A Q&A with kairo lucaz
The 14-year-old creator of "Waiting Game"
In last week’s January Raindrops, we welcomed my 14-year-old’s debut as a singer-songwriter, with her single “Waiting Game.” Thank you to everyone who sent in their messages of support and congratulations, it means a lot.
This is also a first for me—I’ve interviewed a few hundred people over the course of my career, but never a member of my own family. I sit down with kairo and talk to her about the inspiration for the “Waiting Game,” what she finds challenging about the songwriting and producing process, what she thinks about generative AI in the music sector, and, of course, what she’s working on next.
A budding talent talks songwriting and production
Mama: Hi kairo! Thanks for joining me for this interview. What originally inspired this song?
kairo: I wanted to write a song about love, but something about a unique dynamic in the context of romantic love. I listen to many songs from the 60’s, like doo-wop classics, so I’m a fan of the style and it really speaks to me. I wanted to make a song in that style but also turn it into my own thing. Along the way I realized I could kind of relate to the theme, which is, not taking action romantically, because I had a crush in middle school but I never did anything about it...
Mama: Oh yes I think a lot of us can relate to the “not taking action” theme when it comes to romance. We’ve had a lot of people, of all ages, react so positively and resonate with the song, which was surprising to you! But for you, as the creator, does the song have a special message of any kind? Was there something specific you wanted people to take away?
kairo: I think the message of the song is not so much a direct one as an overall idea or situation. It doesn’t serve an exact purpose, it just creates a scenario that many people can relate to: the opportunity for love, the dreaming and idealization of romance, yet in the moment, the fear of rejection and shame seizes the person and they fumble the whole thing. Many people probably experience this. Some media portray love to be this amazing perfect thing, when really it’s way more complex than that, and often doesn’t work out.
Mama: A lot of movies and songs do idealize love. It’s what we want, deep inside, and search for, sometimes all our lives. That’s why we resonate so much with the more difficult—realistic really—aspects of romance. I’m so glad you chose this one as your first song to release—I remember the first time I heard it, I was really taken how much it reminded me of the old classics.
kairo: It’s nothing huge, but I realized I could turn that [initial concept] into something much bigger, kind of how an ordinary seed turns into a cool plant. I also wanted to see if I could write and produce my own song.
Mama: About that… what is your favorite part of the songwriting and production process?
kairo: My favorite part of the songwriting and production process is composing. It’s when everything is new, the possibilities are endless, you are the omnipresent mind that weaves together the essence of the song.
These are the parts I passionately dislike: Recording—it is so tedious, although it brings some opportunities for extra little details and riffs to be thrown in. Mixing—so infuriating because the more time you spend on it, the more your ears adjust, and then you trick yourself into thinking it’s bad when in reality it’s fine. Also, the recording and mixing part wears the song out in my brain, so by the time I’m done, I don’t enjoy the song anymore and would rather not listen to it at all for a while.
Mama: What would you say is the most challenging aspect?
kairo: Staying consistent, and mixing, and making sure all the parts work together, because I’m a single person.
Mama’s note: kairo did it all on her own—she wrote the lyrics, recorded lead and backup vocals, played the guitar and piano, and mixed the song on her laptop. We were able to procure professional equipment for her, but she did it all, in her bedroom. Now we’re getting her a loft bed to make more space for her to record.
Mama: How have people been reacting to the song? Can you share any anecdotes?
kairo: People absolutely love it. I expected people to like it, but not this much! Especially my friends at school, a few of them are obsessed with it and praise me for it—I really appreciate it and often don’t even know what to say, it’s like a shower of sunshine on me.
One of my school friends even recorded a little interview with me and edited it. Another one of my friends told me she showed it to her grandmother… and the grandmother cried.
Mama: And you remember over holiday break, one of my colleagues was also really touched by it. He said:
“There’s a kind of melancholy combined with anticipation. It’s the most authentic love song I’ve heard in such a long time.”
kairo: Yeah, I was very flattered. It’s ironic because I haven’t been in an official relationship [yet]. But maybe that’s also why… because I was able to look at [relationships] from the outside.
Mama: You’ve talked to me before about your concerns about generative AI harming the careers of young musicians like you. What do you think of the use of this technology in music?
kairo: I think for like mixing and tedious technical things I encourage it, like, to help figure out the best option for providing the best sound, but creatively I heavily discourage it, because humans are best and meant for the creative work and soul.
The AI is a tool that helps them express their creative thought, not think for them.
I don’t really trust AI, or the things that people do with it. I’m kind of weary of it. I need to learn more about it to get a full understanding, but from what I know, I am worried for the future of art. I worry that music will be completely commercialized and AI will replace the passion of humans. It’s a possibility. But I know that we won’t let that happen. At least I won’t.
Mama: What about your friends who are also into music?
kairo: I have a friend who is a musician who doesn’t care about AI, he says it will never replace live music, which is true. But he doesn’t care if it’s used or not, even to generate creatively. I disagree. Because then anyone can make music and call it professional. There’s hard work and skill when it comes to making music. [If we use AI to replace those skills] then the value of that profession will decrease.
But hopefully AI in the music industry will turn out to be beneficial, a tool to aid the creative flow of the musician, an enrichment to the plant’s soil, but not replace the plant itself.
Mama: With you on that! So, what’s next, what are you working on now?
kairo: It’s a song called “Windows.” It’s a dark red electric lightning kinda song.
You can follow kairo on BlueSky, Instagram, and of course Spotify.
“Waiting Game” is available on Apple Music/iTunes, Spotify, Deezer, Pandora, Tidal, and others. Check it out!
I hope you enjoyed this conversation with one of our young creators. With gen AI taking up so much oxygen in all the rooms, I feel it’s important, hugely important, to give voice and space to the next generation of talent.
We would love your comments, questions, and of course shares and likes and reposts and swoons. Wait that’s not a thing? Of course it’s a thing! People have been swooning over great songs far longer than they’ve been “liking” posts. 🎶