Meet ODESZA collaborator Kelsey Bulkin and her soothing new single, Samsara

Header photo by Canh Nguyen.

Chances are you've come across the name Kelsey Bulkin before. The LA-based musician, in addition to a littering of her own works over the last 24 months, featured on ODESZA's moving latest album A Moment Apart, gifting her vocals to the euphoric, twinkling album highlight Divide. The time since has been relatively quiet for the rising, R&B-adjacent star, most of her time spent writing and recording in anticipation for a release-filled 2019 ahead, the first taste of which we've received this week with Samsara. It's a charming, soothing number thick with R&B sensibilities and this hazy, almost-DIY-feeling wash, combining glistening, washed-out melodies with a bright vocal line that softly floats over the top. At times, the single takes on more of a hip-hop lean, with thick bass kicks welcoming an almost Kelela-reminiscent breakdown before that crashing chorus sweeps in once again. "Looking back at my own heartbreaks and framing them as attachments to the inevitability of change instead of as true loss has been eye-opening and also a riddle I’m trying to solve," she says on the single. "How can we ever be completely detached and still survive here?" Listen to the single below, and get to know Bulkin a touch better as we introduce you to an artist on the rise.

Tell us about yourself?

I’m a natural redhead which means I have a genetic mutation on my mc1r gene.

What’s the vibe music-wise?

I call it surf R&B.

What are your production and writing processes like?

I write lyrics and melodies all the time, usually on walks or in my car. Then I pair chords and rhythm.

Can you tell us about your new single, Samsara?

Samsara is the first track I produced after having my son. I wanted the sounds of sunlight, water, wind and the sobering fear of the unknown.

Any shows coming up?

I hope so!

What’s the rest of the year and 2019 have in store for you?

Gratitude, giving back, rehearsing.

Where can we find more of your music?

Wherever you stream music - under my name and also under my former project Made In Heights.

Follow Kelsey Bulkin: FACEBOOK