The Toronto-based Iranian producer, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Kāhveh releases a bounty of reflection with his debut single, "Beneficiary."
Drawing influences from various genres like industrial, shoegaze, and classical Iranian music, Kāhveh merges his timeless influences with the lush atmospheres of electro-pop to make for unique and intimate listening experiences. Kāhveh stops at nothing until his audience is left gazing in the rear-view mirror of self-reflection, as his songs often cover topics like love, identity, the world, and past pains.
Introducing us to his musical stylings through his debut single, "Beneficiary," this single drenches us in the ambiance of 80s inspired instrumentals and a lush array of moody synths. While his emotional vocals push through with themes of forgiveness, growth, and healing, Kāhveh easily allows listeners to take a step back and relax with help from this refreshing single.
Diving into "Beneficiary," a sparkling keyboard melody accompanied by a soothing disco beat opens the song alongside Kāhveh's breathy and emotional vocals. As he begins singing of the trials and tribulations one faces during the bitter ending of a friendship, Kāhveh later expands his vocal portrayal into a powerful belt, where he expresses each emotion that still lingers within.
Continuing through the song, the sonics, and instrumentals slowly develop into a pulsating and mid-tempo 80s feel through each floating keyboard melody, velvety synth, and nostalgic drum break. Reaching the track's end, Kāhveh leaves us in a heartfelt and intimate trance while preparing our ears for his forthcoming debut EP entitled 'Inhibitions.'
Find Kāhveh's emotional debut single, "Beneficiary," on all streaming platforms, and keep an eye out for his debut EP, 'Inhibitions,' later this year.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Kāhveh. We're truly impressed by the emotional tones and transcendent aspects of your debut single, "Beneficiary." Why did you want to release this single as your debut to introduce listeners to your musical stylings?
I appreciate that, thank you for having me! I realized from the jump when I wrote the song, already being 90 percent sure that this would be the debut release, that I was getting as personal as possible. When I think about the music I've made and the music I want to make, I can't really see there being much separation of my experiences, and the emotion I put into the production; so I figured why not kind of have this song be a point to just dive into this world, whether it's the sonic atmosphere, or where the song takes you with the lyrics. What inspired the emotional and genuine story behind your debut single, "Beneficiary"? Sooo "Beneficiary" is in fact based on a true story, during a very hectic and pivotal time of my life when I had a falling out with one of my close friends that I was roommates with. The story of the song figuratively and literally kicks off when I packed my bags one morning, and "drove off into the dawn". As far-fetched as that sounds, that is what happened, and I ended up couching surfing with some friends for a few days till I got a new spot, but the song itself is like a letter of all the things I never got to say after I left, as we didn't keep in touch after. It sort of examines how people cope with receiving the shortest straw in a situation, and that ultimately we can make someone the bad guy, or understand that we are all people, and people are complicated. Did you create the entire production yourself for "Beneficiary"? Why did you want to fuel the atmosphere with an overall 80s nostalgic feel? Ahh yes I love this question, yes I did (cheeky smile). I actually started producing it just a couple of weeks after I'd packed up and left, but the production as a whole took a while to get it so lush and layered, I tend to be super picky with what I include. I was listening to tons of 80's New Wave, Goth, and Synthpop music then, so I definitely just channeled that, as well as a lot of Queen so that's where the dramatic arena rock-type vocals came from. How does "Beneficiary" help us prepare for your debut EP, 'Inhibitions'? Does the single capture any concepts or themes that are present within the forthcoming EP? The EP "Inhibitions" is a kind of reflection of that transitional point in my life, each song goes over a different stage of healing and reminiscing, and "Beneficiary" being the starting point seemed appropriate being that it's about the catalyst to all that change. Sonically, I think the single offers a peek into the moody ambiance that is a constant throughout, but every song structurally is pretty different from the next. What can listeners expect next from you? Well without giving too much away, my next project is focused heavily on a fusion of music from my home country, and the music I grew up within Canada, which will be supported with new sounds from the traditional Iranian and Near Eastern instruments I've been learning for a little over a year. I'm super interested in seeing how these two worlds can collide, being meshed together with the same pop sensibility that I approached this record.