Singled Out: Klemntyna's DISTANCE

Rising alt-pop star Klemntyna just released her debut album "SHE", and to celebrate we asked her to tell us about the song "DISTANCE". Here is the story:

It was the very beginning of the pandemic in March 2020. I have moved to a new apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and I was sitting on the floor by the portable keyboard that my friend lent me so I could continue writing music in lockdown. This is how "DISTANCE" came to be. Originally, it was a song I wrote as my submission for a songwriting competition, where "distance" was a keyword off of which you had to come up with a story. "Distance" at the time meant for many the actual, physical distance as people were separated from each other. I decided to interpret "distance" metaphorically and write about the "distance" I've felt within myself in the context of my dreams and ambitions.

I realized that the farther I am on my journey as an artist, the more there is for me to accomplish. The metaphorical "distance" between where you are and where you want to be keeps on getting bigger as you grow. This realization and the metaphorical "distance" is exactly what my song "DISTANCE" is about. I wrote it inspired by feeling overwhelmed by my ambition and how it affects my perception of my journey, namely my inability to give myself a proper credit for everything I have thus far accomplished. Because of that the song also touches on feeling exhausted about constantly being in an unhealthy competition with oneself, where you always strive for more without being able to appreciate what you've already accomplished.

Writing "DISTANCE" surprisingly came very easy for me. An album that I was fascinated by at the time was "After Hours" by The Weeknd. I started to be drawn to dark influences in pop music. At the same time, it made sense for me to incorporate that aesthetic into my music, as despite its catchy pop vibe, it's often about serious reflections and feelings I wanted "DISTANCE" to blend the dark synthy sound with a classic pop upbeat tempo. Before the song got its final sound, there were several drafts and versions of this song, which I created with different collaborators. Eventually, Jake Tavill and I got together and built the song from scratch in his studio in March 2023.

"DISTANCE" is one of my more demanding songs to sing. Ranging 2 octaves, it seamlessly jumps from low to high notes. There is also a live version of the song I recorded while filming the live vocal performance video, directed and filmed by Zachary Grullon. It will be coming out in a couple of weeks, but you can listen to my debut album SHE now!

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself below and learn more about the album here

News > Klemntyna