Kinny
An acutely talented vocalist, Kinny trained classically as an opera singer before the spontaneity and freedom of jazz, reggae and soul lured her into pursuing her true passion.
Kinny – aka Caitlin Simpson – was born and raised in Canada and has a mixture of Jamaican, Native Canadian Indian, French and Swedish heritage. An acutely talented vocalist, she trained classically as an opera singer before the spontaneity and freedom of jazz, reggae and soul music lured her into pursuing her true passion. Describing herself as a ‘freestyle improv vocalist’, she fuses a classical mezzo-soprano sound with the jazzy attitude-soul of the likes of Erykah Badu, and her voice sashays effortlessly between soaring melodies, steely staccato phrases and caramel-dipped dulcet tones.
The first band Kinny performed with after cutting loose from the musical theatre world was Third Eye Tribe, who became well known and highly regarded in Canada and beyond for their electrifying live shows in which Kinny laid spontaneous, improvised vocals over electronic, dub and hip hop beats. On tour with the band in 2001, Kinny visited Bergen in Norway and loved the city so much that she moved there. Comparing Bergen to a Scandinavian version of her native Vancouver, Kinny finds inspiration and intrigue in the vibrant music scene, the extreme seasons and the peace and closeness to nature that abounds in sparsely populated countries.
In Norway, Kinny met and collaborated with the multi-talented Espen Horne (a producer, designer and professional goalkeeper…) and the fruits of their labours fell into the hands of Quantic, who passed them on to Tru Thoughts A&R Robert Luis. This resulted in the release of Kinny And Horne’s album Forgetting To Remember on Tru Thoughts in 2005. The album gained rave reviews and brought Kinny’s talent to the attention of the world’s most respected musical minds and tastemakers – including Daddy G, who invited her to audition as a vocalist for Massive Attack; and Andy Smith (with whom she is currently working on a set of tracks for a potential collaborative project in the near future). Kinny became a regular visitor to the UK with gigs at The Big Chill, Cargo, Jazz Café, Native and across Europe. During this period she hooked up with a variety of producers, guesting on tracks by the likes of TM Juke, Diesler and Quantic. Her versatility and charisma, and her desire to embrace new ideas and ways of creating songs became a sign of things to come.
The first single from Kinny’s solo album (a double A side, “Enough Said” // “Desire”) came out in December 2008 – to fantastic reactions from the BBC 6Music Funk & Soul Show and DJs including DJ Food and Ashley Beedle. For the album, Idle Forest Of Chit Chat , which came out in March 2009, Kinny hand-picked a roster of seven different producers including Quantic, Nostalgia 77, TM Juke, Hint and Norwegian rising star Souldrop, to push the boundaries of her own exceptional talent and expose herself to various styles and ways of working. Kinny’s solo work showcases an original, up-to-the-minute brand of modern soul that mixes irresistible beats, incredible melodies and a pop sensibility with her own unmistakable force of personality and raw talent, and the album has been picked up on and supported by Mark Lamarr (Radio 2), iDJ magazine, DJ mag and many other tastemakers.
In September 2009, the second single, ‘Back Street Lust’ will be out as a digital download, featuring a pair of killer remixes from label-mates Azaxx and Stonephace that bring Kinny’s powerful and versatile sound into down and dirty dancefloor territory. Already being played on the likes of Miniistry Of Sound radio, these mixes have sparked emphatic reactions from club DJs around the world.
Kinny will be performing live at “Bestival 2009,“http://www.bestival.net/ as well as the Tru Thoughts 10th Birthday party in London.