Sometimes, the right track finds the right home in the most unexpected way. For Kevin Knapp, that moment happened on a sun-soaked road trip through the desert with Andreas Henneberg and Beth Lydi, en route to Desert Hearts Festival. Somewhere between endless horizons and dusty skies they had a listening session, and it quickly became clear that Special Delivery belonged on SNOE. To celebrate the release and friendship, we sat down and asked Kevin a couple of questions.
Playful, visceral, enveloping, and insistent with a with a dash of “make you think about it” sprinkled in for good measure.
We love your new release. What was your inspiration for the song?
I think in many ways I have been making my way towards a more classic, conventional, hip hop styled vocal delivery. After years of doing more spoken word and soundbite based stuff, in tandem with a shift to writing lyrical content 100% sober for the first time, I just wanted to bring as much to bare of my authentic self as I could. I feel like the arrangement lends itself to a more impactful, statement piece kind of vibe, and you know I can’t exist if it ain’t funky.
How do you stay focused in a world of constant distraction?
I have become a lot more introspective as of late. I’ve begun to meditate a bunch and be really intentional about my processes and allocation of attention. It’s not the most novel approach but it really does help you get out of your head to prioritize and focus on what you want. 
Do you have a morning routine?
I just had a friend over for dinner who was talking about how their child was a creative and thus absolutely had to have a routine. I’d actually never thought of it that way. I do have a pretty significant morning routine that is calculated down to the amount of liquid I consume. Haha. Wake up, chug 30 ozs of water, decide on one of three breakfasts that I rotate, weightlifting for an hour at 10 am and then my to-do list day actually begins. I have 2 of them. One that is music based and one that is life based, and they are never, no matter how hard I try, never ever, completed.
What, for you, is the purpose of art?
Art is my escape, and is my closest friend. When we are talking about music specifically, I am comforted by knowing it will always be there, at every moment happy or sad, excited or frustrated, giving me exactly what I need and holding space for how I feel. It’s the reason I don’t think I’ll ever truly be lonely.
What would the 16 year old you think about what you’re doing today?
16 year old Kev would never have believed life could be this good. He would have thought there was no way to do what I do responsibly and to be respected internationally for it. And he would have been wrong about the latter. Thank god he’s not the one making decisions for me today. 😉
In which ways could the scene improve in the future?
It wouldn’t hurt my feelings if the music meant more to more people. Some of the things I’ve heard, just don’t sound like new fresh ideas where people are challenging and searching themselves. I’d love to see more of that.
Favorite release at the moment & of all times?
That would be nearly impossible for me to answer. I can however give you a record that never leaves my bag, nearly 20 years after it came out. Rubin by Oliver Hunteman and Stephan Bodzin
What can we expect from you in the near future?
The next big thing for me will be the KJ Cuts album drop. KJ Cuts is the trip hop/downtempo album that Jamie Rial from Audiojack and I completed. It’s bonkers and I can’t wait for the world to hear the first single. We are just wrapping up the album art now.
What is your favourite Norwegian word? 😉
HUS aka House 😉
You can check out Kevin Knapp’s track “Special Delivery” here:
