Shoot Your Own Shot: KIEDA BORDEAUX. on her album and short film
Interview conducted by Aaron Haughton
KIEDA BORDEAUX. is an visionary up-and-coming hip-hop artist who's about to be put on the map. Her debut album, This Is Not A Movie!, a taut and compelling conceptual album, released July 7th, with the first installment of her accompanying short dropping not too far behind, which you can check out below:
I had the pleasure of catching up with KIEDA to discuss her album and short film, This Is Not A Movie!. Check out our convo below, and help support her in her vision by making a donation to her Kickstarter here.
Aaron Haughton: Where did the idea for This Is Not A Movie! come from?
KIEAD BORDEAUX: I wrote a very bare-boned outline/script before I even wrote the album. I just love to write so if I'm not writing music, I'm writing something. After I felt all right with the basic script that I was working on, I started working on my album completely separate from the script. While writing the album, life happened and so many things changed, which affected my work -- I just wasn't making anything that I loved. I recorded at least 100 songs before I was satisfied with anything. One day, I went back to the outline that I had to try to fill in the blanks, and it came to me. I wanted to fill in the blanks by creating a film score. I wanted to marry those two ideas and do something different from my previous projects.
AH: The album feels very personal, would you consider it be a biopic?
KB: I wouldn't say that it's a biopic, but I will say that there's some of me in each song. My goal with "This Is Not A Movie!" the album, was to create something that everyone can relate to. I think everyone has been passionate about something or had a dream. Most people have been in love and experienced heartbreak. Most people battle with self-doubt or naysayers to the point they never go after what they've always wanted. If there's one thing that reflects me directly it's my previous statement. "TINAM" was the album that I decided to just go full speed ahead. To shoot my shot.
AH: Were there any other films that influenced the record?
KB: There wasn't a film in particular that influenced the record. I think once the visuals are released people will get a sense of who I'm influenced by, but mostly I want to create my own lane. Hopefully, when people see the short, people will see my own style and see where I'm going with my vision. It's exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time, but I know it'll work out how it's meant to.
AH: I noticed that time for your film in the cover is at 2:54 PM. It's a very odd time for a film screening. Is there any significance there?
KB: Nice catch! 254 is the area code for the city I'm from (Killeen, Texas). I figured 2:54 A.M. would REALLY be odd, so I decided to include my area code in a matinee. My city doesn't really have a lot of people, if anyone, that really has put the city on the map. I want to always show my town love because no matter what I went through there, that city shaped me to be the person/artist I am today.
AH: Are there any hidden easter eggs in the cover?
KB: You actually called out the hidden easter egg, the time on the ticket, but there are a few other things on the cover that are very near and dear to me. What I hope is that as people grow with me as I start elevating my career, and hopefully people will start putting the pieces together and drawing their own conclusions. Since the album is a very open and emotionally based album, I think I want to leave something to the imagination.
AH: Was there a particular film or films that you visually modeled your music videos after?
KB: There may be some elements or inspiration for shots but nothing too specific. With pre-production comes storyboarding, finding color palettes, etc. By nature, there will be other movies, tv shows, and camera angles that we'll reference, but ultimately everything will come from the brains of all of the crew involved.
AH: A lot of the album deals with heartbreak, will that feeling be transferred into the videos?
KB: Absolutely. The album talks about a lot of lows and love in particular. The tone of the short is going to be relatable and raw and inspiring. Like, yeah, I went through heartbreak, yeah I took some losses, but in the end, I bounced back, and I'm still going.
AH: Once all the videos are completed, will you release a continuous cut of all the videos linked together?
KB: When everything is all said and done, this will be released as a short film. I want people to walk away from it unsure of what they like more; the album, or the short. But I'm aiming for both because that's what I intended.
Listen to KIEDA's album on Spotify and iTunes, donate to her Kickstarter here, and check her out at the other links below:
Website: https://www.kiedabordeaux.com
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/kiedabordeaux
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/kiedabordeaux
YouTube: http://youtube.com/kiedabordeaux
Share your thoughts and feelings in the comments section below, and be sure to stay in the viddy well loop...because an untied knot is just a string!