Premiere: I Miss You, an elegant, restrained new cut from Kuren's upcoming EP

Curtis Kennedy, AKA 17-year-old producer Kuren has quickly established himself as one to watch in 2015. His flip of The Weeknd's Earned It got our curiousity before latest single It Still Hurts grabbed our attention. It's from an upcoming EP release which will also feature the track we're stoked to premiere for you today - I Miss You. Take a listen below, and check a short Q&A with Kennedy to find out a little bit more about a kid who's still in the middle of his frickin' HSC.

First up, can you tell us a bit about the Kuren project, a bit of background on yourself and how it came to be?

So Kuren was once an idea in my head. The only way it was brought to life was by encouragement from a close friend of mine. I felt that the music I listened to was leaving me feeling blank. Nothing was interesting me and emotion was really lacking in all the new stuff I heard. I thought I could take what everyone was vibing on and then put meaning behind it. I then sprung into this new soundscape that I loved and just put it out there.

The more I made the more my craft progressed and the more people started loving it. Its been such an amazing ride thus far and Im so humbled to have all the support I'm getting all over the world.

You come from rural NSW, what’s the music scene like out there?

They listen to just about anything but mainly Bounce stuff and Country music. Much love to the genres but they are not really my thing haha. I feel the scene out here is slowly changing, and for the good.

Does that isolation make its presence felt when it come to songwriting?

Yes very much so. There isn’t a lot of opportunity out here and not a lot to do. I definitely draw on the sense of isolation when I write music and I try and harness the distance that you can feel growing up in a remote community to tell a story through my music. 

The track we’re premiering today, can you tell us a bit about it?

I Miss You has been through a lot of different drafts, but I feel it is stronger than ever and is a real essential piece in the body of work. I got a little weird with the beat and set a mood that people might not have expected from me. I wanted to make something quite delicate but something you come out the other end feeling empowered by.

And the upcoming EP as a whole?

So around two years ago I went through as pretty crazy break-up. I won’t get into it to much but I found myself with the worst lifestyle ever. I decided to do something productive and this was around the time I started to take Kuren more seriously. I decided to make an EP based on what I was experiencing. Naturally I called it Love Lost. I then wrote down a vision for where I wanted to go, how I would get myself out of this headspace. My vision was to create a guide or musical handbook for other people who are struggling with emotions, hardship or generally just feeling shit. Anyone can listen to it no matter what the circumstance, but I wanted it to inspire transformation in people. Each track explains a ‘stage’ of love lost, through the music. Some are aggressive and some are more stripped back such as this track.

Two years in the making and 17 drafts of the entire EP. I have had such an amazing recovery and time creating this and seeing it all come together. I am forever grateful to those who are helping and supporting me. Honestly.

I hear you’re in the middle of your HSC, things must be pretty hectic at the moment - how’s it all going?

Things are very crazy right now. I am always traveling, studying, working and then making more music! I try to study the best I can but I feel the HSC will NOT decide what you do when its all said and done. I believe you can do or have anything you want in life if you’re willing to work for it.

Are you mates at school across what you do? What’s their vibes on it so far?

Everyone in my school and my town are so supportive, all 1500 of them haha. To be honest at first I wasn’t sure if anybody really cared but I knew if I persisted they would! My friends love the music Im putting out and they always flip out when they see that I’ve struck up friendships with big artists like Tigerlily or Allday.

What’s your plans once school’s done?

I plan to move to Sydney, theres so much opportunity there and I really feel the love and support coming from the people around me when I’m there. The peeps at triple j have been so supportive recently and being able to visit the studios and meet team was so inspiring. I think going the distance and wrapping up school has taught me a lot and I’m ready to get 100% stuck into music and touring in 2016!

Follow Kuren: FACEBOOK / SOUNDCLOUD