Emili Kasa: A New Voice Shaping Italian R&B

Growing up in a small town in the Marche region and trying to get heard by the industry isn’t the easiest path, especially in a city-centric circuit where Milan and Rome seem like the only passport. And yet, when you have something distinctive and the stubbornness not to wait for the right moment but to build it, doors start to open.

Emili Kasa, from the province of Fermo, born in 2005 to a Greek mother and Albanian father, is one of those cases where geographies turn into sound: Albania (Noizy, Dhurata Dora, Finem), America (Travis Scott, H.E.R., Summer Walker), and the new Italy (Madame, Mahmood, Lovegang126) weave together into warm, instinctive R&B, written “out of necessity,” as she puts it.

After her debut with “ELODIE” (over 100,000 streams) and the single “Pita Gyros,” Emili describes this moment as “a transition.” It is chaos, but it is her chaos, the kind that makes her feel good. On December 12 her first EP, Kalimera (Maciste Dischi), is out. “Good morning” in Greek, but above all an act of courage: opening your eyes even when you are not ready. Five tracks produced by Pablo America, often born bare at the piano and then opening up, exploding, carrying all the generational fragility of your twenties.

Between dark beer, tattoos, peach Estathé, and chihuahuas, Emili turns the present into music: bordeaux, synths, and images that stick.

So we decided to get to know her better and find out what is on Emili Kasa’s mind.

**Biker jacket by ANIYE BY, knit sweater by DIESEL, shoes by DR. MARTENS, necklace by PIANEGONDA.**

Hi Emili, how are you? What kind of moment is this for you, artistically and personally?

It is a transitional moment both artistically and personally. So many things have happened that I am still trying to process; it is all a mess, but I love chaos, so yeah, I am good (laughs, ed.).

Would you tell us who you are and how you would describe your music to someone who does not know you yet?

First of all, for those who do not know me, I am Emili Kasa, I am 20, and I really want to speak to my generation. My music is a weave of cultures, just like my life has always been. I do not really know how to describe it, because I write simply out of necessity and urgency, to say something, to feel lighter. It definitely has R&B foundations but, for the rest, if you are curious, I would say start listening from the beginning.

Recently you released “ELODIE,” your first single, which has already passed 100,000 streams, and “Pita Gyros.” How did you experience this double debut, and what do these two tracks represent to you?

To me it is pure madness. Before meeting Maciste I was coming from a period when I did not believe in anything anymore; I had just finished school and felt nothing but pressure to choose which direction to take in life. But I wanted to make music, I always have. Seeing my first tracks out now, two years later, is crazy and only makes me hungrier, more eager to tell the people who listen pieces of life, so we can all throw ourselves into it.

What can we expect from your first EP, Kalimera, in terms of sound and mood?

The truth, always. As I grow, my music grows. What I live through is what my songs live through, even when I do not want them to. So yes, these last few years of my life are all in this EP; of course it is hard to fit everything in, but this is only the beginning, right?

**Dress by FERRAGAMO, bracelet by PIANEGONDA.**

You are from Monte Urano, a small town in the Marche. We know it can be hard to leave a tiny reality like that and step into the record industry. When did you decide this is what you wanted to do with your life? And how has small-town life influenced you musically?

During your teens you start to feel like your town is too tight, even if you love it. You love home, you love your family, but there comes a moment when you need new air. I have always known I wanted to make music; I just did not know where to start. Then I stopped looking for the “right” way and simply started doing it. I am also very lucky because I work with an incredible team: they respect me, my artistic side, and my timing. And Pablo is like a brother; whenever I wobble, he puts me back on track.

Besides music, what are your passions or obsessions?

Beer (only dark), red wine, shopping, tattoos, peach Estathé, breakfast at the bar, chihuahuas, and astrology. Oh, and wakame seaweed, I almost forgot.

Does artificial intelligence intrigue you or make you uneasy? Would you ever use it to write or produce?

It intrigues me and scares me a lot. Given that tech and I are two completely different worlds, I think any tool can be useful if you use it consciously. But for me music comes from something human, something imperfect. I do not think AI will ever replace real feelings, discomforts, fears, and everyday life.

Is there something you still dream of doing with music that you have not yet had the chance to achieve?

So many things. Honestly, I have not even started yet: I have just taken the first step toward everything I want to do.

Which artists, Italian and otherwise, have shaped you the most in recent years?

In Italy I would say Venerus, Mahmood, Lovegang126, De André, Madame, Calcutta, Chiello, Massimo Pericolo, and many others. Definitely the Albanian artists too: Noizy, Finem, Dhurata Dora, Era Istrefi, and 6AM lately. And then others like H.E.R., Summer Walker, Jorja Smith, Travis Scott, Placebo, Men I Trust, Rosalía, Central Cee, The Marías, 070 Shake.

If you had to capture your present with a color, a sound, and an image, what would you choose?

Color: bordeaux

Sound: something with synths

Image: packs of Tennent’s, a pack of Red Bull, tortilla chips, and Jägermeister on a checkout conveyor belt.

Talent: @emilikasa_
Photos: @rosariorex
Interview: @benedetta.borioni
Stylist: @giorgia_imbrenda
Assistant Stylist: @islotuss

Red-Eye Team
Editor-in-Chief: @gloriamariagallery
Editorial Director: @danielface_
Fashion Director: @giorgia_imbrenda

On the cover: Dress by FERRAGAMO, bracelet by PIANEGONDA.

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