Kiian releases "Party Friends"

Photo by Dominoe Farris

Interview by Yising Kao

Listen to "Party Friends" by Kiian out now! https://ffm.to/kiian-partyfriends

What inspired you to write “Party Friends?”

“Party Friends” was actually the last song I wrote for my debut EP “Beverly Hell” coming this summer. It was inspired by the concept of illusion vs reality in Hollywood. It’s a little dive into dirty showbiz, behind the curtain. The song also talks about relationships with fake friends in the past, and one night stands, which is why I referenced James Bond. It’s an honest anthem about being sick of the superficial stuff and wanting more, but living in a world that is chaotic which makes it hard to find real relationships, which is why the lyrics of the chorus say “We’re party friends, if we can be anything”. I was inspired by the madness of it all, and that’s how the song was born.

What made you want to choose “Party Friends” as one of your singles for BEVERLY HELL?

It’s probably my favorite song on the EP, because it is so blunt, honest, and raw lyrically. I originally was going to use it as my first single, but decided to put it out now because I needed to grow as a human being and artist, and the time came this year where I grew into the person I was meant to be.

Can you describe the theme of BEVERLY HELL? Did you already have a theme in mind before making the EP or did it come together throughout your songwriting process?

The theme of the EP is the concept of the public perception about people in the entertainment industry vs what really goes down in private, along with songs that go deeper and all explore a different part of Beverly Hell. I found it fascinating and very inspiring, and I don’t think anyone has talked about this subject before and been so real about it. As far as having a theme, I came into the studio with just notes in my iPhone, and in the week I wrote and recorded my EP, the concept kept getting stronger and stronger after each track, and on the second day of working on this project and writing Beverly Hell, I created this world in my head that kind of made sense of it all. I talk about a lot on this project. I dove into the shitty “straight” boys on the EP who messed with my heart, users, fake friends, and really just growing up in LA, a town that is so pretty with so many ugly people.