At the K-Street Festival in Paris during the first weekend of September, we had the pleasure of sitting down with KISU for a candid conversation. Balancing the roles of singer, director, and producer KISU shared his insights on the real, unglamorous moments of independent touring, his musical ambitions, and how he navigates his multifaceted identity.

Touring as an independent artist means you don’t just walk onto a stage; you often manage setlists, travel logistics, and direct fan interactions almost single-handedly. When you’re performing in a totally new continent, what is the most specific, unglamorous backstage moment that made you realize: “This is what being a truly self-managed solo artist actually feels like”?

KISU: Let’s give a funny answer. Right before going on stage, I sometimes get extremely sick in my stomach from the stress and pressure. So my stomach says, “Kisu, you don’t have time, you have to go on stage right now!” So I have to walk out there, smile, and act completely comfortable and composed, even while my stomach is turning inside out. Handling that internal chaos completely on your own right before stepping into the spotlight is the most real, unglamorous part of managing it all yourself.

In recent years, with projects like SIDE B, you’ve challenged yourself to sing in multiple languages and adapt to global pop sounds. Rather than a standard “big name” feature, if you were to create a track from scratch with a local producer or musician you randomly met while touring abroad, what specific regional instrument or sound would you want to weave into your music?

KISU: My music spans many styles—from rock to pop—but I really want to explore a high-energy, high-attention sound. I would love to collaborate with South American musicians and producers. I really want to tap into those high-energy South American rhythms—the heavy bass, the reggaeton feel, and that energetic “umpa” rhythm style.

Since you have experience editing and directing videos yourself, you look at a scene with a camera lens in mind. If you had to design a live stage performance completely around a single visual constraint—like performing in total pitch-black darkness with only one moving light source, or a venue with no traditional stage—how would you use your vocal dynamics to lead the crowd’s attention?

KISU: That’s a concept I haven’t directly envisioned before, but thinking about visual concepts and current tech, these days AI and visual media have advanced so much. If I were to design a unique stage concept, I would use holographic technology to perform alongside different eras of myself. Imagine a triple collaboration on stage between my debut self from 2012, my current self, and my future self, all sharing the stage together.

Editing behind a camera and performing on stage require two completely different mindsets: one is analytical and detail-oriented, while the other is raw and emotional. Have you ever been in the middle of a live stage performance and caught your “director brain” analyzing the lighting or stage cues instead of staying in the moment? How do you switch off the editor to let only the performer speak?

KISU: For a long time, I used to feel very confused because I constantly had to flip different switches. I would catch myself asking, “Who am I right now? Am I a singer, a video director, a music producer, or a university professor?” But recently, my mindset changed completely. I realized I don’t need to turn off any part of myself or force a switch. Director Kisu, producer Kisu, and singer Kisu are all simply part of who I am. Kisu is just Kisu.

Elisa Cutullè