if I don't I'll die.

Find Sun Kiss on:

Tidal: https://tidal.com/browse/artist/21356726
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/6GcngyX9a4N6vzLQ38tjnX
Instagram: @SunKissSongs
Sound Cloud: https://soundcloud.com/sunkisssongs
Label Website: http://blossomrecs.com/artists/marcus-buser/

Sun Kiss recommends:
Ted Taforo is one of the most unique voices I've ever heard. He's also a musical genius, and I don't say that lightly.