INTRODUCING: KALISWAY

WORDS MAISIE JANE DANIELS - IMAGERY COURTESY OF COLTURE

Toronto native Kalisway is a singer-songwriter and producer turning heads with her brand-new album, A Kid From Toronto. This explosive 14-track masterpiece takes listeners on a joyfully retro-futuristic journey, blending innovative funk and R&B in a free-flowing, timeless style that will keep you grooving long after summer has ended.

When speaking with Kali, it's clear that she was born with charisma coursing through her veins. From the moment you meet her, that charisma shines through, but the confident artist we see today didn’t emerge overnight. Her journey began on the production side of the industry at the tender age of thirteen, where her talent and potential were recognised by a team that nurtured her growth. They served as the sunlight and water, helping her blossom into the fully-formed artist we see before us now—an artist who knows exactly who she is and isn’t about to change.

This determination shines through in the track “Not That Type of Girl,” a standout from the album that resonates deeply with Kali. The song encapsulates her values, aspirations, and identity as both an artist and an individual. As she puts it, "I’m not the type of person to change just because my life is evolving." With this release, we have no doubt that her life will be growing dramatically, as we predict wonderful things ahead for this captivating kid from Toronto.

Maisie Daniels: Hey Kali, welcome to F Word! It's sunny here in London; us UKers like to talk about the weather. How’s everything in Canada, Toronto? How’s your summer been?

Kali: It’s been actually amazing. The summer in Toronto has been really hot, the weather is amazing, the sun is shining. It’s starting to reach that fall point, so the nights are getting a little chilly, so I’m getting every bit of sun I can.

MD: I had a dream last night it was winter, and it was really sad! It was Christmas, though!

Kali: [Laughs] Even though I love Christmas, I’m just not ready yet! Summer... you know!

MD: I’m glad to hear it’s been a good summer. Let’s strip it back to the beginning. Your sound is so distinctive! When did you first realise you had this incredible voice and wanted to pursue a career in music?

Kali: I realised my voice was something special pretty late, actually—around 19. I had been producing since I was 13, and I always wanted to be behind the scenes. I wasn’t really confident with my voice yet and my sound. So, I took the time to build and learn the basics of music production, how things should be levelled. Once I learned the overall basics of engineering, I feel like I stripped away all the typical rules that apply to engineering and started to immerse myself in the passion of music. Then, when I got into the Remix Project, that’s where I really found myself and gained more confidence; my peers and mentors around me said, “Hey, why are you here as an audio engineer? We need to use your voice; your voice is so special, and you need to believe in it.” That truly gave me the confidence to continue finding and developing my sound. I was fortunate to meet my team from there. Doing those things allowed me to realise, no, I want to take my sound further and represent my city with it.

MD: Amazing. Talking to a lot of artists, they knew from a young age that they had this voice. It sounds like you needed other people to tell you. Was this purely a confidence thing?

Kali: I think for me, it was a confidence thing. I knew I had something, but I just didn’t feel confident in it yet. Once there were people around me hearing the special quality of my voice before I did, it allowed me to throw out that inner critic and realise I was the one holding myself back. Once I started to really believe in myself and what I’m capable of, that’s when it all came together.

MD: Your album 'A Kid from Toronto' is set to drop this Friday—exciting times!

Kali: I’m so excited, countdown!

MD: I’ve been listening to it non-stop, hopping and bopping around my flat! You’ve brought so much joy to my week, so thank you!

Kali: [Laughs] Ah, thank you!

MD: When did you start working on it?

Kali: I made the song “A Kid From Toronto” alone, and that song inspired the whole album, late 2022. I remember giving it to my team and saying, “Hey, what do you all think about this?” They all loved it and were like, “Let’s take a year, just grind, build, and get inspired, so we can come back and create another project where everything has evolved.” So, when I made that, it became the whole focus and inspiration for the album going forward. I really started delving into it around late November 2023. We went to Miami, produced the album, and really tried to find the parts I wanted to build more, the things I wanted to add to it. Being locked in the studio with my manager and creative assistant, Ace—she was doing amazing things, capturing the moments in the studio—because we wanted to make sure this album was more immersive and that fans could feel more connected to me, rather than just seeing me say, “Hey, I’m dropping something.” You know what I mean? 

Seeing the actual process was what we were aiming for, and I feel like we did that in an amazing way. It took about a year and a half to get here, and we started recording everything at the beginning of this year in January, finishing everything in March.

MD: So obviously, over the year and a half, the music and your sound have evolved. Do you feel like you’ve evolved on a personal level?

Kali: Absolutely. I think within that year of not releasing anything, I’ve changed spiritually because I’ve tapped into other focuses and things within myself, making sure I’m staying in tune with my values. A lot of people, hearing that they want to take a year off from their managers, might think, "Oh man, that’s my bag, you’re sorting my bag out, and you’re not releasing for a year?" It could be a scary thing. But for me, it was an opportunity to look into the greats that inspire me, like Babyface, Quincy Jones—all the greats—and tap into the beauty of songwriting. So I feel like I evolved. Even though I know the nostalgia that I love, I wanted to understand how they created it. How is that good music still good music today, and why does it still feel good? Because I took that time, it allowed me to tap into myself more, truly tap into the old music that I love and the old soul that I have, and bring that into this project and everything I have within me now.

MD: Amazing. And within that time off, were you traveling a lot?

Kali: Yeah, so in 2022/2023, we went to Australia and then to Bali, which was so amazing. I want to go back to Australia so bad, as well as Bali. I had the most amazing experience.

MD: That must have been inspiring?

Kali: I think it was inspiring for me because, before I met my team, I had never travelled anywhere other than Jamaica—because that’s my background—so being able to go to the States, Miami, Atlanta, Australia, and touch different parts of the globe within the two years I was building with them, it gave me confidence. Like, wow, we’re doing something inspiring; this is what I want to be able to do every other day! That gave me the confidence to build the life I want to move towards—just happiness and creativity. Anytime and any place that I can achieve that, I really want to do it. I feel like it gave me the push and drive to keep grinding and make stuff special so we can reach that goal.

MD: What are your views on manifestation?

Kali: Oh, strong. Every morning I thank the sun for just being here. I’m grateful for the opportunities that have come to me, and that I’m able to achieve, and I don’t take any of it for granted. I feel like that’s one word I use all the time: gratitude. None of it is promised, so when I wake up in the morning, I just manifest that good things come my way, that I continue to have the strength and the confidence to accomplish these things and be able to achieve them. Because without my team and without me having that confidence, we can’t get where we want to go. My team is my strongest support system ever, so I always want all of us to do well because we’re going to achieve those things together.

MD: That’s so nice. The album is 14 timeless and joyful tracks, there's so much to explore. If you could, please walk us through: The track that fulfilled you the most and why?

Kali: “Not That Type of Girl,” because that song alone—and just how strong that title is to me—meant so much to what my values and aspirations are, and who I am as an artist, and also as an individual.

Throughout that song—it actually came to me before we went to LA at the beginning of the year to start working on it—I showed it to Jayne and said, “This song is going to be really important to me because it’s talking about how I’m never going to change, no matter how many changes come with me, or in my life, or how much I’m growing, or how the pace of my life changes, or whatever types of things come my way. I’m always going to remain the same girl. I’m not that type of person to change because my life is evolving. My values are never going to fade.” That’s exactly what the song is, so it touches me even deeper than a lot of the other tracks on the album because it resonates in my heart.

MD: It’s such an empowering track. Which track did you make the most changes to, and why?

K: "Baby Girl" was the one I made the most changes to. At first, it was really short and didn’t have any key changes. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it; I only had the rapping part figured out, honestly. When I went to Miami, I produced it a bit more and recorded the demo, but I still didn’t have a second verse. I was rapping the second verse freestyle, with no lyrics or structure. Everything came together in March when we went to the Spotify Coca-Cola studios. I added harmonies and started working with my engineer, Jack Mason. He encouraged me, saying, “You can do this! Why are you doubting yourself? You’ve got so many ideas!” So, we executed them. After recording, I decided we needed a key change, which I did right in front of him [laughs]. I kept adding more key changes—another one, and then another [laughs]. After all that, I thought the song was done, but I decided to add a chant at the end.

The song kept evolving and growing as I was in the studio, and it felt beautiful that way. It was meant to be like that, and now that people can hear how spontaneously it came together, I think it will connect with them on a deeper level.

MD: What do you hope people take away from this album?

K: I hope people resonate with it and feel that they can have aspirations and goals and achieve them regardless of who they are. Especially being from Toronto, there’s this idea that after big names like Drake and The Weeknd, there’s nothing more to the city. But there’s so much talent emerging that’s creating new opportunities for the city. This album represents someone like me, who thought I couldn’t do it, immersing myself in my hometown and showing that dreams are achievable no matter who you are. I’m starting from a place where no one knows my name, but I believe it’s going to happen. I’m just a kid from Toronto—you could be from Chicago or Minnesota, but you can achieve anything if you let go of doubts and believe in yourself.

MD: I want to talk to you every day!

K: [Laugh]

MD: You’d be an incredible motivational speaker! I’m sure many people will find that inspiring.

MD: That’s what you want people to take away. What’s the biggest thing you took away? Is it the same?

K: It’s pretty much the same. Writing this project showed me that I’m capable of so much more. There were times when I thought, “That was my biggest achievement, how can I top this?” I kept proving myself wrong. Creating this project made me realise there’s so much more in store for me, even though I don’t know exactly what it is. I think this project will show people how much I’ve evolved over the past year and that my sound is growing stronger. The same feelings I want others to experience with this album are what I feel about it.

MD: If your album were the soundtrack to a film or series, what film would it be and why?

K: Since Jayne mentioned this to me, I feel it would be something like "Family Matters" or, if it were a film, "Girls Just Want to Have Fun." It’s very happy, dancey, but also has emotional, honest, and pure moments. That’s exactly what this album is—positive, fun, inspiring, with a balance of dancing and self-expression.

MD: If your album were represented by a colour, a shape, and a sound, what would they be and why?

K: Colour: red, because it’s my favourite colour. Shape: a star. Sound: I’d say a tape recording going into a tape recorder.

MD: That’s a nice visual. Two days until the album drops—how are you feeling about releasing it?

K: It feels amazing. After not releasing music for so long, I worried that people might have forgotten about me and my sound. I was also concerned that the first few tracks might seem like a departure from my previous work, but the support for "Superstar" exceeded my expectations. With just a couple of days until the album release on Friday, and given that this is my s econd album, I’m so happy, grateful, and excited. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone’s reactions and the love at the release party. I’m excited to meet fans, showcase the album, and tap into the community.

MD: What’s coming up after the release?

K: After the release, we have another beat battle on Saturday, where we’ll connect with lots of producers and network. I want to engage with the community and put a face to the name, since much of my music was released during the COVID era, and people mainly got to know me online. Now, I’ll be able to connect personally and work with others who have inspired me. We also have an appreciation lunch on the 18th to connect with those who have supported me on my journey.

MD: Any shows coming up? Any tours?

K: [Laughs] I can’t give that away right now! We’re working on it. We always get asked this, and I always get fans asking, “Are you coming to...?”

MD: Please come to the UK!

K: [Laughs] I’m working on it! There are a lot of discussions happening this week, so it will happen.

MD: Good to hear! This is F Word magazine—what’s your favourite “F” word?

K: Fantastic!