Singer-songwriter, musician KALEN
leapt headfirst into early aughts Brooklyn - a vibrant music scene blooming in derelict DIY venues and undisclosed loft parties off the L train. With her ‘feet on the ground and her head in the sky,’ this New England native hauled her keyboard and amp up and down Bedford Ave, forging a sound rooted in soul, funk and electronic music. During residencies at Alligator Lounge and Spike Hill, Kalen became a neighborhood mainstay, performing high-kicks and jumping off amps in kinetic kinship with the audience.
Her music has unfolded through her punk funk ‘Ladybug Stingray,’ dance rock of ‘Kalen & the A-Listers’ (Roc-elle Records), sharpening into the fiery trip-hop ‘Kalen & The Sky Thieves’ (Rope-a-dope Records). More recently she’s exploring electronic music through the sinewy beats of her ‘Death By Piano’ (Hi-4-Head Records) project and performing with ambient rock band Late Sea, all while continuing her solo project KALEN.
Regardless of musical genre,KALEN grabs your collar and pulls you into a compassionate embrace -- her voice at once playful and penetrating, jazzy and soulful. Her confessional lyrics, heralded by American Songwriter, reveal the joys and heartbreaks of artisthood in the midst of Brooklyn’s culture-shifting drumfire.
She’s performed at Brooklyn Bowl, Rough Trade, & Joe’s Pub, DC9 (Washington D.C.) and Hotel Café & The Mint (LA). During the pandemic, KALEN brought us into her world streaming her moody tunes in late night solo sessions. Performing live again KALEN tailors each performance (and the accompanying visuals) to the specific site and space, from analog slide projectors coupled with poetry and acoustic bands in Brownstoner salons to projection mapping and thumping tracks with a full electric band on stages around NYC.
KALEN’s latest indie-pop EP Silence Like Sirens – created in collaboration with Izzy Gliksberg (Late Sea), Will Bradford (SeepeopleS), and Eric Zeiler (Little Daylight, Me Not You, Young Saab) – is brimming with singable songs. The EP will drop on March 8th with a release show at The Sultan Room. Her upcoming Pandora EP under moniker Death by Piano – produced by Tom Marsh (Lana Del Rey) with visuals by Robert Lester – will drop later in the year. On both EPs, KALEN hones her soulful songs into intimate ‘cut to the bone’ vibrations, healing the post-pandemic heart-stricken with tender connection.
Kalen’s newest release “Disappear” perfectly displays her soothing vocals, and is paired with a beautiful music video, featuring Kalen singing in a field of flowers. Accompanied by soft piano and acoustics, Kalen creates an angelic atmosphere with the imagery of the music video. She delivers her lyrics with intense emotion, unveiling the feeling of being completely caught up in someone, so much so that you can’t see clearly anymore. The images in the music video then become distorted and blurred as a brass solo begins, showing Kalen spinning on a sandy beach. Possibly in search of a clear mind or a way to make herself disappear. Kalen certainly brings intense character to the art she makes, and we can’t wait to see what’s in store for her.
Buzz Music (2020)
The Izzy Gliksberg-produced track is elegant dark-pop cloaked in mystery and deep pools of sound. Skittering drums and delicate, layered instrumentations set KALEN up to let her dynamic vocals as she offers power and vulnerability with each turn.
Impose Magazine (2019)
Rising up out of the Big Apple is dark-pop artist KALEN. Her new single, “Weak,” explores a dichotomy in sound and lyricism as KALEN, real name Kalen Lister, muses over a knee-buckling love that she summons the strength to resist. This comes paired with a swelling, mysterious electro atmosphere that grows along with KALEN’s chorus which also works as a mantra; “Your love it makes me weak.”
Ground Sounds (2019)
What makes the debut LP from Brooklyn, N.Y.-based 'Kalen & The Sky Thieves' so compelling is the vintage lushness of mix, which comes through in the cavernous synth and guitar echoes of "Island" and in the layers of artfully compressed sound on the radio-ready "Rabid Girl." Kalen Lister is a singer-songwriter with real character.
Bill Murphy of Relix (2014 print edition)
Featuring Kalen’s undeniable skills as a pianist, songwriter, and vocalist “Weak” is a beautifully written love ballad about the highs and lows of love.
Buzz Music (2019)
