Kylyra - Biography page 1
Table of Contents - page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
(History 1-2, Present Projects 2, Full Discography 2-4, Full Videography 4-10)
Introduction
Spanning the gap between dance, gothic, industrial, and avant-garde music, Kylyra weaves strong classic melodies with heavy grooves, layered vocals, and spoken word. Her powerful vocals and thought provoking lyrics combine to create one of the most unique sounds available in music today.
History
Trained on classical guitar, piano, and vocals, Kylyra took her sound into the dance realm after hearing Sven Vaeth's Accident in Paradise. "It changed my perception of what could be done with modern music," Kylyra claims.
Signed with Dark World in 1995, Kylyra was quick to join other improvisational artists in a session used for the Ennui Entertainment video Into the Unknown (air date 10 Nov 95). In 1996, Kylyra joined the premiere experimental improvisational group Stygian Tars and helped to create the music used in Episode One of Dark World Television, Tourist (air date 16 Aug 97).
Kylyra's first solo release, First Steps, in 1997, was quickly followed up by remixes included on the Dark World Compilation Artist's Row. Suffering a personal tragedy, Kylyra took a year's sabbatical, then came back in 1999 with Threshold, In the Land of Death and Joy, and her crowning achievement, Ishtar's Ascent.
In Ishtar's Ascent, Kylyra transcended the role of musician into artist. Fans were used to her classic melodies set to dance rhythms; in Ishtar's Ascent, she gave them that and much more. A concept album meant to be listened to from start to finish rather than as a conglomerate of separate pieces, Ishtar's Ascent tells a tale based on 'Of the Sleep of Ishtar' from the Necronomicon. The striking power of live organic backing tracks including crashing waves and cistern drips were off set by spoken word, orchestrated music, and Kylyra's multi-layered, haunting vocals. "Ishtar's Ascent is a difficult listen," Kylyra admits. "I didn't hold back at all and many people find some of the tracks disturbing, particularly if they don't finish listening to the full release. But I stand by my decision to do the album the way I did."
Kylyra picked up and moved to the EU with Dark World (now Dark World International) in 2001. With residency in Ireland, Kylyra began working as never before, simultaneously building a new solo release, VOX, along with creating a hard rock band, Deemed Psychotic, with her brother Tor.
After four long years, VOX the EP was released in 2005 on a promotional basis. 2006 saw the dual release of Deemed Psychotic's first release, The 1st, and a compilation of Kylyra's earlier works in the release Red Book on iTunes. In 2007, Kylyra released VOX. Her work in Deemed Psychotic and her growth as an artist became evident to her fans. Unlike Ishtar's Ascent, VOX was not a concept album, nor did it include any classical or spoken word pieces. The sound that emerged was hard-edged and tinged with industrial lashings, complimented by Kylyra's maturing layered vocal lines.
2008 saw the creation of KyPoetry, Kylyra's spoken word project that was spurred on by her friendship with Manchester performance poets, notable AndyN. Invited to perform live in the UK, Kylyra wrote a set that stunned her poet compatriots. AndyN wrote in review, "She purred across her set with a Grace Jones diva quality with a mixed backing that ranged from Beat Jazz to industrial and completely engulfed the attention of the audience." Returning home to Ireland, Kylyra continued live performance poetry while organising Express Events, a registered Irish charity focused on bringing international musicians and poetry performers to the rural West Cork area. (continued on page 2)
Table of Contents - page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
(History 1-2, Present Projects 2, Full Discography 2-4, Full Videography 4-10)
