With a knack for genre-blending and a powerful command over emotive storytelling, 19-year-old Kami Kehoe is making her mark on the music scene with her debut full-length album, DRAMA QUEEN. Seamlessly bridging rock, R&B, funk, and pop, Kehoe’s sound is as multifaceted as the emotions she explores in this deeply personal project.

The album is led by the raw and uncompromising single “hate ur f**king self”. Each of the nine tracks signifies a stage in the tumultuous journey of healing a broken heart. In a recent interaction, Kehoe admitted, “I titled it DRAMA QUEEN to come off as somewhat sarcastic but also really feeling like I was being too dramatic. Writing each song felt like a therapy session. I would write and release how I felt and then reflect when I listened back to the songs, realizing the emotions I was feeling and accepting them instead of ignoring them.”

Kehoe is no stranger to the rhythm of music, having picked up the drums at an early age and nurturing her talent with relentless dedication. This musical background is beautifully woven into her songwriting and production, resulting in an album that has a heartbeat of its own, pulsating with raw emotion and undeniable energy. With ear worming tracks on the project such as “ily bby,” “break my heart,” and TikTok sensation “loaded gun,” the singer-songwriter is poised for a meteoric rise.

In our latest conversation, we chat with Kami Kehoe about her new album DRAMA QUEEN, discussing some of the many standout cuts, sharing her more vulnerable side, and what’s next. Continue scrolling to check it out.

Hey Kami! You’ve recently debuted your first full-length album, DRAMA QUEEN. Can you walk us through the process of creating this conceptually driven project?

I started working on DRAMA QUEEN about 7 months ago, I came up with the concept, while I was in few sessions and everything I was writing, was super emotional but they all had this bratty, sarcastic undertone. And in the middle of one of my sessions, I said “damn, I’m being a drama queen right now,” and then I was like, “that’d be a crazy title for a project” and then I ran with that idea.

The main concept of this album, was to embrace being a “drama queen,” and allowing myself to express disguised emotions. At the time I was going through a bad breakup, and each song was written from a situation from that relationship, and being able to open up in the songs, helped me heal and get through the breakup. 

The single “hate ur f**king self” is an incredibly powerful lead for the album. What inspired you to write this song and how does it connect with the overall narrative of the project?

“hate ur f**king self” is the last song on the project, and this was one of my hardest songs to write. I put this last because of the message this song holds, which was a form of forgiveness, and it was difficult for me to write because I was so in denial of being able to forgive this person and what they’ve done, but once I was able to give myself closure and understand why this person hurt me, I was able to let go.

I had to understand that the person who hurt me, was just hurt. And that this person truly didn’t love themselves, so I couldn’t expect them to love me. And realizing this, was the last step to help me heal.

Your album captures each stage of healing a broken heart, conveyed with a sarcastic, even bratty demeanor. Why did you choose to express these emotions in this particular way?

This album showcases a lot of my personality. I have a hard time expressing my emotions, so I usually mask it with humor. So I incorporated a lot of sarcastic, bratty demeanor because it was easier for me to be vulnerable like that. Sonically a lot of the songs have a happy undertone, but the lyrics cut deep. Creating each song felt like a wound I had to open up, and finishing each song felt like the bandage. 

You mentioned that each song on DRAMA QUEEN felt like a therapy session. How has writing and reflecting on these songs contributed to your personal growth and healing?

This whole album made a huge impact on my life. When I was going through the breakup, I never gave myself enough time to heal and reflect, I just found ways to ignore and numb the pain. But then I became numb to all emotions and that was a dark place to be in.

So writing this project, made me open up a lot of suppressed emotions, which hurt at the time, but it was definitely worth it, because I was able to feel something again, and each song felt like a therapy session because it allowed me to dissect a certain situation and talk about how I felt, I was able to learn more about myself, and give myself the closure I needed. I felt like I mentally grew up 5 years, in 7 months. 

That being said, one of my favorite songs from the project was “emotionally unavailable.” Can you tell us a bit more about the track and how it came about?

“emotionally unavailable,” was one of the first songs I made for this project, I wrote this in a session with 2 producers, Andy Schmidt and Wilson McBeath. I wrote this song about trying to pursue a new relationship after the breakup, but I was so numb to my emotions that I felt like I couldn’t be there for this person like they wanted me to be. Writing this helped me understand how numb I truly was and that I still needed time to heal from my last relationship.  

As you prepare to share more of your music with the world, what are some things you want listeners to understand or feel when they listen to your music?

My main purpose of making music is to have an outlet for myself, but my main purpose of releasing and sharing it with the world, is so my songs can help others like my songs help me. All I ask is my listeners truly listen, I believe my words are powerful and can make in impact on someone’s life.

Sonically, I want to showcase that you don’t ever have to put yourself in a box, I’m a multi-genre artist, and I never want listeners to get stuck on one genre I do, because I have over 200 unreleased songs, that are all different genres, but each one tells a story, and all I want to do is be able to share my story and connect with others that have a similar one.