The KX Factor - Meet The Rising R&B Star

With a deep-rooted passion for R&B, an energetic personality, and a voice smoother than silk, KX has all the perfect ingredients for creating music that inspires people across the globe.

Born and raised in South-East London, Katy Lora Heffernan Smith is a rising singer and songwriter with the potential of becoming the next big artist in the country. Growing up, Katy started dance training at Swindon Dance aged 16 and continued at BodyWork in Cambridge.

‘The idea of being an artist didn't even come into my head as a possibility back then. It seemed too out of reach so I stuck to pretending in my bedroom,’ she says.

After completing two years of course, without the funds for a diploma, she decided to move back to London and focus on her music. In 2011, she was asked to join a girl pop band, where for three years she built up all the experience to break off into her solo career. But, firstly, she had to define her identity and she did it with her stage name, KX.

‘Because there are so many Katys already in music, whether it’s Katy B, Katy Melua, Katy Perry, I didn’t want to be just another Katy. You could take the X as a kiss, something mysterious or edgy,’ she says.

KX is mostly influenced by the 90’s R&B sounds - TLC, Destiny’s Child, Usher - but she’s also invested into new artists such as Doja Cat, The Weeknd, Jhené Aiko and Ariana Grande.

‘We attended the same college in Cambridge. I felt her spirit to be always kind and I was not surprised when she started really going for her music. Being a good person takes you further and Katy has those qualities,’ says Naomi James, professional dancer and choreographer from London.

Through her music, KX communicates stories of self-love and personal relationships, but she also enjoys creating sexy and confident anthems to which people can dance to.

Since 2016, KX has been working on a bunch of different projects with producers with the likes of Ayo Beatz, PEP and Fanatix. Her debut EP, ‘1AM’, talks about heartbreak from relationships and her father, but it also spawned some of her most streamed tracks that ventured her towards a more deep and sexy body of work.

‘As much as I like to make music that’s really deep and meaningful, I also like to have fun,’ KX says. ‘I don’t want to just write music that people are like: oh she’s sad again, she’s crying over a guy. My mantra is that everything should be balanced.’

Thanks to her musical versatility, swiftly switching from R&B to Pop and EDM, KX made her way onto radio and performed on the Wembley Arena stage in 2018. As an independent artist, KX uses her modelling career to fund and support her studio time and the making of her artworks and music videos.

‘She is very passionate about her craft and I not only admire it but also relate,’ says Terrell Lewis, an award-winning writer and poet from London who met KX at a show last year where they were both set to perform.

‘My favourite aspect of her music is the combination of current sounds and beats coupled with her vocals. She is definitely a star in the making if not already,’ he says.

During the first lockdown, KX continued working from her bedroom, tapping into her creative mindset to reconnect with her music after a small break. She posted covers, podcasts and other

videos that her fanbase could watch on her socials, but the thought of returning on a stage is stuck in her mind.

‘I miss the buzz that you get before going on stage, that excitement and the adrenaline. I miss being in a new environment where’s there potential to find new fans,’ she says.

Her latest project titled ‘Saint Laurent’ is an unapologetic statement of sticking to your guns while having fun, as KX herself puts it. The track meshes a powerful trap beat with the blend of sweet vocal tones and bold statements that stay very authentic to her sound.

‘At the time, I was kind of feeling very much like I didn’t wanna be told what type of music to do and it’s time to just really be authentic, no matter what anyone says,’ says KX.

In the last few seconds of the song, the beat slowly fades as a voice with a soft French accent makes its way through the chorus. That voice is Balmain’s creative director, Olivier Rousteing, talking about personalities influencing the new generation.

‘I just want to be a positive role model for other girls. I would love girls to look up to me and feel that they can be who they really are,’ she says.

Jevon Alexander, an emerging producer and R&B artist from Michigan, collaborated with KX on the production of the track. The two worked together online due to the continental distance and the ongoing pandemic, of course.

‘I’m not familiar with the UK scene. So the fact that it was different for my ears, I’m going to support it, because I love different. I was more excited that someone from that far away was willing to work with me,’ says Jevon.

This year is set to be an exciting one for KX and her music, starting from a ‘three-tracks project’ that includes her latest single, a new one titled ‘Problem’ and the third one yet to be revealed which will be released soon.