A soft and gentle guitar welcomes you into Father Koi's new single "Halloween Dancer." A smooth voice serenades you with nostalgic harmonies as you sit back and reminisce within the sound. Father Koi, also known as Kara Lu, is a singer/songwriter from Queens, New York. Kara creates soundscapes with dreamy feels that contain vivid lyrics and' 60s-Esque backing harmonies.
You are bathed in the twilight as you listen along to "Halloween Dancer," the song is a mood-inducing slow jam that would have been the spotlight dance at a 1950s dance hall. Father Koi sets the scene of lovers intertwined on the dance floor as the floodlights pass over their bodies frozen in time. The vivid lyrical scene paints a lush display for the listener, it's like you are transported into the song. There, you see a sea of people on the dancefloor as the sparkling disco lights envelop them, beyond, in the darkened corner, you see a lonely figure as Father Koi sings, "a big-haired disco kid, when you gonna ask me to dance with me?" Your stomach is overcome with sensations of butterflies as the lyrics conjure memories of past high school dances; your excitement, and terror ruling your thoughts as you wonder if you'll be taken by the hand, and lead out to the dance floor by your special someone. Close the shutters, dim the lights, take your beloved by the hand, and press play on Father Koi's latest release, "Halloween Dance." Discover "Halloween Dancer" here.
Hello Kara, and thank you for joining us at BuzzMusic. Your latest release "Halloween Dancer" is so imaginative and calming. Where did the concept for the track come from? “Halloween Dancer” is one of those songs that just flowed out of me—some of my songs I had to really think and be like, “I need to write this,” but Halloween Dancer just came very naturally. Even the lyrics. I was just sitting in my dorm room at college some time around Halloween, strumming my guitar. It was a Friday night and I didn’t feel like going out. I think that the calming aspect probably has to do with how I felt when I was writing it at the time. I was also feeling a little detached, and I think you can hear that with the melancholic feel. I always think of the setting of the chorus bit whenever I hear it: an ‘80s roller rink, waiting for someone to dance with you. "Halloween Dancer" has the feel of a 50s/60s dance hall jam. What about that era of music are you drawn to?
Thank you! I was a die-hard Beatles fan when I wrote the song, so it takes an aspect from the Beatles and bands from the 1960s. Actually, from the conception of the album in 2016, I knew I wanted to have a lot of harmonies and little guitar riffs and things like that in at least a couple of my songs. I remember listening to the Beatles and going, I want a sound like that. Something new. There was always something about harmony that was—and is—so refreshing and beautiful. I think it also has to do with the nostalgic aspect—the ‘50s and ‘60s were full of harmonies. When you got into the later eras it was less so. When you create a song what atmosphere do you want to create for your listeners? One of the things I love about being a musician is getting to share your story with people through music, but the thing is that your conception of it may be very different from their conception. And I really like that listeners can hear my tracks and imagine something totally different than what I intended the song to be about. It’s very personal, in a-way. How did growing up in Queens influence your music? I would say growing up in NYC influenced my music more than growing up in Queens. I think that as a city kid—well, as any kid, really—you have this sort of standard way of growing up as a city kid, just as a typical kid from a small town would have a standard way of growing up there. So a lot of the “standard” aspects of city life made their way into my songs. “Indian Burns and Cage” is about friendship, sort of running around in the city looking for stuff to do. “Mindless” is about a day in Central Park. I’m really grateful for the experiences I got growing up in NYC.
What can fans anticipate next from you, Father Koi?
I’m looking to hopefully put out an A-side B-side record or maybe even a short EP by the end of the summer! There were some songs that didn’t make it onto “Late Afternoon National Anthem,” and I want to redo them and put them somewhere.
instagram.com/karahinamori